Quick Answer
Yes, you can use butter in homemade bird suet. Butter is a common ingredient in many suet recipes as it provides fat and nutrients that are beneficial to wild birds during cold winter months. Using butter in suet helps the suet remain solid in cold temperatures but spreadable for birds when warmed by their body heat. When choosing butter, go for unsalted butter without additives.
What is Bird Suet?
Bird suet is a high-fat bird feed supplemented with seeds, nuts, fruits and insects that provides birds with the extra calories and nutrition they need during the winter. Suet typically contains rendered beef fat, peanut butter, lard or vegetable shortening as the main fat source. The fat helps birds store energy to keep warm and survive cold winter nights.
Benefits of Using Butter in Suet
Here are some of the benefits of using butter in homemade bird suet:
High Fat Content
– Butter is about 80% fat, making it an excellent fat source for energy-dense suet. The high fat content helps the suet remain solid in cold temperatures.
Spreadable Texture
– The fatty acids in butter keep the suet malleable. When warmed by a bird’s body heat, the suet becomes spreadable for easy eating.
Nutrients
– Butter contains nutrients like vitamins A, D, E and K. It provides additional nutrition beyond just fat and energy.
Readily Available
– Butter is a convenient suet ingredient that most people have on hand in their kitchens. No need to render fat or specially source ingredients.
How to Add Butter to Bird Suet
Follow these simple tips for incorporating butter into suet recipes:
Use Unsalted Butter
– Choose plain, unsalted butter. Salted butter contains additives that can be unhealthy for birds. Organic, grass-fed butter is the best option.
Melt the Butter
– Melt the butter first so it easily combines with other ingredients like peanut butter, flour, oats, seeds, etc.
Mix Well
– Thoroughly stir the melted butter into the other dry ingredients until blended.
Avoid High Heat
– Don’t cook the suet mixture on high heat. Keep the temperature low so the butter doesn’t burn or separate.
Add Seeds, Fruits, Nuts
– Mix in additional ingredients like raisins, chopped nuts, seeds, dried fruit, oats, cornmeal etc. to provide extra nutrition, variety and appeal for birds.
Re-melt Between Batches
– When making multiple batches, re-melt any leftover butter between mixes so it remains spreadable.
How Much Butter to Use
Most suet recipes call for approximately:
1 part butter
– 1 cup of butter
2 parts fat
– 2 cups lard, shortening or rendered fat
2-3 parts seeds/nut butter
– 2-3 cups nut butter, seeds, oats, etc.
This ratio provides a nutritionally balanced, solid suet cake. Adjust amounts based on your preferences and ingredients.
Best Butter Suet Recipes
Here are two excellent suet recipes using butter:
Classic Bird Suet
Ingredient | Amount |
---|---|
Butter | 1 cup |
Lard | 2 cups |
Peanut butter | 2 cups |
Cornmeal | 3 cups |
Birdseed | 1 cup |
Melt butter and lard together over low heat. Stir in peanut butter and cornmeal until evenly mixed. Add birdseed. Pour into molds or smear into mesh feeders. Chill until hardened.
Fruity Suet Wreath
Ingredient | Amount |
---|---|
Butter | 1 cup |
Vegetable shortening | 2 cups |
Peanut butter | 1 cup |
Oats | 3 cups |
Raisins | 1/2 cup |
Dried cranberries | 1/2 cup |
Melt butter and shortening. Mix in peanut butter and oats. Stir in raisins and cranberries. Pour into a ring mold or wreath shaped cookie cutter. Refrigerate until firm. Remove mold and hang wreath outside.
Storing and Serving Butter Suet
Storing
– Store unused butter suet in a sealed container in the refrigerator for 1-2 months. It will keep as long as regular suet.
Molding
– Pour melted suet into molds, muffin tins or plastic containers to create suet cakes. Let cool completely before removing suet.
Smearing
– To make it easier for clinging birds like woodpeckers to eat, smear suet into mesh onion bags, plastic mesh fruit bags or pinecones.
Feeders
– Fill suet cages or plug fondue forks into logs and fill the prongs with suet. Hang feeders in areas sheltered from direct rain or snow.
Conclusion
Butter is a handy ingredient to use in homemade bird suet. It adds fat, nutrients and a spreadable texture that birds can easily eat. When making your own suet, opt for plain, unsalted butter and combine it with seeds, nut butters, grains and fruits. Melt and mix the butter thoroughly with other ingredients and fill molds, smear into mesh bags or provide in specialized suet feeders. With the addition of nutritious butter suet, you can help wild birds survive and thrive through harsh winter weather.