can birds eat oats soaked in grease

Birds love bacon fat! Don’t pour it down the sink or waste paper towels putting it in the trash!

My family loves bacon (pasture-raised and organic, of course), so we always have tons of bacon grease leftover in our pans.

We pour most of it into a mason jar in the fridge to use for frying potatoes and such, but we typically have more than we care to consume ourselves, and end of using gobs of paper towels to wipe the remainder off of our baking sheets, as we don’t want to clog up our plumbing washing it down the drain.

But then I heard saw this brilliant idea on the internet… soak up excess grease with rolled oats for a delicious, nutritious treat for the birds.

Not only will it attract a variety of wild birds for viewing, you can feed it to your chickens and other domesticated birds as well!

Don’t let Big Ag fool you, birds are not vegetarians! They love meat and fat and even their own eggs. Of course, the more organic, the better.

More from this author

The latest edition of Resurgence & Ecologist is out now, and available to buy. Find out more.

Or, get a complimentary preview of a previous edition of Resurgence.

Download the latest essay from our Megamorphosis series now.

Sign up for our WEEKLY newsletters – and never miss out on the amazing news and comment articles we publish.

Environmental, social, and economic justice are the main topics of discussion on the environmental news and analysis website The Ecologist.

Our goal is to enlighten and educate as many people as we can about the natural wonders of the world, the current crisis, and the most effective ways to handle it. Find out about our mission, and our team, here. The Resurgence Trust, a company limited by guarantee registered in England and Wales (5821436) and a charity registered in England and Wales (120414), is the owner and publisher of the website. To receive the magazine, become a member now. The trust, its trustees, or its employees may not always share the opinions stated in the articles posted on this website.

We always have a ton of bacon grease leftover in our pans because my family loves bacon (organic and pasture-raised, of course).

We store the majority in a mason jar in the refrigerator for use in frying potatoes and other recipes, but usually have more than we can eat. To avoid clogging our plumbing, we use large amounts of paper towels to wipe the remaining mixture off our baking sheets.

Bacon fat is a favorite food of birds. Don’t throw it in the trash or pour it down the sink to save paper towels!

It will not only draw in a variety of untamed birds for observation, but it can also be fed to your hens and other tamed birds!

However, I later came upon this genius idea while browsing the internet: use rolled oats to absorb extra grease and create a tasty and nourishing treat for the birds.

FAQ

Can birds eat oats and grease?

Safe Suet Alternatives Add safe ingredients such as dried fruit, rolled oats, birdseed, cornmeal and flour. Avoid bread, sugar, leftovers, meat, bacon fat and salted nuts. You can also buy premade suet cakes that are easy and convenient to use. Next, check out the best suet feeders for backyard birds.

Is grease fat good for birds?

The fact is fats can get on birds’ feathers and harm their ability to stay dry and warm.

Can birds eat soaked oats?

Birds can eat porridge oats provided they aren’t cooked, as doing so can be dangerous as it may lead to the food caking-up and drying around the beak of a bird. Are porridge oats good for wild birds? Porridge oats are good for birds, but it’s arguably better to feed them rolled naked oats – which will also cost less.

Is oily food good for birds?

Therefore, just as we should limit consumption of high-fat foods, so should birds. Birds can have an occasional bite of lean, cooked meat, but they should not be offered heaping quantities of these fat-filled items, especially if they are small relative to the portion size.