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This DIY Suet Log Feeder Will Attract More Birds
To Your Yard
By PAMELA SIEGEL
When seeds and insects aren't plentiful during winter, your birds will enjoy this log feeder stuffed with suet — it’s natural-looking, easy to make, and cheaper than buying one.
To make one or more of them for your yard, you’ll need a log about 2 feet long and 3 inches thick, an electric handheld drill or drill press, the right bits, and an eye screw.
Remove any bark or knots with a small ax to stabilize the log when drilling holes into it for the suet. You'll need a 1-inch Forstner bit or a 1-inch spade bit to drill the holes.
Drill the first hole a few inches from the top of the log about 1 inch deep, then make a quarter turn and drill another one, repeating this until you have holes all around the log.
Finally, drill a small hole into one end of the log and insert an eye screw to hang it. Your log bird feeder is now ready to fill with suet and hang in a tree in your garden.
To make your own suet, combine 1 cup bird seed, 1/2 cup dried fruit, 1/2 cup peanuts, 1 cup oats, and 1 cup melted lard or rendered fat, and press it into the log feeder holes.