I don’t think I’ve ever seen vegetarian fat cakes for birds… they all seem to be made of suet (beef tallow) or some other fat rendered from animals.
With the winter being so harsh this year, and with bird numbers already on the decline due to destruction of wildlife habitat and modern farming methods (eg. monoculture, pesticides, herbicides etc), I really wanted to encourage birds to our garden.
Fat cakes provide calories and energy for our feathered friends. But I didn’t want to buy traditional fat cakes because, for one, it means supporting the meat industry, and secondly, the byproducts are probably about as healthy for the birds as they are for humans (that is to say, not at all).
After a little research, I discovered it’s not only possible to made your own fat cakes for birds, it’s also easy to substitute vegetable fat for the animal fat that’s typically used.
I used Trex, which is an inexpensive, solid vegetable fat that’s easy to find in supermarkets. Trex is “free from E numbers, colours, preservatives and hydrogenated vegetable oil”. An American/Canadian substitute would be Crisco. Other options are coconut oil (which is actually solid at room temperature) and vegetarian suet (which I believe is only available on this side of the pond). Some vegetarian suets contain hydrogenated oil, so beware of this.
There is some debate over whether vegetable fats are suitable for wild birds. The RSPB cautions against using “polyunsaturated margarines and vegetable oils” because of the lower saturated fat content. Other sources state that solid vegetable shortenings are actually easier for birds to digest than fats such as lard or suet, which have a higher saturated fat content. If you would like to use a vegetable fat with a higher saturated fat content than Trex, consider coconut oil, which — at 86g of saturated fat per 100g — has more saturated fat than either lard (38g per 100g) or suet (52g per 100g). Or perhaps use a mixture of coconut oil and Trex.
There’s some good info and recipes here on homemade fat cakes and balls for birds, including the advantages of using vegetable fat over animal fat. I adapted one of the recipes to make a much smaller amount, because it’s easier to make and store a small quantity.
I upped the fat content the second time as the mixture was quite crumbly the first time. However, the birds ate it with gusto both times.
Vegetarian fat cakes for birds
| British | American | |||
| 50g | solid vegetable shortening (eg. Trex, Crisco) | 4 tablespoons | ||
| 2 tablespoons | peanut butter | 2 tablespoons | ||
| 2 tablespoons | sugar | 2 tablespoons | ||
| 70g | polenta | 6 tablespoons | ||
| 3 tablespoons | quick oats (or process large-flake oats in blender) | 3 tablespoons | ||
| 2 tablespoons | plain (all-purpose) flour, white or wholemeal | 2 tablespoons | ||
| 2 tablespoons | sunflower seeds, chopped | 2 tablespoons | ||
| 2 tablespoons | raisins, chopped or cut into bits | 2 tablespoons |
1. Melt vegetable shortening, peanut butter and sugar over low heat in a small pot.
2. Combine remaining ingredients in a mixing bowl. When shortening and peanut butter have melted, add it to the dry ingredients and mix to combine evenly. Scrape into a shallow container (I used a plastic tub from a takeaway), press the mixture down, cover and refrigerate.
3. When mixture has firmed up, cut into squares and place on a platform-type bird feeder. You can also smoosh the mixture into small balls. Alternate ways of serving the fat cakes can be found here.
WHY DO BIRDS SUDDENLY APPEAR?
EVERYTIME – YOU ARE NEAR.
JUST LIKE ME
THEY LONG TO BE
CLOSE TO YOU.
hahahahha
tweet tweet twitter tweet peep
that’s the birds thanking you
.
This is great! I usually mix up a peanut butter concoction but will have to try your recipe. The birdies thank you!
Denny — hahaha, I read your comment last night and had the song going through my head all evening! uh oh, it’s just started again now.
Awesome Felicity!
I bet the birdies love these.
You are so generous to share your tasty creations not only with your fellow vegans, but also with the birds! What a great recipe and a great idea. Thanks!
Made a double batch of this and the birds love it! Thanks so much for sharing this recipe.
Wonderful! I shall be making vegan fat balls for the birds with my class of 8 year olds!
Sorry – unfortunately vegetable oils are unsuitable for birds. Can you take this page down please. PS I am vegan so sympathise with your efforts.
http://www.rspb.org.uk/advice/helpingbirds/feeding/whatfood/index.aspx
Hi Birdy — Thanks for your comments. The RSPB cautions against “polyunsaturated margarines & vegetable oils”, not solid vegetable fat like Trex. I’ve read more on the topic of saturated fats for birds, and there is no consensus on the topic. Whilst the RSPB states that saturated fats are better for birds, other sources say that vegetable shortening — containing less saturated fat than suet or lard — is better for birds, as it is easier to digest. If it’s indeed true that saturated fats are best for birds, then coconut oil would be an ideal choice, as it contains 86g of saturated fat per 100g, compared to suet at 52g and lard at 38g. Trex is 21g saturated fat per 100g.
I’ve updated the text in the post above to include this information.
Birdy, did you even read the article you linked to? It doesn’t say that vegetable fat is unsuitable. Please read the article before misinforming people.
Love your recipe! Thanks for giving us an alternative to using lard.