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Reusing sunflower oil.

stu1892stu1892 Posts: 4
in Wildlife gardening
Hi,

I would like to reuse sunflower oil, rather than throw it away, and I wanted to know if it is possible to turn it into bird feed?

Has anyone any experience of making fat balls from sunflower oil specifically? I have read some articles that say oils can affect waterproofing on a birds feathers and I wouldn’t like to cause any harm. 

Thanks in advance. 

Stu

Posts

  • steephillsteephill Posts: 2,841
    Fat balls are made with hard fats which binds everything together when it cools and sets. Oil won't do that and your fat balls would fall apart.
    I don't imagine that birds would be coating themselves in oil so I see little danger of damaging feathers. They love the seeds which contain the oil and don't seem to have any problems.
  • WildliferWildlifer Posts: 52
    When I have leftover oil I pop oats into the oil overnight and let them soak it up. They then go on the bird table, hope that helps x
  • stu1892stu1892 Posts: 4
    Wildlifer said:
    When I have leftover oil I pop oats into the oil overnight and let them soak it up. They then go on the bird table, hope that helps x
    Thanks for your replies. I’ll give the oats a go. 
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