Pepper Bird Suet Helps Repel Squirrels
We all are looking for ways to feed our birds but keep other
wildlife like squirrels out. But we don't really want to harm
the squirrels (at least most of the time).
Nature has provided a great solution. Peppers have evolved
over the years to have capsaicin, which can be extremely hot
to most mammals, like squirrels and other rodents. But birds
are not sensitive to it at all. So they can feed on food
containing pepper at will, but the squirrels can't take it.
Of course bird suet is a great food, especially for winter
feeding, as it has a high energy content. The suet in feeders
is usually made from beef or mutton fat, and it is this fat
that supplies the energy in the food. It is simple to put in
a
suet feeder. These feeders
usually have a cage or some other container that helps
discourage squirrels and other pests from taking the
suet you are putting out for the birds. Another popular
way to use suet is to have a suet ball, which as the
name implies is simply suet formed in a ball shape,
often with a hanger attached to simplify mounting it.
Suet will start to melt when temperatures go above 70 degrees
F, so it's not always year round choice for a feeder. Some
vendors now offer suet that has been treated to withstand
higher temperatures, so if this is a problem for you take a
look at these reformulated suet cakes.
Birds that enjoy
pepper bird suet include: bluebirds,
chickadees, flickers, grackles, kinglets, nuthatches,
orioles, starlings, tanagers, titmice, towhees,
warblers, woodpeckers, and wrens. Also crows, jays, and
mockingbirds are attracted to it. It can be used in ball
suet feeders, or you can buy it in cake form for more
traditional feeders, or use on a
platform feeder.
Popular brands of pepper suet include Pine Tree Farms,
C&S Products, and Duncraft.