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Suet Balls not so popular with the birds?

madpenguinmadpenguin Posts: 2,466
in Wildlife gardening
My birds seem to have lost interest in the suet balls I hang out.
They are good quality and in past years have had to put out at least 3 a day but now they just hang there with a few pecks in them.
The birds still go for the suet pellets so maybe they just prefer them!
So I have taken some feeders down and put up a Flutter Butter feeder and a suet block instead.See how they like them!!
“Every day is ordinary, until it isn't.” - Bernard Cornwell-Death of Kings
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  • Ladybird4Ladybird4 Posts: 35,792
    I don't know what it is with my birds but they have never shown any interest in fat balls. They would just sit in the wire holder and eventually go black and disgusting so I would just throw them away. Ironically the rectangular blocks are extremely popular. The pet food shop in the village has a variety - some containing meal worms, some containing seeds and some with small berries. All are relished but the blocks with meal worms in are the most popular.
    Cacoethes: An irresistible urge to do something inadvisable
  • madpenguinmadpenguin Posts: 2,466
    edited February 2020
    Also they have decided they don't like them after buying a box of 50!
    Even the starlings are giving them a miss.
    Have started breaking them up onto a mesh tray for the blackbirds who seem to like them.
    I wonder if the suet balls are just a bit too hard for some birds so they go for the softer easier option?
    “Every day is ordinary, until it isn't.” - Bernard Cornwell-Death of Kings
  • Papi JoPapi Jo Posts: 3,740
    Hi there!
    Last week I bought a 10 kilos box of fat balls for my hungry sparrows and tits. I've just come back from the garden where I re-plenished the wire holder plus hung 2 individual balls in my apple-tree. No loss of appetite here!
    You are invited to a virtual visit of my garden (in English or in French).
  • LynLyn Posts: 21,343
    They don’t go down well here either so I don’t buy them any more. They love the suet blocks from Wilco, best price as well. I use the squirrel proof fat ball holder and break the block in half.
    Gardening on the wild, windy west side of Dartmoor. 

  • madpenguinmadpenguin Posts: 2,466
    Will try more suet blocks I think.
    Will also bring in the sunflower hearts as the birds are ignoring them just now and put them old when the weather suits.
    Probably having to evaluate my feeding regimes!
    (I have many,many bird feeders of all types in my garage from past evaluations!!!)
    “Every day is ordinary, until it isn't.” - Bernard Cornwell-Death of Kings
  • LynLyn Posts: 21,343
    Mine get through a large amount of sun hearts in a day, they’re not keen on peanuts whole but I chop them and add to the mixed seeds, they love them then. 
    Gardening on the wild, windy west side of Dartmoor. 

  • B3B3 Posts: 24,450
    I find the sparrows chuck out what they don't fancy and the less particular eat them off the ground.
    In London. Keen but lazy.
  • Papi JoPapi Jo Posts: 3,740
    Lyn said:
    Mine get through a large amount of sun hearts in a day, they’re not keen on peanuts whole but I chop them and add to the mixed seeds, they love them then. 

    In my garden nothing beats peanuts (for the tits), hung in garlands. It takes quite some time to make those garlands, but it's worth it (for the tits and for the show). More at http://www.rezeau.org/wp-garden/en/how-to-make-peanut-garlands-for-the-tits/
    You are invited to a virtual visit of my garden (in English or in French).
  • fidgetbonesfidgetbones Posts: 16,527
    edited February 2020
    Mums birds, mainly sparrows will only eat mixed bird seed. Mine(mainly tits) will only eat sunflower seed. They like pink fat blocks and the flutter butter I put up last week is ignored.  Blackbirds and robins really like live mealworms, but I only get them when they are feeding chicks.  Trying to breed them in the garage is not turning out very successfull.  Dried mealworms smell disgusting.
  • madpenguinmadpenguin Posts: 2,466
    Birds are such a fickle lot!  :|
    “Every day is ordinary, until it isn't.” - Bernard Cornwell-Death of Kings
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