Bird Feed Fail?

While I have enjoyed the wild birds on our property in the time I have lived here, during this past year-plus of staying home, I found myself wanting to know what types of birds visited us.

Baby bluejay from last summer

That led to a variety of bird feeders and different kinds of bird food and hummingbird nectar feeders and a birdbath and a suet feeder... well you get the idea...

Being the frugal person that I am, I decided to take some of last year's suet out of the freezer and use it for this year's bird food.

And, being the intelligent person I am, I thought this would be easy enough...

No need to research ... just take the idea and charge forward.

So I put the suet in the crockpot to render it down.

Suet and seeds mixed together in the crockpot

Then I let it cool and added some birdseed. Stir it up a bit more and pour the mixture into a flat container ... let it cool and cut it up and I would be set.

The first time I put too much birdseed for the amount of suet. When I tried to cut it into pieces, it crumbled and would not hold shape at all.

Never fear! Render more suet!

Add back in what I had already made ... and all would be well!

That second time I poured it in the flat container, I poured the mixture too thick. When I cut it into sections and put it in the feeder, I could not shut the door.

Suet cut into pieces not fitting in my feeder

So... I set the container on the counter and let it come to room temperature so I could mash it into a "patty" to fit into the feeder.

Suet 'patty' - the right size for the feeder

You know playing with suet with your bare hands is kind of oogie.

Not something I recommend if you don't have to do it.

I hung what I had out in the yard, and I've even seen a few birds enjoying eating it...

Suet feeder hung on the old clothesline pole

It will work ... I think I'll research a variety of recipes and ways of making bird food cakes and try it again... or not.

Perhaps my frugal self will bypass the hours needed to make bird food cakes and just buy the squares. Hmmm... if I buy some of those squares then I'll have molds for future homemade squares and I won't have to get my hands oogie ... hmmm... pondering...