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We like feeding the birds in both summer and winter, but don’t like paying a fortune for pre-made bird suet. This is an easy and inexpensive recipe for homemade suet that the birds seem to love.

I’ve seen quite a few recipes that are aimed at feeding birds in winter, but this one holds up to the heat of the summer too so it can be used to feed the birds any time of year.

Using this, we see quite a variety of woodpeckers that don’t ever visit the normal feeders. It does take them a few days to find the suet once we hang it out though.

We occasionally have a pair of woodpeckers build a nest and raise a family during the summers, and particularly like this recipe then.

Downy Woodpeckers

Woodpeckers Making A Nest

The woodpeckers seem to like it, and it holds up to the summer weather too. We enjoy watching them so much, we like to think we’re helping them with the babies.

Woodpeckers Feeding The Kids

Peanut Butter Suet

Ingredients

1 cup crunchy peanut butter
2 cups "quick cook" oatmeal
2 cups cornmeal
1 1/2 cups lard
1 cup white flour
1/3 cup sugar

Instructions

Melt the peanut butter and lard together in a pan over low heat, then mix in the remaining ingredients (while still on low heat).
Press the mixture into a square or rectangular cake pan so that the mix is about 1 inch thick (or the thickness of your suet feeder.
Freeze for an hour, and then cut into squares that will fit your freezer.

Recipe Notes

Store extra suet squares in the freezer (separated by wax paper) until ready to use.