I made some bird suet crumble for nesting season

[eleny]

I found this video where they pointed out that some of the birds feeding at their store bought suet feeders were getting gout from an overabundance of purines in the commercial suet.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I9_oOhXNG6A

They made an easy recipe for a "crumble" that came together easily without a big mess or making the house smell bad. Really, this took minutes once I assembled the ingredients on my counter.

I doubled this recipe and added several cups of seeds to the recipe. It can be stored in a covered container without refrigeration:

Peanut Butter Suet

Directions (small batch)

Melt in the microwave and stir together:

* 1 cup peanut butter
* 1 cup lard

In a large mixing bowl, combine:

* 2 cups chick starter (unmedicated, available at any feed store)
* 2 cups quick oats
* 1 cup yellow cornmeal and
* 1 cup flour

Add melted lard/peanut butter mixture to the combined dry ingredients and mix well.

I put some in the suet feeder and the Downy Woodpecker and the Flicker took turns. Now I just need to get a piece of board and some cord to make a swinging platform feeder to hang up. The finches couldn't negotiate the suet feeder.

[GentryDixon]

1. I watched the video.

I am eager to get to the feed store to get the chick starter. I have been feeding the commercial peanut butter suet, which is the favorite of all, but they eat a cake a day. Plus the chance of giving them gout is disturbing. I know how horrible that is, so I will give this a whirl.

I don't think I will 5X times the recipe my first time out.

Thanks...

[eleny]

2. I didn't do the 5x recipe, either. I made it 2x

The cakes of lard that look like a pound of butter make up 2x exactly. So it worked out.

The squirrels found it first. So I put out some cheap smashed corn and some other inexpensive feed I found at the feed store. I spread it around a tree in the front yard where they can't see my regular bird feeders in the back.

Now, it seems that the only squirrel who comes to this homemade suet mix is a very small one with chewed up ears. He looks like one who has gone through a lot so he's welcome. And just today a grackle ate some of the suet. Here's hoping that the little songbirds see it very soon.

My father in law had gout. Knowing about that pain got me making the suet mix at home, too.