Little Bird Makes: Fatty balls for our feathered friends!

In Autumn and Winter there are less natural food sources for birds and they need a little extra nourishment to give them energy and keep them warm on cold nights. In today's post we talk you through why supporting your local bird population is important and how to create some easy and delicious fatty balls for them to feed on. 

There are lots of benefits to helping out our feathered friends: 

• Less waste, birds love to each kitchen scraps such as oats and left over cheese (there's a full list below of things they can and can't eat)
• Some species of birds are in danger of extinction due to population and habitat declines. By feeding them you'll be helping them survive through winter. 
• Birds help with pollination as well as weed and insect control, so will help your garden flourish. 
• Brings life and sounds to your surroundings. Who wouldn't want to hear cheerful birdsong from their garden.

Bird fat balls are a fantastic source of energy for birds, and whilst you can easily buy them from garden centres – it’s easy and fun to make your own and a great way to get kids to engage with Nature. 

Even if you don't have a garden, these are easily hung from window ledges, fences or even branches in your local park and will help to sustain your local bird population throughout winter! 

So, how do you make them?

Making fatty balls is super easy and you can use a variety of ingredients and left overs you may already have in your kitchen. 

Ingredients

Dry components, a mix of any of the following:

Unsalted peanuts
Currants
Seeds
Oats
Breadcrumbs
Cake crumbs
Grated cheese

A bird seed mix (available from garden centres and supermarkets etc) 

Wet/fat components:

Lard or suet (any kind of vegetable or animal fat that is solid at room temperature, avoiding turkey fat which can damage their feathers) 

Step 1: Melt your fat in a large saucepan at a low heat on the hob

Step 2: Add your dry ingredients and mix well. We found a ratio of two parts dry ingredients to one part fat works best. 

Step 3: Put the mixture in a container. We used an egg box but you could use empty yoghurt pots, plastic bottles or any other container. 

Step 4: Press down and make a hole in the mix for twine to be threaded through once set, we used a chopstick. You can also add this before you put the mix in the container if you prefer.

Step 5: Refrigerate for at least 12 hours to ensure it's fully set then add your twine. 

Step 6: Hang anywhere outside and watch to see the little birdies come for a snack!

All our birds love fatty balls and to help you start your Christmas shopping we're offering 2 for £20 until Sunday 1st November 2020! Just use the code 2FOR20 at the checkout. Meet the full range here!