It has cost us money to buy fatballs to get birds back into the garden. And
they love it. Nothing left within 24hrs. I can't identify the birds, but
that is not my wory.
Can we make our own fatballs? and if so how?
If we don't hang them under a "bell" the gulls have them away so they have
to be able to hang and not drop off.

Thanks
Baz

Baz wrote:
Can we make our own fatballs? and if so how?
If we don't hang them under a "bell" the gulls have them away so they have
to be able to hang and not drop off.

THe boys have made these at beavers/cubs using lard + bird seeds, which
they melt or squish into an old yoghurt/rice pot with string through the
bottom to loop and hang up. All very bluepeter.

However, the birds do /not/ appear to like them. (The milage of your
birds may vary)

wrote in
:

Baz wrote:
Can we make our own fatballs? and if so how?
If we don't hang them under a "bell" the gulls have them away so they
have to be able to hang and not drop off.

THe boys have made these at beavers/cubs using lard + bird seeds,
which they melt or squish into an old yoghurt/rice pot with string
through the bottom to loop and hang up. All very bluepeter.

However, the birds do /not/ appear to like them. (The milage of your
birds may vary)


Are you on drugs?

Baz

On 21/11/2012 12:29, Baz wrote:
It has cost us money to buy fatballs to get birds back into the garden. And
they love it. Nothing left within 24hrs. I can't identify the birds, but
that is not my wory.
Can we make our own fatballs? and if so how?
If we don't hang them under a "bell" the gulls have them away so they have
to be able to hang and not drop off.

Thanks
Baz



I have made my own fat balls by simply melting lard and adding bird seed
until all the soft lard is used up. I've made flat suet blocks to fit
the proprietory flat suet feeders, but it's easy to use wire mesh to
conform to your required shape. I'm fortunate enough to own a
collection of ceramic bell feeders, but you could use small terracotta
plantpots with a strong loop of wire placed through the drainage hole as
you pack in the suet mix. If you're concerned about the wire loop
pulling through, use a washer to help secure it. I find it helps to put
my suet shapes in the fridge for a while to help reset the fat before
hanging outside. If it's very cold outside, you probably don't need to
bother.

If you have any *cooked* rice going spare, it can also go in the mix.
As a separate feed, I occasionally put spare pastry in a mesh feeder.
The birds *love* it! They also love cheese, but don't seem bothered
about very strong cheddar; milder cheeses soon disappear.

Remember also to offer water for drinking and bathing, and change it
regularly. I also put out wire mesh 'bags' with RG's hair trimmings in,
but you could used dog hair if you have a critter to brush. The hair is
always taken for lining warm roosts, and again in the spring for nesting.

--
Spider
from high ground in SE London
gardening on clay

On 21/11/2012 12:29, Baz wrote:
It has cost us money to buy fatballs to get birds back into the garden. And
they love it. Nothing left within 24hrs. I can't identify the birds, but
that is not my wory.
Can we make our own fatballs? and if so how?
If we don't hang them under a "bell" the gulls have them away so they have
to be able to hang and not drop off.

Thanks
Baz


I'm sure we've been through this before.
I make our bird feed by putting a Tesco value brown loaf through the
blender to crumb, then put it into a bowl that will fit into the
microwave(Mixing bowl from Morrisons.
Slice Dripping and put the slices about half on top and cover with
Tesco value porridge oats, Cover and cook at Max for 6 mins, remove, mix
it with a spoon,
Add the rest of the dripping and cover with more oats. cook for a
further 6 mins.
Remove and mix again then add a mug of mixed bird seed (I get ours from
the Range)and mix, then add another mug of seed and mix again.
I use 2 litre pop bottles with the tops cut off at an angle as moulds, 1
litre will do as well.
Fill then ram down with the end of a rolling pin, when the 2 are filled
and rammed I push the sides down with a serving spoon. let them go cold.
I use 2 hanging baskets on end, 2 of the chains hold the baskets and the
3rd chain is used to hang the food.
I made holders from half inch wire netting wrapped around a 2 litre
bottle to get the size, wired up one end and a wire from back to front
to hang it by.
When wanted I cut the bottle off the feed , slide it into the holder and
hang it inside the baskets,
http://s240.photobucket.com/albums/f...ent=Feeder.jpg
Woodpeckers can get inside to feed.
I use dripping not lard as in the summer lard gets to soft in warm weather.
Pre Sparrow Hawk we were feeding around 200 birds a day, we have 4
feeders on the go,
David @ a very wet but sunny Swansea Bay. 1.25 inches of rain in the
last 24 hours.

On 21 Nov 2012 12:33:10 GMT, wrote:

Baz wrote:
Can we make our own fatballs? and if so how?
If we don't hang them under a "bell" the gulls have them away so they have
to be able to hang and not drop off.

THe boys have made these at beavers/cubs using lard + bird seeds, which
they melt or squish into an old yoghurt/rice pot with string through the
bottom to loop and hang up. All very bluepeter.

However, the birds do /not/ appear to like them. (The milage of your
birds may vary)

Add some peanuts, sunflower, niger and stale bread to the mix. Stand
clear!

Steve

--
EasyNN-plus. Neural Networks plus. http://www.easynn.com
SwingNN. Forecast with Neural Networks. http://www.swingnn.com
JustNN. Just Neural Networks. http://www.justnn.com

Baz wrote:
Can we make our own fatballs? and if so how?
If we don't hang them under a "bell" the gulls have them away so they
have to be able to hang and not drop off.

THe boys have made these at beavers/cubs using lard + bird seeds,
which they melt or squish into an old yoghurt/rice pot with string
through the bottom to loop and hang up. All very bluepeter.

However, the birds do /not/ appear to like them. (The milage of your
birds may vary)

Are you on drugs?

Hmm, only the caffeine, as far as I am aware.

Stephen Wolstenholme wrote:
However, the birds do /not/ appear to like them. (The milage of your
birds may vary)

Add some peanuts, sunflower, niger and stale bread to the mix. Stand
clear!

There were definitely sunflower seeds in the bird seed mix, and I think
some peanuts. Whatever the normal bird seed with padder is.

Sacha wrote:
However, the birds do /not/ appear to like them. (The milage of your
birds may vary)

See my post to Baz. They don't like lard. We tried that a couple of years ago!

Ah, that could be the problem. Sorry, haven't seen your reply to Baz yet.
I could be wrong about it being lard that they used to beavers/cubs, but
that is how I've always seen it in 'recipes' so I may be assuming.

wrote in news:ah489cFt2khU2
@mid.individual.net:

Baz wrote:
Can we make our own fatballs? and if so how?
If we don't hang them under a "bell" the gulls have them away so they
have to be able to hang and not drop off.

THe boys have made these at beavers/cubs using lard + bird seeds,
which they melt or squish into an old yoghurt/rice pot with string
through the bottom to loop and hang up. All very bluepeter.

However, the birds do /not/ appear to like them. (The milage of your
birds may vary)

Are you on drugs?

Hmm, only the caffeine, as far as I am aware.

My god! Sorry. That came out wrong.
I meant to say steroids. Meaning you must be run ragged with all you have
going on.

Baz

Sacha wrote in
:

On 2012-11-21 12:33:10 +0000, said:

Baz wrote:
Can we make our own fatballs? and if so how?
If we don't hang them under a "bell" the gulls have them away so
they have to be able to hang and not drop off.

THe boys have made these at beavers/cubs using lard + bird seeds,
which they melt or squish into an old yoghurt/rice pot with string
through the bottom to loop and hang up. All very bluepeter.

However, the birds do /not/ appear to like them. (The milage of your
birds may vary)

See my post to Baz. They don't like lard. We tried that a couple of
years ago!

Sacha, I don't see that post.
Baz

wrote in message
...
Baz wrote:
Can we make our own fatballs? and if so how?
If we don't hang them under a "bell" the gulls have them away so they
have
to be able to hang and not drop off.

THe boys have made these at beavers/cubs using lard + bird seeds, which
they melt or squish into an old yoghurt/rice pot with string through the
bottom to loop and hang up. All very bluepeter.

However, the birds do /not/ appear to like them. (The milage of your
birds may vary)

Baz, why not cut a coconut in half, use the kernel and milk for your self,
then you have two half shells to use as "bells". The above recipe is good,
any "hard" fat will do but lard or suet is fine.

Bill

Baz wrote:
THe boys have made these at beavers/cubs using lard + bird seeds,
which they melt or squish into an old yoghurt/rice pot with string
through the bottom to loop and hang up. All very bluepeter.

However, the birds do /not/ appear to like them. (The milage of your
birds may vary)

Are you on drugs?

Hmm, only the caffeine, as far as I am aware.

My god! Sorry. That came out wrong.

Heh. I'll forgive you, then. :-P

I meant to say steroids. Meaning you must be run ragged with all you have
going on.

Ha, you don't know the half of it. ;-)
(School fete coming up at the weekend)

Sacha wrote in :

On 2012-11-21 15:49:12 +0000, Baz said:

Sacha wrote in
:

On 2012-11-21 12:33:10 +0000, said:

Baz wrote:
Can we make our own fatballs? and if so how?
If we don't hang them under a "bell" the gulls have them away so
they have to be able to hang and not drop off.

THe boys have made these at beavers/cubs using lard + bird seeds,
which they melt or squish into an old yoghurt/rice pot with string
through the bottom to loop and hang up. All very bluepeter.

However, the birds do /not/ appear to like them. (The milage of your
birds may vary)

See my post to Baz. They don't like lard. We tried that a couple of
years ago!

Sacha, I don't see that post.
Baz

It's in the thread but basically, it's a suggestion that you use beef
suet or rendered fat. We've tried lard and they just didn't take it.

I see. Thanks. There goes our steak and kidney pud. The arteries will thank
you as well :-} (that's my double chin)

Baz

"Bill Grey" wrote in
news

wrote in message
...
Baz wrote:
Can we make our own fatballs? and if so how?
If we don't hang them under a "bell" the gulls have them away so
they have
to be able to hang and not drop off.

THe boys have made these at beavers/cubs using lard + bird seeds,
which they melt or squish into an old yoghurt/rice pot with string
through the bottom to loop and hang up. All very bluepeter.

However, the birds do /not/ appear to like them. (The milage of your
birds may vary)

Baz, why not cut a coconut in half, use the kernel and milk for your
self, then you have two half shells to use as "bells". The above
recipe is good, any "hard" fat will do but lard or suet is fine.

Bill




Bill, good idea with the coconut. We use coconut all the time but I never
would have thought of that. And the shell is durable. The compost bin
doesn't break them up very quickly. Thanks.

Baz