Feed The Birds..Tuppence a bag..well, a little bit more than tuppence!
Posted By admin on December 20, 2008
It’s important!! It’s cold out there, and the birds are hungry. As wild bird lovers, we had to decide whether or not we could justify spending some of our meagre income on feeding them. Wild bird seed can be expensive, and shop bought fat balls are dear. So…our cut price strategy is this!
Seeds
If you can source a sack (20kg) of sunflower seed or wild bird food locally, it’s much cheaper to buy in bulk. We paid £11.50 including delivery from our local pet shop. This will last all winter, with the added bonus that you will have lots of pretty sunflowers in your garden, all set by the birds..for free!You can then save the seeds form them for next winter. Just dry them and pick them off into an dry paper bag.
Fat Balls
These cost a lot bought ready made. Our homemade ones are greeted by flocks of squabbling birds and give us hours of entertainment (please note..this is not a Time Bandit..it’s enjoyment!).
This is all you do:
In a heavy saucepan melt a couple of blocks of lard. Allow to cool slightly, and stir in enough wild bird seed and leftovers* to make a porridgy sludge. Allow to cool some more, until the mixture starts to solidify, but not so much that it sets. Spoon into empty yoghurt pots and leave in a cold place (we use the shed) until set. Slide them out into hangers and pop on the trees.
Since I have ordered a yoghurt maker, and confidently expect not to have shop bought yoghurt pots to spare any longer, I have been experimenting with other containers. So far, an non-stick wok has worked best. Simply melt your lard, add your ingredients, give it a good stir and leave to set. Dip the wok in very hot water for a few seconds, upend it on a board, and slice into pieces.
birdcake
You can also buy metal hangers, which are excellent. We have some left over from our more affluent days. You can make little string bags for them too. I’ve posted a pic of mine above. They are not elegant, but they do work. They take about 10 minutes to make once you’ve got the hang of it. All you need is a crochet hook and some thin cotton tape or string.
*Leftovers
Any scraps of bacon, ham, cheese, pastry, cake, biscuits etc can go in to the mix. Go easy on the bread, not much nutritional value to tiny birds tummies, and NO whole peanuts. Birds can choke on them, so crush them first. Also, if you do buy peanuts, make sure they have been tested for Aflatoxins, as the presence of these can kill small birds.
Basically, they need high fat, high protein to keep them warm, and they will repay you by keeping you amused, planting some lovely surprises in your garden..and next year they will eat a lot of the troublesome bugs and insects in your summer garden!
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