In article , Patricia
Smith writes
I am spending a fortune on Fat Balls for the birds every week. Does anyone
know of a receipe I could make up myself for the birds.

Try looking at the CJ birdfoods website - they sell a 'home kitchen' for
making your own fatballs so they may also indicate ingredients.

basically, you need bird-type food - dried fruit, oats, tiny bits of
bacon, remains of grated cheese, then you melt some suet to glue it all
together. Exact proportions aren't important!

Suggestions I've seen include - drilling holes in a log and packing that
with your home made fat cake, doing the same with coconut shells, or
packing it into open fir cones.
--
Kay Easton

Edward's earthworm page:
http://www.scarboro.demon.co.uk/edward/index.htm

"... basically, you need bird-type food - dried fruit, oats, tiny bits of
bacon, remains of grated cheese, then you melt some suet to glue it all
together. Exact proportions aren't important ....."

I also throw in stale bread, stale muesli.
I let it set in a small bowl then transfer it to the net bags you get
things like nuts etc in, and hang it from a convenient small branch/twig in
a youngish Oak within view of the window.
This Bag then shrinks as the food is eaten and still gives a good grip for
small birds

--
David Hill
Abacus nurseries
www.abacus-nurseries.co.uk

In article , Patricia
Smith writes
I am spending a fortune on Fat Balls for the birds every week. Does
anyone
know of a receipe I could make up myself for the birds.

Try looking at the CJ birdfoods website - they sell a 'home kitchen' for
making your own fatballs so they may also indicate ingredients.

basically, you need bird-type food - dried fruit, oats, tiny bits of
bacon, remains of grated cheese, then you melt some suet to glue it all
together. Exact proportions aren't important!

Suggestions I've seen include - drilling holes in a log and packing that
with your home made fat cake, doing the same with coconut shells, or
packing it into open fir cones.

Another way would be to get a tin, baked beans, sweetcorn etc, rinse it out
and put a hole in the lid, put some long wire or a shoe lace, whatever you
have lying around through the hole and put a knot in it. Put the lid into
the tin so the knot is at the bottom. Place the tin beside your cooker and
when you empty your grill pan, fry pan etc empty it into your tin adding the
other ingredients as you go (bird seed etc), put in a little melted lard or
suet too if the stuff from your pans doesn't seem to be setting. When it's
full it just slides out when you give a firm tug on the wire, lace etc. If
you start now you can make at least one a week (with six to feed here thats
quite easy) and you can keep em in the fridge/freeze them as I do, then you
have a plentiful supply for the winter.

Shannie
--
Kay Easton

Edward's earthworm page:
http://www.scarboro.demon.co.uk/edward/index.htm

Patricia Smith writes
I am spending a fortune on Fat Balls for the birds every week. Does
anyone know of a receipe I could make up myself for the birds.

Why are you feed birds Fat Balls in the summer?
Steve R
--
"Latest gear:- One piece one button suit extremely comfortable, perfect
for Relaxation, Sports, Hiking, Swimming, a must have" OOPS sorry you
have one!!!

"... basically, you need bird-type food - dried fruit, oats, tiny
bits of
bacon, remains of grated cheese, then you melt some suet to glue it
all
together. Exact proportions aren't important ....."

Can you also use those blocks of white fat meant for frying ??
Jenny

In article , JennyC
writes


"... basically, you need bird-type food - dried fruit, oats, tiny
bits of
bacon, remains of grated cheese, then you melt some suet to glue it
all
together. Exact proportions aren't important ....."

Can you also use those blocks of white fat meant for frying ??

I don't see why not. Someone else (Shannie?) has saidOK to use lard, and
AFAIK vegetable fat is OK for birds (after all, peanuts are OK), so you
should be able to use either type. The main thing is a fat that is solid
at normal outside temperatures - easier done in the winter than it is
now! ;-)
--
Kay Easton

Edward's earthworm page:
http://www.scarboro.demon.co.uk/edward/index.htm

"JennyC" wrote in message
...


"... basically, you need bird-type food - dried fruit, oats, tiny
bits of
bacon, remains of grated cheese, then you melt some suet to glue it
all
together. Exact proportions aren't important ....."

Can you also use those blocks of white fat meant for frying ??
Jenny

Yes, Jenny, it's what I've been using for years and have lots of birds in
the garden at the fat balls all winter long with no ill-effects whatever.
The cheaper the fat the better. I did notice at one point last year that the
magpie's and crows were having a greed-fest on them when I hung them in the
trees so I put a cuphooks in the eves above the kitchen window (Im in a
bungalow) and the small birds had no probs getting at them but the bigger
birds stayed away

HTH
Shannie