If you’re looking to increase the bird population in your backyard through a feeder – our How To Hang A Suet Feeder Guide is for you.
Here’s the thing. Everyone has their method of attracting avifauna to add more life to their garden landscape. But, newbies may have a difficult time coming up with the ideal placement for a suet feeder. Believe it or not, where to hang a suet feeder is quite a common question for beginner bird enthusiasts. If you’re the same, don’t worry – we’ve got you covered.
This article will break down all you need to know about adding a suet feeder to your yard. We’ll also shed light on the best types of feeders for the job and stuff you should avoid ensuring insects don’t overtake your garden.
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The Best Places To Hang Or Place A Suet Feeder
More often than not, ideal suet feeder placement will depend on the landscape of your garden. Trees with sturdy branches can be used to hang feeders, so it’s accessible on all sides. On the flip side, there are feeders that you can affix on tree trunks. At the end of the day, feeder placement can be a bit of a trial and error exercise. That’s because it’s the birds who determine the success of your venture.
The good news is, we’ve compiled a list of places that are almost always pretty successful when it comes to attracting birds. So, all you have to do is pick the setting that suits your garden best.
1. Fasten the Feeder On Tree Branches
We know what you’re thinking. Placing a hanging suet feeder on tree branches is so common, it barely needs mentioning. However, you’ll need to keep two details in mind if you’re planning on trying out this feeder variation. One, make sure to place the feeder high enough to ensure the birds are safe from pouncing prowlers below – like cats. And two, make sure any feeder you purchase comes equipped with squirrel baffles. If your feeder of choice doesn’t include a squirrel baffle, buy one yourself. A squirrel baffle will keep pesky chipmunks from climbing into the feeder and stealing the suet.
2. Invest In A Feeder Pole
Another viable answer to how to hang a suet feeder is buying a solid feeder pole to place in your yard. The great thing about feeder poles is that you can place them just about anywhere as long as there’s enough depth to the soil for the rod to sink into. Then there’s the fact that a single feeder pole can accommodate two or even three small to mid-sized feeders. And best of all, you can add a baffle from the ground upwards to ensure squirrels can’t climb their way up.
3. Place A Suet Cage Against A Tree Trunk
If you live in an area that experiences strong winds occasionally, hanging feeders may not bring you too many feathered friends. That’s because the feeders are liable to rock in the wind – making for an uncomfortable feeding experience for the birds. What you can do instead is set up suet cages against tree trunks to make sure they stay in place. The downside to this type of arrangement is that your suet supply may not last too long because squirrels will have easy access to the cages. However, it’s still an overall successful alternative to hanging suet feeders.
How High Should You Hang A Suet Feeder?
If you’re wondering about how high you should hang your suet feeder, the answer’s at least about 60 inches (or 5 feet) off the ground. If your feeder is placed any lower – it may become a target for dogs looking to play and cats looking for their next meal. Not to mention, you don’t want to hang suet (which is beef fat) that high in scorching temperatures. Suet can melt and cause all sorts of problems – from damaging the natural waterproofing on birds’ feathers to giving way to ants and insects. Plus, suet can turn bad (rancid) in the summer – so it’s best to hang suet to attract birds around the fall or spring.
What Kind Of Suet Works Best For Bird Feed
Did you know there are various types of suet flavors? Sometimes it’s not the placement that’s the problem but the suet itself. It’s best to be aware of suet varieties available so that you can experiment and discover the suet type your backyard birds love best.
Types of Suet Flavors
Sometimes, asking how to hang a suet feeder can be an exercise in futility – especially if you’re offering the birdies a flavor that’s not of their liking. Thankfully, there are some tried and tested flavors that most birds will love. These are:
- Seeds
Be it sunflower seeds, cracked corn, or any other type of grain – birds have a particular fondness for this flavor.
- Fruit
Suet cakes are also available in different fruit flavors, such as apple, raisin, blueberry, etc. Some cakes even offer dried bits of fruit as an added bonus to keep the birdies coming back for more.
- Pepper
Not all of us are crazy about spicy food, but birds tend not to mind string flavors, probably because their sense of taste isn’t all too brilliant. However, if you’re looking for an option that’ll appeal to the avian population while repelling pests – pepper-flavored suet cakes might be perfect for you.
- Insects
Concocted specifically to appeal to avian tastes – insect suet cakes include all-time favorites like dried flies or mealworms. These additions make the stuff almost irresistible for inspecting eating birds like wrens, woodpeckers, titmice, etc.
How To Hang A Suet Feeder – The Summing Up
We’re hoping you’re all geared up to set up the perfect suet feeder to attract as many birds as you can. Don’t worry if you don’t have any luck the first few days after setting up the feeder of choice. It’ll take the avifauna a few days to discover the feeder and a few more days to get used to feeding there. But, once they like what you’re offering and are comfortable with the placement – you’ll likely have friends for life.
Read more about Small Birds Of Washington State And Their Details.
