Suet is a very attractive food for many birds. These include the likes of nuthatches, woodpeckers, chickadees, starlings, and jays. Apart from them, kinglets, creepers, wrens, and some warblers, and cardinals are also regular visitors of suet feeders.
Animal fat is very easy to digest and metabolize for many birds, and it is a high energy food for them, especially in cold weather. So suet feeding can give them the much-needed energy in the cold.
You can use these suet cakes to bring those birds to your feeders without getting any attention from the squirrels. So here are the 12 best suet cakes for birds that you can use in your yard to attract birds.
We Recommend
Best suet cakes for birds
1. C&S Mealworm Delight No Melt Suet Dough Wild Bird Food
The C&S Mealworm is the wild bird suet cake in every regard. It has the right kind of ingredients for wild birds.Â
This suet cake will not melt even if you place it out in the sun. This suet dough features dehydrated mealworms to attract a variety of birds.
And there is the flavor of peanut butter included in it. It makes sure that most numbers of birds get attracted to it.Â
Birds love the flavors of peanut butter, and worms and this suet cake has them both. It is by far one of the best suet cakes on the market.
Using this wild bird suet cake will make sure that you don’t have to deal with any messes as well. The cake doesn’t melt in the heat, and there won’t be any chances of waste as well.
Check the price of C&S Mealworm No Melt Suet Dough Wild Bird Food here
What we liked
- Attracts woodpeckers, bluebirds, and various other birds.
- High fat and protein contents.
- Excellent food choice in cold weather.
- Doesn’t melt to create any mess or waste.
- The meal base includes sunflowers for an extra energy boost.
- Features roasted peanuts, corn, oats, beef suet, mealworms, and soy oil.
- Excellent to be used in vinyl coated wire cages
No-melt: Yes
Life stage: Adult
Dimensions: 4.9-inch x 4.9-inch x 1.3-inch
Main ingredients: Roasted peanuts, beef suet, soy oil, mealworms, oats, and corn.
2. Heath Bird's Blend Select Suet Cake Bird Food
If you are looking to make your garden irresistible for those songbirds, then use the Heath Bird’s Suet Cake.Â
It is made with the beef suet and is fully loaded with all the seeds that most of the wild birds love.Â
It is the best suet for birds due to its high nutritional value for the birds. These include milo, corn, millet, and wheat.Â
It is a great choice if you are looking to place your suet cake out in the open because it is not going to melt.
So you won’t have to worry about any messes or wastes. This suet cake is an excellent choice for you if you want those beautiful songbirds in your yard.Â
It can attract chickadees, cardinals, juncos, goldfinches, nuthatches, kinglets, tanagers, purple finches, Siskins, warblers, titmice, wrens, and woodpeckers.
Check the price of Heath Bird’s Blend Select Suet Cake Bird Food here
What we liked
- Features rendered beef suet and loaded with seeds.
- Won’t melt even if you place it out in the sun.
- No artificial ingredients.
- 12-easy to peel-open wild bird suet cakes.
- Sealed to maintain their freshness.
- The best choice to attract finches.
- High fat and protein content.
- Easy to use (peel-to-open) construction.
No-melt: Yes
Life stage: Adult
Dimensions: 5.25-inch x 5.25-inch x 1.25-inch
Main ingredients: Beef suet and bird seeds, including millet, milo, wheat, and corn.
3. Brown's Garden Chic! Bird Lovers' Blend Suet Cake Wild Bird Food
This bird suet cake dough is a good option if you want some fashionable songbirds to come to your garden.Â
With this suet bird food, you can attract several colorful birds chirping in different types of songs.Â
This suet cake has a high-quality, fresh, and pure suet that has millet, peanut, and sunflower seeds in it.
Just place it into a wire feeding basket, and you will provide the birds with a food that is rich in protein and fat.Â
Furthermore, you can use it to feed them throughout the year. Your fine feathered friends will get all the nutrients they need to handle winters.
Check the price of Brown’s Garden Chic! Bird Lovers’ Blend Suet Cake Wild Bird Food here
What we liked
- Made to attract songbirds.
- Features high-quality and pure suet.
- Also comes with millet, peanuts, and sunflower seeds.
- Very easy to use with a wired feeding basket.
- Rich in protein and fat content.
- Use it year-round.
- Comes with orange flavoring.
No-melt: No
Life stage: Adult
Dimensions: 5.2-inch x 5.0-inch x 1.0-inch
Main ingredients: Beef suet, peanuts, sunflower seeds, and millet.
4. Heath Very Berry Songbird Suet Cake Bird Food
Birds love the flavors of berries in their food.Â
And if you’re looking to feed something that tastes like berries, Heath suet cake is a good choice.Â
The berry flavor is infused in the rendered beef suet. Additionally, it also includes grains like millet, wheat, corn, milo, and oats.
There are sunflower seeds to add some extra fat content into these suet blocks for birds.Â
A great option for year-round feeding and you can place it outdoors as well.Â
The cake will not melt, and you won’t have to handle any messes or wastes.
Check the price of Heath Very Berry Songbird Suet Cake Bird Food here
What we liked
- Features rendered suet infused with berry flavor.
- Coupled with the grains, including milo, millet, wheat, corn, sunflower seeds, and oats.
- These suet blocks don’t melt.
- Great choice for Siskins, titmice, purple, and goldfinches, kinglets, juncos, and chickadees.
- Simple to use design.
- No wastes or messes.
- Great for year-round use.
No-melt: Yes.
Life stage: Adult.
Dimensions: 5.25-inch x 5.25-inch 1.0-inch.
Main ingredients: Beef suet (berry flavor), millet, corn, sunflower seeds, oat, milo, and wheat.
5. Wildlife Sciences Peanut Blend Suet Balls Wild Bird Food
All songbirds will come to your garden in flocks when you put these suet balls out in your garden for them.Â
The ingredients of these suet cake balls include beef suet, peanut chunks, and cracked corn for high energy.
The suet cake is 100% recyclable because it uses 80% packaging concerning weight.Â
6 bird suet cakes bulk packs are included in your purchase, and each pack has 4 balls in it.Â
They are great to work with any suet bird feeders.
What we liked
- 100% recyclable.
- Easy to open and simple to use packaging.
- Good energy boost for birds.
- Integrated with no-melt formula.
- No masses or wastes.
- Year-round use.
- Good to use with any suet feeder.
No-melt: Yes.
Life stage: Adult.
Dimensions: 5.0-inch x 5.0-inch x 5.0-inch
Main ingredients: Beef suet, cracked corn, and peanut chunks.
6. Wild Delight Sizzle N’ Heat Suet Bird Food
Use these suet cakes for birds in your garden, and keep them satisfied.Â
The songbirds won’t need to go anywhere else and don’t need to worry about the squirrels either.Â
This suet cake comes with beef suet, roasted peanuts, oats, and corn.
And they are a good choice for a variety of songbirds including nuthatches, and woodpeckers.Â
Another excellent feature of this formula is that it features chili pepper. This flavor makes hateful taste for squirrels and they don’t come near to the feeder.Â
It is the best suet cake for chili-loving birds. The high-fat formula ensures a good energy boost for the birds.
Check the price of Wild Delight Sizzle N’ Heat Suet Bird Food here
What we liked
- A high-energy and fat formula.
- Features corn, beef suet, peanuts as well as oats.
- A great choice to choose throughout the year.
- Very easy to open recyclable trays.
- It doesn’t melt in any season.
- Added flavor of chili peppers to keep the squirrels away.
- A great choice to attract, northern flickers, warblers, wrens, blue jays, starlings, nuthatches, woodpeckers, and chickadees, etc.
No-melt: Yes.
Life stage: Adult.
Dimensions: 5.0-inch x 5.0-inch x 1.5-inch.
Main ingredients: Beef suet, roasted peanuts, corn, and oats.
7. Brown's Garden Chic! Woodpecker's Delight! Suet Wild Bird Food
Browns Garden Chic suet is the best suet for woodpeckers because it is specifically designed to attract woodpeckers and all types of this species.Â
But that doesn’t mean it is only good for woodpeckers. This suet for woodpeckers is a great choice for other songbirds as well.Â
The ingredients that are involved in the construction of this suet cake formula include suet beef, peanuts, wheat, almonds, and cashews. These are great for year-round sources of energy for the birds.
Check the price of Brown’s Garden Chic! Woodpecker’s Delight! Suet Wild Bird Food here
What we liked
- Best choice for woodpeckers as well as other songbirds.
- This woodpecker suet has high energy and fat.
- Great for feeding throughout the year.
- Simple to use packaging.
- No mess or waste because it is better than seeds.
- 100% natural.
- Great for the birds to survive in winter.
No-melt: Yes.
Life stage: Adult.
Dimensions: 5.2-inch x 5.0-inch x 1.0-inch.
Main ingredients: Beef suet, cashews, corn, wheat, and almonds.
8. Heath Peanut Premium Suet Cake Bird Food
Heath Peanut Premium suet cake features rendered beef with different grains, including wheat and corn.Â
It gets its distinctive flavor with the addition of peanuts into the recipe.Â
This blend provides the birds with an essential energy boost that they need throughout the year.
Therefore, you can use these suet cakes for birds in your garden to draw the songbirds out with your seasonal restrictions.Â
The ingredients of this suet cake will provide the birds with the necessary nutrients to keep them going through different seasons.
Check the price of Heath Peanut Premium Suet Cake Bird Food here
What we liked
- User-friendly packaging.
- Great tasting bird food with peanut flavor.
- Made with 100% natural ingredients.
- No worry regarding any wastes or messes.
- Good option to use in all seasons.
- Boosts energy with additional fat and protein content.
No-melt: Yes.
Life stage: Adult.
Dimensions: 5.25-inch x 5.25-inch x 1.25-inch.
Main ingredients: Beef suet, corn, and peanuts.
9. Brown's Garden Chic! No Squirrels... Just Birds! Spicy Pepper Suet Wild Bird Food
As the name goes, this suet cake features spicy peppers.Â
This is a great suet cake for birds but not good for squirrels.Â
The suet cake fits well in the wire feeding baskets.Â
It is an effective way to feed the songbirds with low-maintenance and also keep the squirrels away.
It contains enough fat and protein for the birds to survive in the winters, and also carry on nesting in the spring season.Â
If you live in an area where there are a lot of squirrels, then this suet cake is going to be a good solution to the problem.
What we liked
- Features chili pepper flavor.
- Great squirrel deterrent.
- Comes with beef suet and grains.
- Easy to use with wire-feeding baskets.
- Better than loose seed.
- It attracts a wide variety of birds.
- Reduced masses and wastes.
No-melt: Yes.
Life stage: Adult.
Dimensions: 5.25-inch x 5.25-inch x 1.25-inch.
Main ingredients: Beef suet, chili pepper, and other grains.
10. St. Albans Bay Suet Plus Variety Suet Bird Food
If you want to buy a whole variety of bird suet blocks in one-go, this is a good option for you.Â
You can use six different flavors to invite your feathered friends to your garden.Â
And the good thing is that you can use them with all types of suet feeders.
These suet cakes have a melt-resistant formula that will prevent any mess or wastes.Â
Using these cakes is a very simple task too, and these cakes come in very easy to use packaging.Â
You don’t need any scissors to open them up. Don’t forget to recycle the packaging when you have used it.
Check the price of St. Albans Bay Suet Plus Variety Suet Bird Food here
What we liked
- The package includes six different flavors.
- It comes with rendered suet beef and grains for a quick energy boost.
- Suitable for a range of different species.
- Comfortable to use packaging.
- Melt resistant construction.
- All flavors are rich in protein and fat. Â
- The suet cakes are squirrel deterrent.
No-melt: Yes.
Life stage: Adult.
Dimensions: 5.0-inch x 5.0-inch x 1.0-inch.
Main ingredients: Rendered suet beef, other grains rich in protein, and fats.
11. Heath Fancy Blend Songbird Suet Cake Bird Food
Heath Fancy Blend suet cake features high quality and pure rendered beef suet infused with blueberry flavor.Â
Many other grains are part of the recipe as well.Â
They make the food highly energetic for the birds to survive in cold temperatures.
It is good to use in all seasons, and it won’t melt in the scorching hot sun as well.Â
Therefore, you won’t have to deal with any messages or wastes.Â
Furthermore, this suet cake is very easy to use with wire feeders, and each of your case that you purchase includes 16 cakes.
Check the price of Heath Fancy Blend Songbird Suet Cake Bird Food here
What we liked
- 100% natural and pure ingredients.
- Good to use throughout the year.
- Each case includes 16 cakes.
- High energy blend with blueberry flavor infused.
- The no-melt formula makes outdoor usage of this suet cake convenient,
- Good choice for a range of different songbirds.
- Easy to set up and discard. Â
No-melt: Yes.
Life stage: Adult.
Dimensions: 5.25-inch x 5.25-inch x 1.0-inch.
Main ingredients: Rendered beef suet with multiple grains.
12. Heath Hearty Premium Suet Cake Bird Food
Heath Hearty Premium is a suet cake made with rendered beef and grins that a range of different longboards loves to devour.Â
The sue cake is very easy to use, and you can place it in your wired basket feeder.Â
You won’t have to deal with any messes and wastes.
These suet cakes are good for a range of different songbirds.Â
These include the likes of goldfinches, nuthatches, juncos, kinglets, chickadees, cardinals, tanagers, thrushes, wrens, woodpeckers, titmice, Siskins, and purple finches.Â
It is a great food for them that will keep them going in the cold.
Check the price of Heath Hearty Premium Suet Cake Bird Food here
What we liked
- Easy to use packaging.
- Various grain included in the recipe along with rendered beef.
- Good fat and protein source for the birds.
- Excellent to use throughout the years.
- Melt-resistive.
- Great for a range of different songbirds.
- Best to use for finches.
No-melt: Yes.
Life stage: Adult.
Dimensions: 5.25-inch x 5.25-inch x 1.25-inch.
Main ingredients: Rendered suet beef, and multiple grains.
What kind of birds eat suet?
Here we’ll discuss what birds eat suet, and how you can attract them to your garden using a suet cake. The common birds that are fond of suet include hairy, downy, pileated, and red-bellied woodpeckers.
Northern flickers, starlings, nuthatches, and chickadees crave for suet. If you add these suet cakes to your garden, you will attract more warblers, wrens, brown creepers, blue jays, brown thrashers, and thrushes. If you use different types of grains in the suet cakes, then you can attract even more birds.
For instance, cardinals love eating peanuts. Therefore, a suet cake with peanuts in it will draw cardinals, and similar is the case with the berries and the birds attracted to them.Â
Just keep a close eye on the ingredients that are used in the recipe of a suet cake, and use them to attract your favorite birds.
Types of bird food suet
There are different types of suet in terms of shapes and flavors. When we talk about flavors, there are tens and hundreds of different flavors that you can use to attract different types of birds.Â
With a suet cake infused with berry flavors, you will attract berry-eating birds, and with a suet cake featuring nuts, you will attract nut-eating birds.
But with shapes, you can address the issue of the type of feeder you are using, and how much quantity you will need.
The following are some of the most popular types of shapes that you can find.
- Balls – These are very similar to the cakes’ densities and are spherical. You can use them in large cages or even nets.
- Plugs –Â These are made for the log-styled bird feeders, and provide them with a more natural surface for suet bird feeding by clinging.
- Pellets – These are small bite-size suet pieces similar to nuts, and seeds. They are best suited for dishes, platforms, and trays.
- Crumbles – These have a softer blend of suet for the birds to nibble from the dishes or platforms.
- Shreds – These pieces are very small, and they mimic the consistency and size of insects and worms. You can offer them to your birds in dishes and trays.
How to choose the best suet cakes for birds?
Before you start thinking about where to buy suet for birds, you need to sort out what you need to consider when buying bird suet. You should consider different factors before choosing the best suet cake for birds.Â
Here is a list of some of those important features for your assistance.
Flavor –Â The flavor is of utmost importance if you are focusing on specific types of songbirds. As we have mentioned earlier, different birds prefer to eat different types of foods and flavors. For instance, you can go for fruity flavors, including blueberry, raising, cherry, orange, apple pomegranate, and blueberry.
You can also go for nuts if you are looking to draw the birds that prefer nuts. Some birds love to eat chilies. So you need to find out which type of bird you are looking to attract, and what type of food they prefer.
Feeding months – Another important factor to consider is the month of a year in which you are going to feed these suet cakes. It is better to go with the no-melt suet cakes because they are good throughout the year as you don’t have to deal with any messes or wastes.
Feeder type –Â Of course, you need to focus on the feeder types that you have at your disposal. Choose the right shape so that your suet cakes fit right in. No need to go for a suet cake that is bigger than the feeder itself.
Quantity –Â Again, the quantity needs to be right as well. Introduce the birds with your suet cake by just placing a single piece in the beginning. When you see that the birds love to consume the suet, then go for more cakes to feed more birds.
For what birds –Â Again choosing the right suet flavor for the right bird is important. Some birds prefer to eat chilies, while others like the flavor of nuts or berries. If you are after a specific type of songbird, then you need the right kind of suet cake.
Common problems with feeding suet
Here are some common problems associated with feeding suets.
Melting –Â The most common problem with suet for birds in summer is that they tend to melt quickly in direct sunlight. As they are rendered fats, most people prefer to use them in colder months. You can also place them in the shade to slow the melting down. The best option is to go to no-melt suet cakes.
Bully birds –Â Such birds like red-winged blackbirds and European starlings can bully around the small birds, and prevent them from feeding. You can use upside-down suet feeders or the ones with external cages to prevent the larger birds from devouring the cakes.
Rodents, and pests – You need to position your feeder in the right way and keep it away from other pests and rodents because they love eating the suet cakes as well. Even bears can be troubled in such a case. You can move your suet cakes indoors after dark, so the pests don’t eat it up at night.
Spoiling –Â The bird suet cakes can also go rancid in high temperatures, and it becomes unhealthy, and unattractive for the birds. Make sure to place it in a shade or a cool area. Make sure that you only offer as much of it as the birds can eat in a day and freeze the unused suet.
Where to hang suet feeder?
The best practice is to place your suet feeder at a place where no bully birds or pests can get a hold of the suet.Â
Place it at least seven feet away from your window or wall, and the ground. Place it in an external cage to prevent the larger birds from eating the cakes.
Make sure there are no trees close by for animals like squirrels that can jump onto the suet feeder. Hanging these feeders right under the ceiling will be a good option for you.Â
There will be shade, and plenty of easy access for all the birds to fly around and there won’t be any chances of the pests, and nuances to create a disturbance.
What suet is best for birds?
The best suet for birds is C&S Mealworm Delight No Melt Suet Dough, because it’s no-melt, delicious, and attracts a variety of birds.
Suets have different flavors depending on their recipes. Insect-eating birds will prefer suet of any kind. But if you add different flavors to it, then you can attract more birds.Â
You’ll find suet with additional flavors like fruits, berries, nuts, and chilies. Using different types of bird suets will allow you to attract a range of different insect-eating birds, and most of them are songbirds.
Can you use lard instead of suet for birds?
Yes, you can use lard instead of suet to feed the birds. You can find this lard shelved under margarine and butter products. You can use it, in the same manner, to feed the birds as you use suet. However, lard is softer than suet, and it will melt down pretty quickly on hot days.
I read your suggestions going to find suet suggestions that are healthy and without fillers, e.g., millet, milo. I’m disappointed by what I found.
Why would you recommend suet that has fillers such as millet, milo, oats, and wheat in it? Those are things you feed to ground eating birds, not birds that eat from feeders.
I’m astonished you recommend several brands/flavors that use wheat flour. That’s not exactly healthy for birds since it’s processed wheat and not in it’s natural form. We certainly suggest humans avoid it, and birds certainly don’t ever eat it. I would never recommend feeding these for birds to anyone.