Feeder Types
Suet Feeders
A suet cage is the cheapest way to bring woodpeckers into a yard. It is also the feeder most likely to be emptied in two days by a flock of starlings, and the design details that prevent that are not obvious in the shop.
The short answer
- A suet feeder holds a block of rendered fat in a wire cage so clinging birds can peck at it. Woodpeckers, nuthatches, chickadees, titmice and wrens are the core audience.
- An upside-down suet feeder is the single most effective starling exclusion device available, because woodpeckers hang comfortably and starlings mostly will not.
- A tail prop, an extension of 5 to 7 inches (13 to 18 cm) below the cage, is what larger woodpeckers need to feed in a natural posture.
- Cage wire spacing of about 1/2 to 3/4 inch (13 to 19 mm) lets birds reach the fat while keeping the block from falling out.
- Plain beef suet melts and goes rancid above roughly 70°F (21°C). Use a no-melt dough blend in summer or take the feeder down.
Suet is rendered animal fat, and a suet feeder is any device that holds it where clinging birds can work at it and mammals mostly cannot. The audience is specific and worth the trouble: downy woodpeckers (Dryobates pubescens), hairy and red-bellied woodpeckers, white-breasted nuthatches, chickadees, titmice and Carolina wrens.
The standard 5 by 5 inch (13 by 13 cm) wire cage costs less than a bag of seed and works. What it does not do is discriminate, and in much of the country that means a flock of European starlings will strip a block in a day or two.
The rest of this page is about design choices: the five feeder shapes, which of them actually exclude starlings, what a tail prop is for, and the mounting and cleaning details that keep suet from becoming a problem in warm weather.
The five designs, and who each one is for#
The basic wire cage#
A hinged square of vinyl-coated wire sized for a standard suet cake, roughly 5 by 5 by 1.5 inches (13 by 13 by 4 cm). Cheap, universal, easy to fill. Every bird that eats suet can use it, which is the point and the problem. If you have no starling pressure, this is all you need.
Tail-prop feeders#
The same cage with a flat wooden or metal extension running 5 to 7 inches (13 to 18 cm) below it. Woodpeckers feed in a tripod: two feet gripping, stiffened tail feathers pressed against the surface behind them. Without something to brace on, a larger woodpecker has to cling to wire it can barely grip. A tail prop turns awkward snatching visits into sustained feeding, and it is what brings in a northern flicker or, where they occur, a pileated woodpecker.
Upside-down feeders#
The cage is roofed, and the suet is reachable only from the underside. Woodpeckers, nuthatches and chickadees hang from the mesh without hesitation because that is ordinary foraging posture for them. Starlings can do it, briefly and badly, and generally give up for an easier meal elsewhere. This is the most effective piece of passive selection in backyard feeding.
Log feeders#
A section of hardwood, typically 2 to 3 inches (5 to 7.5 cm) in diameter, drilled with 1-inch (2.5 cm) holes about 1 inch deep, which you pack with suet dough. Birds cling to the bark exactly as they would on a real trunk. Log feeders look better than wire, are slower to fill, and offer no defense against squirrels. Build details are in DIY suet log feeder.
Suet balls, plugs and seed wreaths#
Suet balls hang in a small mesh bag or open coil. Plugs are cylinders sized for pre-drilled log feeders. Wreaths bind fat and seed into a ring. All three are fine; the mesh bags are the weak link, since a snagged foot or bill is a genuine risk with loose netting. Use a rigid coil or cage rather than soft plastic netting.
Loose netting is a hazard
The fine plastic netting some suet balls ship in can catch a bird's foot or tongue. Cut the netting away and put the ball in a rigid wire feeder. The same applies to any nesting material or produce bag you are tempted to reuse; see offering nesting material safely.
Starling exclusion, honestly ranked#
Starlings are not stupid and they are not weak. Most claimed deterrents fail. Here is what actually holds up, and what each one costs you.
| Method | Starling exclusion | What you lose |
|---|---|---|
| Upside-down feeder | Very good | Occasional shy first-time visitors take a week to work it out |
| Cage surround, 1.5 in (38 mm) grid | Very good | Hairy, red-bellied and larger woodpeckers, flickers |
| Pure suet, no seed or fruit in the block | Moderate | Little; some species prefer blended cakes |
| Tail-prop-only design | Poor | Nothing, but it does not solve the problem |
| Removing perches | Poor | Nothing; starlings cling fine |
The upside-down feeder is the first thing to try because it is the only method that costs you almost nothing. If starlings persist there, add a cage and accept the loss of the bigger woodpeckers, or run two feeders: a caged one where starlings can see it and an upside-down one tucked closer to the trees. Broader tactics are in keeping starlings off feeders, and cage geometry generally is covered in caged and selective feeders.
Cage dimensions worth checking#
Two numbers, neither of which appears on most packaging.
Inner mesh spacing. About 1/2 to 3/4 inch (13 to 19 mm). Tighter than that and a woodpecker's bill cannot reach fat that has receded into the block. Wider and chunks of cake fall out whole, which is how a squirrel gets a free lunch and how you end up with a greasy patch of dead grass.
Outer cage grid, on caged models. About 1.5 inches (38 mm) square. Enough for a downy woodpecker, chickadee, nuthatch or wren. Not enough for a starling, grackle or gray squirrel. Grids of 2 inches (5 cm) admit starlings, so the difference between a working cage and a decorative one is half an inch.
Coating. Vinyl-coated wire is standard and worth having in cold climates. Bare metal in subfreezing weather is a real if uncommon risk to a wet tongue or eye, and it rusts. Coated wire also holds less grease.
Two feeders beat one clever feeder
Hang a plain tail-prop cage where you can watch it and an upside-down feeder 20 feet (6 m) away nearer cover. Starlings concentrate on the easy one, which you can let run empty for a few days at a time, while the woodpeckers learn the feeder that starlings will not use. It is cheaper than any single exclusion gadget.
Placement: closer to trees than you think#
Woodpeckers navigate a yard by trees. They work along trunks and branches and will cross open ground reluctantly, which is why a suet cage on a pole in the middle of a lawn can sit untouched for weeks while the same feeder 15 feet (4.5 m) from an oak is found in days.
Practical siting:
- Within about 15 feet (4.5 m) of a tree trunk or large shrub, but not attached to it.
- 5 feet (1.5 m) up, on a baffled pole or a hook, and 10 feet (3 m) from any surface a squirrel can jump from. Baffle sizing is in baffles.
- Not screwed to the trunk itself. Trunk-mounted suet is the easiest food in the yard for a squirrel or a raccoon to reach, and raccoons will take the whole feeder.
- Out of afternoon sun in warm months.
Placement logic across all feeder types is in where to hang a bird feeder, and species-specific approaches are in how to attract woodpeckers.
Suet and warm weather#
Plain rendered beef suet is stable in cold. Above roughly 70°F (21°C) it softens, drips and turns rancid within days. Soft fat that smears onto a bird's head and breast feathers can interfere with waterproofing and insulation, which is the actual welfare reason to be careful rather than a general fussiness about grease.
Your options, in order of preference:
- Switch to no-melt dough. These blends add flour, cornmeal and other binders so the cake holds its shape well above 90°F (32°C). Formulations and what to look for are in suet: the complete guide.
- Move the feeder into full shade and cut the block in half so it is eaten faster.
- Take suet down from late spring through early fall. Woodpeckers do fine on insects in summer, and there is a separate argument about summer feeding generally in summer bird feeding.
Homemade suet has the opposite problem in reverse: recipes heavy in peanut butter and lard soften at lower temperatures than rendered beef fat. Ratios that hold up are in homemade suet recipes.
Suet is a winter food first
Suet's value is concentrated fat during cold weather, when a chickadee may need to eat close to its own body weight in a short winter day. That is why suet consumption spikes below freezing and drops off in May. Stock heavily from the first frost through late March, then scale back. See best high-energy foods for cold weather.
Cleaning a greasy feeder#
Suet feeders get skipped because grease is unpleasant to deal with. It is also the reason they need attention: rancid fat coats the wire and taints every new block you put in.
- Scrape the cage with a stiff brush before washing. Cold, hardened grease chips off more easily than warm grease wipes.
- Wash in hot water with dish soap, which cuts fat where a rinse will not. Follow with a dilute disinfectant soak if birds have been crowding the feeder. Ratios are in safe disinfectants for feeders.
- Every month or so in winter, more often in warm weather or if you see mold on the block.
- Log feeders: scrape the holes out with a screwdriver or drill bit rather than soaking, since saturated wood stays wet for days.
Full method for all feeder types is in how to clean a bird feeder.
Common suet mistakes to avoid#
- Buying bargain cakes that are mostly seed. Read the ingredient order. If seed and grain come before fat, you are paying suet prices for a poor seed cake.
- Leaving a block until it is gone. Fat does not last indefinitely outdoors. Replace after about a month in mild weather even if some remains.
- Mounting on the trunk. Convenient, and it feeds squirrels and raccoons.
- Skipping the tail prop and then wondering why only the small birds come. The larger woodpeckers are the ones most affected by feeder posture.
- Assuming a cage alone stops squirrels. It does not; a baffled pole does. See how to stop squirrels raiding feeders.
- Running one feeder and hoping. Two suet feeders in different spots, at different exposure levels, will out-earn any single clever design.
Frequently asked questions#
How do I keep starlings off my suet feeder?
Use an upside-down suet feeder, where the fat is accessible only from below. Woodpeckers, nuthatches and chickadees hang underneath without difficulty; starlings can manage it briefly but rarely persist. A caged suet feeder with an outer grid of about 1.5 inches (38 mm) is the second option, and switching to pure suet with no seed or fruit mixed in also reduces the appeal.
What is a tail prop on a suet feeder?
A flat extension below the cage, usually 5 to 7 inches (13 to 18 cm) long, that a woodpecker braces its stiff tail feathers against while feeding. Woodpeckers naturally feed in a tripod stance using two feet and the tail, so a tail prop lets a hairy woodpecker, red-bellied woodpecker or flicker feed comfortably instead of hovering and snatching.
Where should I hang a suet feeder?
On a pole or hook 5 feet (1.5 m) up and 10 feet (3 m) from any branch, fence or roof, and within about 15 feet (4.5 m) of a tree trunk. Woodpeckers approach through trees rather than across open lawn, so a suet cage in the middle of a bare yard gets found slowly. Hanging one directly on a trunk is convenient but hands squirrels an easy meal.
Can I leave suet out in summer?
Only if it is a no-melt dough formulated for warm weather. Raw or plain rendered beef suet softens above about 70°F (21°C), turns rancid, and can smear onto feathers where it interferes with waterproofing. In hot regions, either switch to a no-melt product, hang the feeder in deep shade and refresh it every few days, or stop offering suet from late spring until fall.
Why are birds not eating my suet?
In order of likelihood: the suet has gone rancid, it is a bargain block full of filler seed rather than fat, the feeder is too far from trees, or the yard simply has no woodpeckers yet. Fresh suet smells like nothing much; rancid suet smells sharply of old fat. A block that has been out for two months in mild weather should be replaced regardless.
Do I need a cage around my suet feeder?
Only if starlings, grackles or squirrels are the problem. A cage with an outer grid of roughly 1.5 inches (38 mm) admits downy woodpeckers, chickadees, nuthatches and wrens while excluding starlings and most grackles. It also excludes hairy and red-bellied woodpeckers, which is a real cost, so try an upside-down feeder first.