Fat dumplings make little birds' hearts beat faster. When food is scarce in winter, the spherical food sources are a popular destination for hungry birdies. So that the dangling buffet is richly stocked with healthy ingredients for growling little tit bellies, nature lovers make the birdseed themselves. Read this guide on how to make fat balls yourself and hang them up correctly.

Homemade fat balls are delicious, healthy and cheap

Table of Contents

Show all
  1. the essentials in brief
  2. Make fat dumplings yourself
  3. Recipe without animal fat
  4. Meisenknödel buy test winner
  5. Hang fat balls correctly
  6. Collect bird seed yourself
  7. frequently asked Questions

    8. the essentials in brief

    • Fat balls (€9.99) are a high-energy, spherical food source for native wild birds such as tits, woodpeckers, finches and sparrows.
    • Good quality suet balls consist of animal or vegetable fat and a mixture of grains suitable for birds with sunflower seeds, seeds and broken nuts.
    • Feed dumplings for wild birds are primarily used for winter feeding in the garden, in parks and on the balcony.

    Make fat balls yourself - step-by-step instructions

    The following instructions explain step by step how you can easily make fat balls yourself. In order for hungry birds to make ends meet in winter, it is important to have the right ingredients. Which fat you use is just as important as the quality of the feed mix and not using a net. How to make premium-quality DIY fat balls:

    ingredients and tools

    • 1 kg beef or mutton tallow (organic quality from the butcher)
    • 1 teaspoon vegetable oil
    • 1 kg mixed grains (sunflower seeds, rolled oats, millet, linseed, broken hazelnuts, unsalted peanuts)
    • saucepan and spoon
    • Coconut ropes or thick twine as a hanger

    Which fat you use for the production contributes significantly to the quality of your DIY fat balls. It is important to note that the fat hardens at outside temperatures of 10 degrees Celsius and does not stick to the birds' plumage. For this reason, soft lard is not recommended. To protect nature, the climate and animals, products from organic production have priority.

    How to do it

    1. Pour fat into the pot and heat up while stirring constantly (do not let it boil due to strong odor formation)
    2. Take the pot off the fire
    3. Add vegetable oil to the liquid fat
    4. Fold in the grain mixture (1 kg birdseed to 1 kg liquid fat)
    5. Let the mixture cool down until it has a malleable consistency
    6. Form small balls by hand with a diameter of 6 to 10 cm
    7. When shaping, work the cord into the middle as a hanger

    After a few hours of waiting, the fat balls are dried and ready to hang up in the garden or on the balcony.

    digression

    Fat balls with net - useful or dangerous?

    Fat balls in the net are a common sight in winter gardens and parks. Of course, the well-meaning donors overlook the high risk of injury. There is a great danger that the birds will get caught in the net and not be able to free themselves. Furthermore, a food dumpling in the net is a bitter disappointment for many wild birds because they cannot hold on to the net. Robins and other feathered garden dwellers continue to growl with rumbling stomachs even as rich food dangles right in front of their beaks. For this reason, bird experts at NABU advocate always making or buying fat balls without a net.

    Fat balls are better hung without a net

    Recipe without animal fat - fat dumplings vegan

    Without fat, suet balls are missing an important ingredient. But does it have to be animal fat? Vegans among bird lovers advocate the use of vegetable fat as an alternative ingredient, primarily non-hydrogenated organic coconut fat. This drives up the costs and lowers the energy content in the suet balls. In return, feed your feathered friends vegan bird seed. The following recipe for animal-based fat dumplings without fat has proven itself in practice:

    ingredients and tools

    • 250 g coconut fat (no palm fat added)
    • 300-350 g birdseed (ambrosia-free winter mixture)
    • optional own mixture (recipe see above)
    • Cooking pot and wooden spoon
    • Muffin tins
    • Hanger (stick, twine, coconut rope)

    If you make vegan fat balls yourself during Advent and Christmas, cookie cutters serve as decorative shapes. If so, add a baking sheet or similar flat surface lined with parchment paper or foil to the list.

    How to do it

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    1. Heat coconut oil in a saucepan (do not boil)
    2. Stir in the grain mixture
    3. pour into the muffin cups
    4. alternatively place cookie cutters on a flat surface and fill with bird seed that is still liquid
    5. Place the hanger in the middle of the soft mass

    After hardening, remove the molds or cookie cutters. If a shape does not detach from the fat ball or fat biscuit, heat the material a little from the outside with your hand or a lighter. Homemade vegan fat balls are ready. If you forgot to put the hangers in the fat balls in time, you can solve the problem with a warmed up knitting needle. With this you drill a hole in the hardened bird seed mass and can subsequently thread a hanger.

    tips

    Hobby gardeners with a penchant for decorative details give fat balls a creative twist. To do this, attach a small pine branch to the suspension rope with binding wire. The distinctive decoration also functions as a welcome seat.

    Buy fat balls - test winners at a glance

    Bird lovers with little time to make bird seed using the DIY method can buy fat balls from specialist retailers. Products with high-quality ingredients that have already been put through their paces in practice by human users and winged end consumers are preferred in the shopping cart. The following products have emerged as recommendable in the fat ball test:

    product name Stretcher Natura Vogelfood 4 fat balls Erdtmann's fat dumplings Pauls Mühle year-round dumplings Anhaltin fat dumplings
    test verdict very good very good very good Well Well
    without net Yes Yes Yes Yes no
    suitable for all wild birds all wild birds Grain and soft feed eaters Year-round bird seed Year-round bird seed
    special benefit ambrosia free Value for money without insects without shell waste ambrosia free
    Price per kg 2.50 euros 1.06 euros 1.82 euros 1.67 euros 2.17 euros

    Ambrosia-free is an important criterion for healthy, high-quality fat balls. Bird food from the trade comes mainly from Hungary and other Eastern European countries. There, the ragweed plant is widespread as a weed. Without specific precautions, the tiny seeds inevitably end up in the harvest of sunflower seeds and other feed components. This can have fatal consequences for birds, because ragweed seeds cause severe breathing problems and even asthma.

    Store-bought fat balls often contain ragweed seeds

    tips

    Making fat balls with insects yourself is taboo for nature lovers. The invited guests in plumage are among the grain eaters. Tits, finches and sparrows do not necessarily depend on insects as a food source in winter. There is therefore no reason to intervene destructively in the insect world, which is already under massive threat. No insect has to lose its life for delicious fat balls. Seeds, sunflower seeds and nuts of all kinds are perfectly adequate as main ingredients.

    Hanging fat balls - this is how you do it right

    Homemade or store-bought fat balls deserve a bird-friendly box seat. In order for the spherical food sources to do their job perfectly, it depends on the right location in the garden and bed. The following overview sums up the criteria that the best place for food dumplings should meet:

    In the garden

    • semi-shady to shady position
    • hanging freely in the crown of a tree or large shrub
    • on the thumb-thick branch, which bears neither a cat nor a marten
    • ideally protected from strong winds and driving rain

    When choosing a location, please make sure that there are no hiding places for cats in the immediate vicinity. If a careless bird lands on the ground, it is easy prey for a cat lying in wait.

    On the balcony

    • preferably on the east, west or north balcony
    • protected from direct sunlight so that the fat does not melt
    • inaccessible to pigeons
    • as close as possible to window panes

    The risk of colliding with panes of glass decreases the closer you hang the fat ball to the window. Birds are much more alert when landing if the distance between the food dumpling and the glass pane is less than one meter. The risk of an accident is greatest at a distance of five to ten meters. On the other hand, if the food dangles more than ten meters away from the balcony window, there is no risk for birds flying in and out.

    Stop the thief - hang up fat balls to protect them from theft

    Squirrels also like to nibble on fat balls - and take them with them when they can

    If the garden and balcony are transformed into the "Zur freche Meise" restaurant, uninvited guests are not far away. Dark figures seek to feast on fat balls and make the valuable birdseed disappear overnight. Winged thieves like ravens and magpies are under suspicion. Furthermore, fur-wearing climbers, such as squirrels, martens and raccoons, are accused of the crime.

    A clever idea puts a stop to the brazen hustle and bustle. Place the finished fat balls in a metal spiral. The practical fat ball holders are available in different colours, which sets decorative accents in the garden and on the balcony during the dark winter months. Birds appreciate the arcs of the spiral as a comfortable perch. First and foremost, feathered or fur-wearing dumpling robbers are left behind, because the birdseed is thief-proof in the spiral and only small tit beaks can reach.

    background

    Making fat balls with children

    Fat balls are an excellent opportunity to open children's eyes to our nature. Smartphone and TV remain switched off when you make the food dumplings yourself with your offspring. Clever scientists have discovered that feeding garden birds gives people of all ages access to nature. This does not only apply to the production in the kitchen. Exciting moments then bring the observation of who appears at the dangling fat ball. Children take this opportunity to learn more about the ecology of their habitat and engage in beneficial interactions with wild birds. Can there be a better approach to teaching conservation to our youngest?

    Collect bird seed yourself - this is how it works

    Not only tea can be made from rose hips

    Classic fat balls contain different grains, especially for tits, finches, bullfinches, sparrows and other grain eaters. So that soft food eaters do not go away empty-handed, the feed mixture for fat balls should be more varied. Blackbirds, thrushes, robins and wrens will appreciate your prudence. You can now go to the specialty store, buy both bird seed mixes and pocket big. Alternatively, arm yourself with a basket and gloves to collect the ingredients for fat dumplings yourself in late summer and autumn. The following table gives an insight into the rich offer for grain and soft food eaters:

    grain eater Soft feed eater
    Crushed hazelnuts elderberries
    sunflower seeds whitebeams
    hemp and flaxseed Hawthorn Berries
    Poppy maple seeds
    All kinds of fruit pits rosehips
    Peanuts, unsalted millet
    walnuts, crushed Rowanberries

    A special treat for both types of feed are oat flakes tossed in sunflower oil. Seasoned and salted ingredients are taboo. Bread in particular, even grain bread has no place in the perfect food dumpling.

    frequently asked Questions

    Why should you make fat dumplings yourself?

    Most important reason for DIY fat balls: You know exactly what is in the birdseed. Unfortunately, various test procedures have shown that cheap fat balls from the trade often contain inferior ingredients. Second-rate fat, grain mixtures containing ambrosia and a high water content make industrially produced feed dumplings inedible for our feathered friends. If you make fat balls yourself, you can avoid such poor quality and serve hungry wild birds a healthy meal.

    When should we hang homemade fat balls in the garden?

    Fat balls can be renewed again and again from late autumn to spring

    When you hang up fat balls is primarily determined by the weather. At the latest when the natural food sources dry up in autumn, Ms. Meise, Mr. Woodpecker and Master Finke happily accept the spherical food supply. However, recognized bird experts, such as Prof. Dr. Berthold for year-round feeding of wild birds. If you follow the call of the ambitious ornithologist, you should hang fat balls in the garden at any time of the year.

    We want to make fat balls ourselves. Which fat is suitable?

    As one of the main ingredients, fat in fat balls acts as an energy supplier and natural glue. Suitable fat should already harden well at temperatures of 10 degrees Celsius. If the fat is too soft, this will result in dirt on the plumage, which significantly impairs the birds' ability to fly. The German Nature Conservation Union (NABU) recommends using beef tallow from the butcher, which comes from regional organic production. Because of its soft consistency and low melting point, lard is unsuitable for making feed dumplings. Vegan alternative is a vegetable fat. Ideally, use coconut oil.

    For which birds are fat balls a food source?

    Traditionally, fat balls contain sunflower seeds, nuts, oatmeal, millet and flaxseed. These ingredients are particularly popular with grain eaters from the bird kingdom, such as tits, sparrows and woodpeckers. Equipped with powerful beaks, these bird species crack hard shells with ease. If you make fat balls yourself and mix in dried berries, cereal flakes and seeds as additional ingredients, the winged clientele expands to include soft food eaters such as robins, blackbirds, thrushes and wrens.

    Are fat balls also good bird food in summer?

    Increasing urbanization and massive use of pesticides in agriculture have severely limited the food sources for birds. Fat balls are a good solution to at least partially mitigate the loss of insects, seeds and wild berries, so that birds do not go hungry in the middle of summer. In agreement with numerous bird experts, we advocate making fat balls yourself without a net and hanging them up in the garden all year round.

    Fat balls regularly disappear from our garden at night. Who in God's name is stealing fat balls?

    The circle of suspects extends to magpies, ravens, martens, squirrels and cats. In the eastern federal states, raccoons are also making themselves unpopular as thieves of fat balls. In the future, fill the fat balls in a metal spiral that you can buy in the garden center, hardware store or at Amazon. This trick is not a 100 percent guarantee against nighttime shrinkage. After all, the variant makes it more difficult for the uninvited guests to steal the entire food supply from hungry tits.

    Our dog eats fat balls. Is that dangerous?

    No, because the composition of fat balls is not toxic to a dog. This applies regardless of whether it is a self-made or purchased food dumpling. If the bird seed was in the net, your four-legged friend's natural digestive process will solve the problem. Nevertheless, we recommend observing your darling more closely for a few days. If there are signs such as restlessness, cramps or vomiting, please consult a veterinarian.

    For our large garden we would like to make a large number of fat balls ourselves. How do the food dumplings stay fresh for a long time?

    If you don't hang all the fat balls in the garden, you can store the fatty food in the refrigerator. Fat balls stay fresh for about a week in a tightly closed jar. To preserve the birdseed for a long time, you should freeze the food dumplings. The food stored in the freezer will keep its freshness for up to three months. The important thing to note is that you thaw frozen fat balls before serving them to your feathered guests.

    Is there a recommended alternative to the classic fat dumpling?

    The feeding bell is very popular as a decorative and cat-safe alternative to conventional fat balls. Clay pots with a hole in the bottom and a diameter of 10 to 15 centimeters are well suited. As a hanger with seating, tie a stick to a thick cord, which will later protrude at least 10 centimeters from the feeding bell. A knot in the suspension rope closes the bottom hole. Take the recipe in this manual and prepare the feed mixture. Please pull the hanger taut while you pour the creamy grain-fat mixture into the clay pot. Now let the filling harden and the feeding bell is finished.

    tips

    In the tit-friendly natural garden, the scissors have a break in autumn. Summer flowering shrubs with berries, fruits, seeds and nuts are not pruned after flowering. Busy insects take care of pollination so flowers turn into nutritious, natural bird seed. Natural hobby gardeners are therefore postponing planned pruning measures on summer-flowering shrubs until February so as not to deprive hungry tits and other feathered winter guests of their food source.

Category:

Animals in the garden