Novel ingredients for birdy cakes/balls?

[Kleftiwallah]

Has anyone found anything novel or different the birds go for apart from the usual ingredients of fat balls?

Cheers. Tony.

[MartinRSharpe]

Any part grown\over ripe sweetcorn cobs get strung up after being harvested. The birds and squirrels love those.

Probably not much use now, but I suppose you could chop them up into big chunks and use those in them the bird fat balls

[veggiechicken]

Chopped fruit? Teasel heads?
Friends put apples on the lawn with a knitting needle through them to hold them in place.

[Two_Sheds]

TS's patented Bird Cake Recipe

Bird Cake Recipe

wild bird seed
sultanas
oats
grated cheese
bacon rind, chopped
cooked potato
chopped apple, etc
beef suet (veggie is bad for the birds' feathers)

heatproof plastic mould (Xmas pudding bowls are good, also takeaway containers, silicone muffin moulds)


half fill mould with suet. Microwave until the fat is melted. Stir in seed etc. Add a piece of string. Cool, then freeze. When solid, pop the cake out and hang it out for the birds. (freezing it stops the grease getting all over your hands)

I've experimented over the years with all the different bird feeds, and have settled on this method. It saves a lot of wasted seed, as none gets spilled on the ground, and also keeps the woodpigeons away, because they can't get to the food.

[Kleftiwallah]

Thanks for all those interesting replies.

Cheers, Tony.

[Tam]

I have lots of bird feeders in the garden and buy nuts and seeds by the sackload. I also find that, if you buy the cheapest dried dogfood from the supermarket, it makes a very good food for the softbills, after soaking.

[scarey55]

I have lots of bird feeders in the garden and buy nuts and seeds by the sackload. I also find that, if you buy the cheapest dried dogfood from the supermarket, it makes a very good food for the softbills, after soaking.

Great idea Tam. We managed to raise a baby blackbird using just soaked dried dogfood and boiled egg.
I make up a mixture of suet, cheap raisins - soaked, bran flakes crumbs (stuff left at the end of the packet) cheese, apple pieces and oats, put out in an old dish.