Fatballs 2012

[monkeyrepublic]

I note that there are a few threads on this from way back. Well, here's my tuppence worth.

In the interests of frugality, I decided to make my own fat balls out of stale muesli and lard.

The birds are totally unimpressed.

Ungrateful blighters.

Tips from you wise WAB folk?

[Billabong Karen]

Just keep giving them what you've got. When they get hungry enough, they'll eat it... Just like children, really

I just tend to buy whatever is on special offer. Sometimes the birds arent completely impressed, but as I say, after a while they eat almost everything I put out.

Must say though, this is the first year I have bought and put out dried mealworms (VERY expensive) - and the robins, blackbirds and dunnocks LOVE them! So they are definitely worth the money.

[Jonners]

I've not tried making my own, but when I was a boy I used to go to the butcher (proper one ) and get some lumps of proper suet and hang them up for the birds - they used to love 'em, but they might also be a more solid base for a fatball than lard... dunno, just a thought. And I don't even know whether you can still get proper chunks of suet from that diminishing species that is the proper butcher.

[rossy]

Originally Posted by monkeyrepublic

I note that there are a few threads on this from way back. Well, here's my tuppence worth.

In the interests of frugality, I decided to make my own fat balls out of stale muesli and lard.

The birds are totally unimpressed.

Ungrateful blighters.

Tips from you wise WAB folk?

dont know how much it costs you to do that, but i got 6 for 49p at poundstretchers and at bms, and the birds pile into them. what are you like at stew and dumps ? lol rossy.

[davedotcom]

The birds are loving the fat balls we've put out. They seem to be going down just as quick as the seeds!

Having said that, the sparrows that visit ours do seem a little picky with the seed as when we changed to a different brand they barely touched them. Picky little beggars!

[AfternoonLemon]

Have to say I haven't bothered with fat or suet this year as we haven't really had any proper cold weather yet, and I think that's when they benefit from it most.

Seed mix is going down fairly quickly, peanuts not so.. soaked sultanas and mealworms for the blackbirds and starlings are always gobbled

Originally Posted by Billabong Karen

Must say though, this is the first year I have bought and put out dried mealworms (VERY expensive) - and the robins, blackbirds and dunnocks LOVE them! So they are definitely worth the money.

I agree, I soak them in warm water first though. I'm not sure if that makes them more appealing to the birds, but it definitely makes them look more appealing to me!

[Tringa]

I can understand you being more than just a bit miffed at the lack of response, MonkeyR.

A few weeks ago I filled a coconut shell with a mixture of suet, sunflower hearts, dried meal worms and sultanas.

I hung it on a tree in the garden and did any bird even get close to it? No! If I had stuck it to local sparrow hawk there would have been more takers.

Eventually I hung a commercially produced fat cake out close to my one and within half a hour there were starlings fighting over it, but not a sausage (or even a small bird) on my home made one!

But a week or so later I saw a great spotted woodpecker really tucking into my "coconut" fat ball.

Hopefully the same thing will happen in your garden.

Dave

[Billabong Karen]

Originally Posted by AfternoonLemon

I agree, I soak them in warm water first though. I'm not sure if that makes them more appealing to the birds, but it definitely makes them look more appealing to me!

Ah, good tip. How long do you soak them for? I'm often in such a rush in the mornings that I just chuck a couple of handfuls outside under the bushes... Could I soak them overnight, or would they turn into a nasty mushy mess?

[jaelen]

Originally Posted by Billabong Karen

Ah, good tip. How long do you soak them for? I'm often in such a rush in the mornings that I just chuck a couple of handfuls outside under the bushes... Could I soak them overnight, or would they turn into a nasty mushy mess?

I pour a small amount of very warm-to-hot water over the meal worms the night before putting them out, (not a lot- just barely enough to cover them) and then tip off any remaining the next morning... they don't absorb much.

They don't go mushy... in fact, mine didn't soften up much at all, so I hope I'm doing it right! There was a robin tucking into the ones I put out yesterday, and they got a good soaking from that downpour we had.

Monkey, don't feel bad about the birds turning up their fussy little beaks at your specially-made fatballs... they do the same to me, too- fall on the store-bought fatballs from Poundland like they're manna from heaven, and leave my lovingly hand-prepared ones for the starlings to squabble over. (They'll eat anything! )

[Billabong Karen]

Originally Posted by jaelen

I pour a small amount of very warm-to-hot water over the meal worms the night before putting them out, (not a lot- just barely enough to cover them) and then tip off any remaining the next morning... they don't absorb much.

They don't go mushy... in fact, mine didn't soften up much at all, so I hope I'm doing it right! There was a robin tucking into the ones I put out yesterday, and they got a good soaking from that downpour we had.

Thanks Jaelen, I'll have a go over the weekend and let you know what the birds think! Karen