You could make it yourself - this recipe doesn't contain palm oil and looks pretty easy.
From your other posts it is obvious that you are simply a condescending troll who now is thankfully banned. So I hope your post will receive as little attention as it deserves - zero.
I make my own using lard and a mixture of oats, sunflower seeds, raisins etc.
I use small terracotta plant pots and hang them from the feeders and the birds love them.
Take a small terracotta plant pot and feed a loop of thickish string through the hole from the outside. Thread the rope through a metal washer on the inside of the pot and knot it so the string doesn't go back out through the hole. Soften the lard and mix the seeds and fruit very well and fill the pots up with the tightly packed mixture. Leave in a cool place to set and hang on the bird feeder. Voila a quick and easy fatball without any nasty ingredients.
Lard is available in large tubs here but I usually get the blocks in France as it's much cheaper there.
Thanks both of you - have made some myself many times. Thought it was worth pointing out to bird lovers that many bird feeding products contain lots of palm oil- which is best avoided if you are an animal lover. Merci- great recipes both.
Am I missing something ..... it's still only August and there's plenty of worms, fruit, berries, etc - why on earth are we worrying about supplementing the birds adequate natural diet with seeds, at the moment?
I only buy mine when there's snow on the ground - and wait for the packs to go on action .... or at least when they're going cheap.
...... and remember - only the fittest, toothless birds succeeds.
Because green space has disappeared in much of Switzerland. And what little 'green' space exisits is usually the typical suburban rock garden - boulders and gravel don't provide much nutrition for our feathered friends.
Yes, there is controversy over whether one should feed year round or not. If you live truly 'auf dem land' then likely one should not feed, there will be enough for the birds to find on their own. But more and more conservation groups are recommending that if you live in a built up area feeding year round is preferred.
I live in what was ten years ago a green farming community. Today half the farms are still here, but the rest of the village is paved over in concrete boxes. The hedges between properties are gone, communal green space is gone, few families plant fruit-bearing gardens anymore. The farmer behind me - one of the few green spaces left in the village - has asked me to continue feeding, as then the birds passing by don't eat his crops. Our local Vögelverein also encourages year round feeding if one feeds at all.
One could argue, as the banned troll poster does, that birds and other wildlife have no place in today's crowded concreted Switzerland. Many think this way, which is to my mind unfortunate. I prefer to live among wildlife while I still can - and so I give the birds a little help.
I cut back on my feeding during the summer. During winter they have a bird ball which they can eat as they please and as soon as it’s finished they get a new one so if they want to stuff themselves they can. In summer I only put out a small potion of seeds just to help a little bit.
Limited feeding in Summer too as I am surrounded by green fields and woods- and our garden and wildflower meadows provide so much food- the manure heaps in the area ensure there are plenty of flies for the swallows, etc- and they are kept out by the screens on our windows... must remember to keep the one on the kitchen door, for got the other day ....
Remember though that birds need fresh clean water perhaps more in Summer, if you are away from lakes, etc. I have several water areas which I clean every few days with bleach and refill with clear water- they are in cosntant use for drinking and the larger ones for bathing.
Hi,
I order from zooplus.de, not tried zooplus.ch yet.
If you have any visitors coming over from the UK or if you are planning a trip there at all, might be worth ordering from the RSPB, a little pricey but lots of choice with many gift packs like suet etc. Get it delivered to a friend or family member and bring it over.
Failing that Fresnaph will have it in stock in a couple of weeks. Our local Landi doesn't tend to get it till end of October. By then it can already be pretty darn cold for our feathery little friends.