The availability of natural cover, such as a tree or hedge, in your backyard may necessitate the installation of a bird feeding station, but many homeowners find this option useful regardless.
A suet feeder is best hung from a flowering tree or a dense hedgerow. If you want to hang it so that both sides are accessible at once, you can, but it’s safer if you press it up against a branch or other stable object. If you can’t provide a suitable habitat for birds, you should consider installing a feeding station, but in any case, make sure there’s plenty of clearing.
You are reading: How To Hang Suet Feeder
No matter what kind of suet feeder you use, I don’t think you’re limited to a specific spot in your backyard for it.
Furthermore, most backyard birds will visit a suet feeder regardless of where it is hung, so there’s no need to move it to attract a certain species.
It’s true that woodpeckers prefer to dine in the branches of trees, but putting out a suet feeder in the yard’s dead center guarantees you’ll see the Woodies there every day.
Wherever you opt to put the hanging suet feeder, make sure to just concentrate on a safe and calm place within your backyard.
Do not lose up on a different hanging location too quickly; it may take some time for the birds to find your suet feeder.
In a bird yard that is already active, birds will quickly discover your suet feeder, but it will take much longer if you put it in a new, obscure spot.
Location of a hanging suet feeder is no different to any form of bird feeder employed, but a focus on the birds well-being must be paramount in picking a location.
Avoid placing the suet feeder out of reach; otherwise, you’ll have to clean the muck below it and replace the suet on a more frequent basis than is ideal.
Bracket on pole
Attach a bracket to your metal bird feeder, and then hang your chosen suet feeder from it.
Why this is, since in theory you would have previously determined the area to be good enough for the feeding station, and therefore the assorted bird feeders in use.
A metal bird feeding station has sturdy, well-anchored brackets, and it also provides some much-needed breathing room by keeping those brackets a foot or more apart.
Put your faith in a bird feeding station as the most functional place to hang a suet feeder, regardless of where you ultimately decide to put it.
When I say “suet feeders,” what I mean is a cage block, usually rectangular or square, that can be used to store suet in cake or fat ball shape. It makes more sense to hang a suet feeder from a tree branch if it is a larger size and inverted.
Having easy access to the suet feeder two or three times a week is one of the main advantages of a practical bird feeding station over other hanging solutions.
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The suet feeder should be cleaned thoroughly as often as possible, but a feeding station will allow you to freely switch out suet cakes or fat balls.
Solid tree branch
Suet feeders are most effective when hanging inside of flowering trees, so if you’re lucky enough to have one in your yard, do so.
Birds need trees for shelter and foraging in the wild, thus it’s common to see them congregating in groups within a tree.
Any size tree, or even a hedgerow, can serve as a perch for birds, so hanging a suet feeder there will attract them.
It doesn’t matter much how tall or wide the tree is, but if you can find one that’s at least ten feet tall, you’ll have a lot more alternatives for where to place the feeder.
A bend in a tree branch is inevitable, regardless of its size or strength.
Only a badly chosen hanging site can disrupt your backyard birding session, so hang up a suet feeder (or any bird feeder, for that matter) behind the cover of a blossoming tree.
Suet feeders are not without their problems, especially if they are hung in easily accessible trees; without a baffle in place, squirrels can easily obtain the suet and eat it.
So, if you want to keep squirrels away from your suet feeder, a baffle is a good idea, because otherwise you’ll have to move it away from the tree it’s now on.
Fewer sides if against tree
When hung from a tree or a weak branch, a bird feeder can be easily knocked over by the wind or by the birds landing on it to feed.
This provides an unsafe suet feeder that is difficult for all species to access due to its potential for swinging or twisting.
If your suet feeder is constantly being knocked over by the wind, you can avoid this problem by suspending it high enough so that it eventually rests on the tree trunk. If not that, at least the cushioning section of the branch.
The goal is to position the suet feeder at an angle of around 20 degrees so that it rests more on the tree trunk and uses less energy to stay in place in the air.
Although it is more effective to hang a suet feeder from a branch, laying it against the trunk of a tree works just as well.
Woodpeckers, or woodpecker-like birds, will settle on top of the cage and feed from one side, as opposed to reaching down to a hanging feeder.
All the birds are allowed to feed from one side, but the perched position can provide them access to more of the suet without having to worry about falling off.
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You may attract more species of birds to your yard than you realize if you provide them with suet in feeders, and doing so has incredible benefits.
Complete 4-sided clearing
Whatever style of suet feeder you select, hanging it in the cage’s back and rear will effectively invite birds to dine from it.
Even the shorter sides of a cage suet feeder can be employed for feeding in numerous situations.
Suet cages for birds can be inaccessible if they are not hung from the ground but rather forced up against a tree trunk or branch.
My advice to prop a suet feeder up against a tree trunk or something similar is sound since it stops the feeder from being twisted or slung about while in use.
If you wish to limit the number of birds that can feed at once from the suet feeder, you can lean it up against anything, but leaving it suspended in the air is another option.
If you lean the suet feeder up against something, the birds can only access one side, but if you hang it somewhere with lots of clearance, they can access all four.
Most suet feeders are meant to be utilized from all sides, so multiple birds can feed at once as long as they perch on opposite sides of each other without getting in each other’s way, making clearance between perches essential.
To summarize
A suet feeder, or any other type of bird feeder, would be difficult for the majority of us to hang anywhere besides a tree or a bird feeding station.
Don’t worry, they’re all good ideas, and safe ones at that. Wherever you decide to hang your suet feeder, make sure it’s in a safe area where birds may freely come and go without fear of being harmed.
If you want to hide from prying eyes while still keeping an eye on your prey, a tree is your best bet.
Select a sturdy tree branch that can bear the feeder’s weight and any future disturbance, then hang it high in a tree.
Even better, position the suet feeder so that it is perpendicular to the tree trunk, as if it were sleeping there.
For the most part, a suet feeder can simply be hung from a tree branch, however this method is intended to prevent the feeder from being blown around accidentally or being used improperly.
If you want to attract birds to your yard but don’t have any trees, a simple bracket attached to a bird feeder will do the trick.
The height of the bird feeding station protects the birds from being stepped on by predators, and the design permits them to be set a foot apart for more clearance than is necessary.
It’s important to hang your suet feeder in a place where you can easily reach it and clean up after the birds and yourself regularly to ensure that no harm comes to either of you.
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Category: Birds