When temperatures drop, figuring out what to feed birds in winter does not require a special seasonal mix. Black oil sunflower is still the best all-purpose starting point, suet adds a dense energy source for cold weather, and white proso millet reaches ground-feeding birds that may ignore hanging feeders. Peanuts or safflower can be useful … Read more
Homemade suet can be a useful cool-weather food for woodpeckers, nuthatches, chickadees, titmice, and other fat-eating feeder birds. The important preparation step is rendering plain beef fat so meat particles and other impurities are removed before you make the cake. Rendering improves keeping quality and consistency, but it does not turn a homemade block into … Read more
No-melt suet is formulated to stay firmer than ordinary suet in warm weather, but the name is not a guarantee that every cake is safe in any summer heat. Manufacturers use different recipes and publish different temperature claims, while Cornell warns that even packaged no-melt suet can soften, spoil, or become rancid when high temperatures … Read more