Sunday, January 10, 2010

Homemade treats for the birds

Blue Bird

The Bluebirds have been arriving in flocks to the feeders since it has been so cold. Last year Ellie and I made them up a batch of 'Zick Dough' which is a homemade suet recipe that Julie Zickefoose came up with. The birds love love loved it last year so we decided to make some more today. It's really simple to do. Here are the ingredients

  • 1 cup lard
  • 1 cup creamy peanut butter
  • 2 cups oats
  • 2 cups corn meal
  • 1/3 cup sugar
  • 1 cup flour
  • 1 cup bird seed

Over a low heat melt together the lard and peanut butter. Once melted, stir in all the other ingredients. Pour it out on wax paper and pop it in the fridge until it is hard. See, isn’t that easy? You can then break off pieces and put them in a dish or in a tree or even just right out on the railing. The fat and protein will help keep these guys going in the cold weather and you get to see how many different birds enjoy the suet. For us the suet lovers are the Bluebirds, Wrens, Mockingbirds and Downy woodpeckers.


suet1
All the ingredients for Zick Dough



suet2
All mixed up and ready to be cooled.