Fat Balls

[Caroline]

This is a really silly question, but I have just bought some fat balls for the first time. They came with a hanger to hang them on.
Now am I supposed to take the ball out of its little green mesh or just hang it by the mesh :confused: .
Which do people find works best?
Thanks
Caroline

[NotQuiteBlackCoot]

Don't feel it's a silly question, Caroline. I wondered the same thing myself the first time I used them. Then I read an article, can't remember where, advising to remove the green bags on the fat balls (and the red nut bags) and putting contents in a proper feeder. This is because there's a chance birds could get their tongues and claws caught in the plastic bags. Nasty!
As I write this there's a few house sparrows enjoying the fat balls. They go well where I put them by a local pool as well. Even the chaffinches have a go at them as there's a handy branch near by.
Good luck with your bird feeding. Enjoy watching your visitors!

[Caroline]

Many thanks NotQuiteBlackCoot I'll nip out and take them off, do you just push them onto the hanger stalks?

[NotQuiteBlackCoot]

Do you mean a hook thinkg with a bird on it? I've found the balls tend to break up using those.
I use a cage, purpose made for the balls. CJ don't sell them, but where you bought the fat balls should. They're just under 2 inches diameter by 8 inches tall.
CJ do sell an excellent kit for making your own fat cakes. Sparrows, blackbirds (only females oddly), thrushes, starlings, coal tits and blue tits love them. They're really easy to make, and it feels good to actually make something yourself for the birds. Only takes a few minutes.

[Kerry L]

I have found our resident squirrel is very partial to these, she will take the whole bag and drag it down the garden nibbling through the mesh. We then have to hunt for the plastic bags so that other wildlife doesn't get caught up in them. The fat balls purchased from the garden centre were largely ignored by our birds, until I took them out of the bags and broke them up (actually I had to chisel them), then the starlings loved them. Overall, once the birds have tasted the delights of the cylindrical fat cakes (preferably with insects), they turn their beaks up at the "inferior" quality treats! Now I have buckets of balls! The starlings and squirrels gobble everything, so it doesn't really matter whether you keep them in the mesh or not, someone in the garden will like it. But whatever you do, remember to take them down if the sun is really hot. I forgot and had melted fat dripping all over our hose (remember when we could use those?) and the paving - it was a pain to clean off.:(

[Caroline]

Thanks for all the advise.
I've had no takers as yet but I'll wait and see.

[Jenny]

Don't worry Caroline - you'll get takers.

I use the bird cake mixture - goes further and is cheaper. You can also add in more seeds to suit your birds. Bought one of those small rectangular red peanut holders from CJ and use a small marg tub - fits pretty well. I also put one on the covered bird table - handy for starlings and ground feeders and prevents herring gulls invading and swiping the lot!

[Kerry L]

I have bird cake mixture, but haven't got round to using it yet. I have been experimenting with veggie suet and animal suet. The birds prefer animal fat, and it holds it's shape better. The veggie version is very crumbly and leaves a mess on the paving. I think it would be best to use the animal fat for the cake mix. My grandparents used to live near Ringwood, and they were also getting pestered by the herring gulls - I see the odd one now and again in flight, but not in our gardens. There is a grey heron around though.
Goodnight all, Kerry

[Jenny]

Morning Kerry! I tried veggie and it's definitely a poor second to animal fat both in consistency and from birds preference. On that topic, got to make up more cake - last batch has almost disappeared. Oh well, on with the chores!

[Kerry L]

Hi Jenny, I know it's late - yesterday was in London, daughter at rock concert. She and her friend were crowd surfing - Oh goodness, I'll end up looking like Bob's blackbird by the end of the year! Hope cake turned out OK, but I don't think I'll try the bird version!
Nighty night

[Jenny]

Hi, Kerry, well cake turned out all right but 2 kilos made up mixture gone since last posted and that's without the woodpecker - think I've lost her as they've taken done so many trees round us. So more to be made tonight.

[Carol]

Hi Jenny,

I made one lot of bird cake this morning (to fill a half coconut) and it's now all gone so have just made a second batch - these birds (mostly starlings today) will be so fat!

Carol

[Jenny]

Hi, Carol, Glad to hear your birds are enjoying it. Must agree, starlings are particularly greedy, but have lost a lot of them this winter, so don't mind them pigging out a bit! They're also messy, so that means the little birds get the bits that have dropped off. The Blackbirds have also twigged how to use the feeder, so some right royal rows have been going on!