It can be a bit of a worry, unless you know which country the feed has come from and what are their standards.
I used to buy those hide chewy 'bones' for my dog, that was until I read on a dog forum that a lot of these bones come from China where the hide is treated with arsenic. I don't know how wide spread a problem this is, I've got no evidence except comments from Google, but since then I've stopped buying them.
Unacceptable products do sneak in, wasn't it a couple of years ago when a major store was selling bobble hats, unbeknown to the store the 'bobble' was made with dog fur?
That is exactly what I’m worried about. That fat ball when it got wet didn’t look like fat and seeds, it looked like wet chalk
Fat doesn’t dissolve in cold water, so what ever they put in there was not proper suet.
I will never buy those again (luckily I only bought the smallest pack with just four balls in it)
I have decided to make my own bird feed, using the old empty coconut halves, lard and seeds. We’ll see if the birdies like it 😅
If you can get beef dripping, @Big Blue Sky, that works better than lard for home-made "fat cake" - it has a much higher melting point, which means if the sun shines on it you don't get a puddle of melted fat...
When we lived in the UK we used to get "Britannia" dripping from the local supermarket. The local birds seemed to approve... I guess I could get beef dripping here in Ireland too, but we have rats in our boundary wall, so I've had to stop feeding fat cake as the rats used to steal it - even from squirrel-proof feeders. Clever creatures, rats.
Since 2019 I've lived in east Clare, in the west of Ireland.
Thank you for that advice @Liriodendron I have just done the first batch with regular lard as I already had some in the fridge, but will definitely get some beef dripping for the next time.
Just hope the birds come to feed this year as so far there hardly have been any 😕
I also make my own fat ball filling. I melt down Atora suet, other brands available, stir in my wild bird seed, sunflower hearts, freeze dried meal worms, sultanas and peanuts etc. then put it into empty coconut shells to set. I would prefer to use beef fat from the butcher but it is not so easy to find. It doesn't melt as quickly in the sun although I have now stopped feeding my birds in the summer. My local GC is now selling berry suet pellets which the birds love. The local jays and magpies are really greedy over the fat balls, I lost a complete fatball feeder recently so have replaced it with one with a cage to see if that deters the Jays and magpies.
Following the advise from @Liriodendron today I refilled the coconut halves with beef dripping mixed with seeds. They turned out great 😊 here is how to make bird feeders (according to BigBlueSky 😊)
Melt fat (beef dripping or lard) gently, using water bath
Add seeds and/or peanuts, mix well and fill empty coconut halves with the mixture
Let them cool completely until fat is firm and white again - ready!
It is not only much cheaper than store bought feeder balls, but definitely much better quality too (if you read my first post here - it is really something quite awful what they put in those feeder balls).
It depends on the quality or freshness of the Nyger seed. I’ve had stuff lie in the feeder and not get touched only to open another packet for it to be devoured in a day or two. I’ve heard that the oil in the seed will dry out and the birds won’t touch it when that happens. Whatever the reason it can be a bit hit or miss and it’s impossible to tell before you open the packet. It won’t keep long either, even when it’s good.
It is by a long way the most sought after goldfinch, Siskin and greenfinch food in my garden when it’s good.
Posts
I have decided to make my own bird feed, using the old empty coconut halves, lard and seeds. We’ll see if the birdies like it 😅
When we lived in the UK we used to get "Britannia" dripping from the local supermarket. The local birds seemed to approve... I guess I could get beef dripping here in Ireland too, but we have rats in our boundary wall, so I've had to stop feeding fat cake as the rats used to steal it - even from squirrel-proof feeders. Clever creatures, rats.
I have just done the first batch with regular lard as I already had some in the fridge, but will definitely get some beef dripping for the next time.
My local GC is now selling berry suet pellets which the birds love.
The local jays and magpies are really greedy over the fat balls, I lost a complete fatball feeder recently so have replaced it with one with a cage to see if that deters the Jays and magpies.
here is how to make bird feeders (according to BigBlueSky 😊)
Melt fat (beef dripping or lard) gently, using water bath
Your home made ones look rather tasty tho
Whatever the reason it can be a bit hit or miss and it’s impossible to tell before you open the packet. It won’t keep long either, even when it’s good.
It is by a long way the most sought after goldfinch, Siskin and greenfinch food in my garden when it’s good.