Quick Answer
Yes, you can use vegetable shortening as a substitute for lard or other animal fats when making homemade bird suet. Vegetable shortening like Crisco contains trans fat, which helps create a firm texture similar to lard or tallow. The vegetable shortening must be softened before mixing with other ingredients to make a pliable bird suet dough that can be shaped into cakes or blocks. Most bird experts recommend using vegetable shortening in moderation along with other fats like peanut butter to provide calories and nutrition for birds.
What is Bird Suet?
Bird suet is a high-fat food supplement offered to wild birds to provide them calories and nutrients, especially in winter when natural food sources are scarce. Suet typically contains rendered fat blended with seeds, nuts, dried fruit, oats, cornmeal, and other ingredients to make a nutritious, high-energy food for birds.
Traditionally, suet is made by rendering and clarifying fat from beef or mutton. This process produces tallow, which solidifies into a firm, shelf-stable cake or dough at room temperature. The firm texture allows suet feeders to be filled with suet cakes or dough balls which birds can cling to while feeding.
The most commonly used fats for suet today are:
Lard
Lard is rendered and clarified pork fat. It has a high saturated fat content that gives suet a firm, spreadable texture. Lard offers calories for energy and is naturally attractive to insect-eating birds.
Tallow
Tallow is rendered and clarified beef or mutton fat. Like lard, it has a high saturated fat content to keep suet firm at room temperature. Tallow provides concentrated calories for birds.
Peanut butter
Peanut butter is a popular additive for bird suet. It boosts protein and healthy fats. Peanut butter helps bind suet mixes and adds to the calories provided. It also improves the flavor to attract more birds.
Vegetable shortening
Vegetable shortening, such as Crisco, provides a vegan alternative to animal-based fats. The hydrogenated oils allow vegetable shortening to mimic the firm, spreadable texture of lard or tallow. It offers concentrated calories and fat for energy.
Why Use Vegetable Shortening in Bird Suet?
There are several reasons why vegetable shortening makes a suitable ingredient for homemade bird suet:
Provides plant-based fat
Using vegetable shortening allows suet to be made without animal products for people who prefer a vegan alternative. The plant-based fats still offer concentrated calories.
Mimics texture of lard/tallow
The trans fats in vegetable shortening give it a firm, spreadable texture similar to lard or tallow at room temperature. This allows the suet dough or cakes to hold their shape.
Shelf stability
Like animal-based fats, vegetable shortening resists spoilage at room temperature. Suet cakes or blocks made with shortening can be left in feeders for multiple days without turning rancid.
Bind ingredients
The fatty texture of shortening helps bind and hold together dry ingredients like seeds, nuts, oats, etc. This allows diverse add-ins to be mixed into the suet.
Economical alternative
Vegetable shortening is widely available and less expensive than some rendered animal fats. It provides a budget-friendly calorie source.
Attractive to birds
Many backyard birds are attracted to the fat and calories in vegetable shortening. It provides energy and nutrients they seek out, especially in winter.
How to Use Vegetable Shortening to Make Bird Suet
Making homemade bird suet with vegetable shortening is simple:
Ingredients
– 1 cup vegetable shortening
– 2 cups wild birdseed blend
– 1 cup quick oats
– 1/2 cup peanut butter
– 1/2 cup cornmeal
– 1/4 cup dried fruit (raisins, cranberries, cherries)
Instructions
1. Soften vegetable shortening to room temperature so it is malleable.
2. Mix together shortening, peanut butter, and dried fruit in a bowl until evenly blended.
3. Add in birdseed, oats, and cornmeal. Stir until fully incorporated.
4. Form suet mixture into compact cakes, balls, or logs.
5. Pack tightly into suet cages or containers.
6. Store in fridge or freezer until ready to use if not using immediately.
7. Place suet in feeders outside and watch for visiting birds!
8. Replenish suet as it is eaten. Wipe away any leftover melted fat on feeders.
Tips
– Combine vegetable shortening with peanut butter, lard, or tallow for added nutrition.
– Mix in extra birdseed, raisins, mealworms, cracked corn, wheat germ, etc. to boost appeal.
– Add melted shortening to dry ingredients if dough won’t stick together.
– Recycle and reuse plastic containers, yoghurt pots, milk cartons etc. as suet feeders.
– Try adding non-melting suet nuggets to cages to prevent messes.
– Offer suet in mesh bags or small cages to prevent larger birds hogging.
– Store unused suet dough in a freezer bag in the freezer for later use.
Benefits of Vegetable Shortening Suet for Birds
Using vegetable shortening to make homemade suet offers a few benefits:
High fat content
Like lard or tallow, vegetable shortening is nearly 100% fat, providing a concentrated source of calories and energy for birds. The high fat content helps birds maintain body heat and energy levels during cold months when food is scarce.
Nutritional add-ins
Vegetable shortening on its own has minimal nutritional value. But blended with birdseed, peanut butter, cornmeal, oats, fruit etc. it becomes a nutritious, high-calorie food supplement. The shortening helps bind these nutritious add-ins into a cake.
Mimics fat birds seek out
Fat is scarce in nature yet provides vital calories and insulation for small birds. Vegetable shortening mimics the fatty foods like insects, eggs, nuts and seeds that birds naturally seek out, offering a substitute in winter.
No prep or spoilage
Homemade suet requires minimal prep time and stays fresh at room temperature once made. It provides a ready-to-eat, long-lasting food source for birds unlike feeders that require refilling.
DIY recipes
Any ingredients can be mixed into vegetable shortening suet recipes to create custom blends. This allows tweaking recipes to attract the desired backyard birds.
Economical
Vegetable shortening is typically one of the most affordable ingredients for making homemade suet. Using kitchen staples like oats and birdseed also minimizes the cost of materials.
Potential Drawbacks of Vegetable Shortening Suet
However, there are a few potential downsides to using vegetable shortening for bird suet:
Minimal nutritional value
On its own, vegetable shortening contains no protein, vitamins or minerals – only fat and calories. It lacks nutritional value compared to suet made with peanut butter, insects, or rendered fat.
Can melt in heat
Vegetable shortening has a lower melting point than animal-based fats like tallow. Suet made with shortening can become mushy or melt in hot weather, creating a mess below feeders.
Not natural food source
Vegetable shortening is highly processed and contains trans fats. Some claim suet made from it is not a natural food source for birds compared to rendered fats, nuts or insects.
Fatty acids
The fatty acid profile of vegetable shortening may not provide birds the same benefits as natural fats high in omega-3s and other unsaturated fats. The effects of its fatty acid balance are debated.
Can spoil over time
Though vegetable shortening resists spoilage initially, suet made from it can still become rancid if left in feeders for extended periods in warm weather. Rancid fats can make birds ill.
Non-native birds can outcompete others
Very high-calorie suet, if not limited, may disproportionately benefit larger non-native birds who then outcompete smaller native species. Moderation is advised.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it safe for birds to eat vegetable shortening?
Yes, birds can safely eat suet made from vegetable shortening in moderation. The trans fats provide concentrated calories like those from animal fats. Vegetable shortening lacks some nutrition found in other fats but is safe for birds to consume.
What birds will eat vegetable shortening suet?
Common backyard birds attracted to vegetable shortening suet include chickadees, nuthatches, woodpeckers, wrens, titmice, mockingbirds, jays, starlings, sparrows, finches and more. Larger birds like crows may also eat it voraciously.
Is vegetable suet healthier than animal suet?
Not necessarily. Vegetable shortening lacks the protein, minerals and healthy fats found in tallow or lard suet. But both provide birds pure fat which offers vital winter calories. Combining vegetable and animal-based fats creates a nutritious balance.
Does vegetable shortening suet go bad?
Like animal fat suet, vegetable shortening suet can eventually go rancid or rotten if left in warm outdoor conditions for an extended period. Any melted fat or uneaten suet should be promptly cleaned from feeders. Storing unused suet in the fridge or freezer extends its shelf life.
What temperature does vegetable shortening melt?
The melting point of vegetable shortening is typically around 105-115°F (40-45°C) depending on the blend. This is lower than the 130-140°F (55-60°C) melting range for beef or mutton tallow. In hot climates, vegetable suet is more prone to melting.
Conclusion
Vegetable shortening can be used to create inexpensive homemade bird suet. It mimics the firm texture of animal fats, acting as a vegan alternative providing pure fat and calories. While it lacks some nutritional benefits of lard or tallow, vegetable shortening is widely accepted by winter birds seeking energy. Combining it with nuts, seeds and rendered fats helps boost nutrition. In moderation, vegetable shortening suet is a suitable backyard bird feeding option. Monitoring melted fat and spoilage is advised, as is limiting overconsumption by dominant non-native species. With proper care, vegetable shortening suet offers an accessible way to supplement winter nutrition for local birds.