Fat balls for birds: which to choose, when, and the net to remove
The plastic net traps birds' feet and always comes off. That leaves choosing a fat without palm oil, putting it out at the right time of year, in a rigid holder, and taking it away as soon as the weather turns mild.
In this guide
Fat balls belong outside from mid-November to the end of March, never during the breeding season, and always without their plastic net: the LPO advises against the net, because birds can catch their feet in it. They hang in a rigid wire holder, 1.5 to 2 m above the ground, and are chosen without palm oil, without salt and without additives. In mild weather the fat softens and turns rancid fast, so it is better to space out what goes out.
Why the net is the real issue
Balls sold in packs almost always come wrapped in a soft plastic mesh. It is that mesh, not the fat, that causes the problem. A tit or a nuthatch clinging to it can trap a toe or a foot; the bird struggles, the mesh tightens and it injures itself, sometimes badly enough to lose the limb. Mesh left behind in a hedge also lingers in the garden for years.
The habit to take is simple: the ball comes out of its net before it goes out, and the net goes in the bin. The bare fat sits in a holder made for it, metal or wood, with openings wide enough for a beak but too small for a foot. Some makers now sell netless balls to drop straight into a basket: that is the format to look for.
Improvised holders deserve some suspicion too. A plastic pot or a basket with cut edges holds water or cuts feet: a rigid shop-bought holder, or a plain wire basket with fixed mesh, does a better job.
Which fat, and what goes into it
Not all balls are equal. Three things can be read on the packaging.
The fat itself. Beef suet and solid vegetable fats both do the job. Palm oil, on the other hand, should be ruled out: growing it costs tropical forest, and it is not the only fat available. A fat has to stay solid at room temperature; a soft preparation soils the plumage of birds that rub against it.
Salt. It has no place in a fat ball. Birds clear sodium badly, and salty kitchen leftovers — bacon, cured meat, frying fat, cheese — are not substitutes.
The seed in the mix. A good ball combines the fat with black sunflower, hemp seed, oat flakes or crushed peanuts. Mixes saturated with wheat or rice repeat the fault of poor seed sacks: those cereals are left untouched and fall to the ground.
| Form | Which species | Holder | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Netless ball | Tits, greenfinches, sparrows | Hanging wire basket | The safest format |
| Fat cake or block | Tits, nuthatches, woodpeckers | Rectangular cage fixed to a trunk | Lasts well, little waste |
| Fat in an upturned pot | Nuthatches, woodpeckers, treecreepers | Holder screwed to a trunk | Sheltered from rain |
| Ball still in its net | — | — | Never to be put out as it is |
When to put them out, and when to stop
The calendar is the same as for seed: mid-November to the end of March, with particular attention to spells of frost, snow or prolonged cold, when insects are scarce and the ground is out of reach. Once feeding has started it is better kept regular: birds that have got used to a feeding station come to rely on it.
When milder weather returns, quantities come down gradually, over seven to ten days, until they stop altogether. This is not a nicety. In spring the adults have to turn back to insects, and the fat in a ball does not suit chicks: a fragment carried to the nest can kill them. The detailed calendar is set out in Feeding birds in winter.
Two situations justify taking a ball away before that date:
- In mild weather, the fat softens, turns rancid and can stick to feathers. Put it out less often then, in small amounts eaten within a few days.
- If birds look visibly ill — ruffled plumage, listlessness, trouble swallowing — the LPO recommends stopping all feeding for four weeks, throwing the food away and cleaning the equipment thoroughly.
Where to hang the holder
The rules are those of any feeder. The holder hangs between 1.5 and 2 m up, somewhere open where birds can see danger coming, but about 2 m from a bush that gives them cover when something alarms them. It stays out of reach of cats and away from horizontal branches, which predators use as a bridge.
Windows deserve a thought: a bird startled next to a patio door hits it as it takes off. The holder goes either more than a metre from any glass, or very close to it, less than 50 cm away, so that a sudden departure never builds up to the speed of a serious impact. Choosing the spot follows the same constraints as for a seed feeder.
Finally, it is better to spread feeding points around than to concentrate everything in one place: crowds help diseases spread.
Making your own balls
A home recipe lets you control what goes in. It needs a solid vegetable fat, unsalted, and a seed mix.
- Melt the fat gently over a very low heat, without letting it boil.
- Off the heat, stir in the seed: reckon on roughly one part fat to one or two parts seed, until the paste is thick and no longer runs.
- Fill a mould — a small terracotta pot, a wire holder, a fat cage — pressing down lightly.
- Leave it to set somewhere cool for several hours, until the block is firm and holds its own shape.
- Keep it cool, and put out only the amount that will be eaten within a few days.
No salt, no sugar, no kitchen leftovers and no crumbled bread go into it. A mix without wheat or rice gives a cleaner block and less waste on the ground.
Peanuts deserve separate treatment. Just as rich in energy, they are never given crushed and loose, nor worked into a soft ball: a piece that is too big can choke a young bird. They go out whole, in a fine mesh feeder that forces birds to peck at them.
Looking after the holder
A fat holder is cleaned as often as a seed feeder. The LPO recommends a weekly clean throughout the period of use: brushing, hot water and black soap or Marseille soap, a thorough rinse, complete drying before refilling, gloves on and hands washed afterwards. Greasy residues turn rancid quickly and cling to metal; very hot water lifts them without any product at all.
Debris that falls to the ground is picked up, and the holder changes place from time to time. The full method is in Cleaning a bird feeder.
One last remark. A fat ball is a cold-season supplement, nothing more. What feeds birds for the long term is a garden without pesticides, a hedge of local species, flowers whose seed heads are left standing and a corner of dead leaves where insects spend the winter — the subject of How to create a garden that supports biodiversity. That is where the spring caterpillars will come from, the ones tits will hunt for their young, as How to attract tits to the garden explains.
Sources
Frequently asked questions
Does the net on fat balls really have to be removed?
Yes, every time. The LPO advises against balls sold in a net because birds can catch their feet or toes in the mesh, injure themselves as they struggle and sometimes lose a limb. The ball comes out of its wrapping, the net goes in the bin, and the fat sits in a rigid wire basket. Netless balls, made to drop into a holder, avoid the handling altogether.
Can fat balls be put out all year round?
No. Feeding is limited as a rule to mid-November through to the end of March, then tapers off over seven to ten days when mild weather returns. In spring and summer the adults have to feed their young on insects: the fat in a ball does not suit chicks, and a fragment carried to the nest can kill them. In mild weather the fat also turns rancid quickly.
How do you make a fat ball at home?
Melt a solid unsalted vegetable fat gently, then stir in, off the heat, roughly one to two parts seed for one part fat, until the paste is thick. Press the mixture into a small terracotta pot or a wire holder and leave it to set somewhere cool for several hours. No salt, no sugar, no bread and no kitchen leftovers go into it. The block keeps in a cool place and only comes out in the amount that will be eaten within a few days.
Do fat balls attract rats?
Debris falling to the ground can indeed draw in rodents and pigeons. Three habits keep the risk down: a hanging holder rather than one standing on the ground, a tray that catches the fragments, and regular clearing of whatever drops. It is also better to put out only the amount eaten within a few days and to move the feeding point now and then.
