I have a couple of well fed fat home grown hoggets in my freezer so I chop the fat off before cooking & render the fat down & feed it to the birds . the little native guys just love it in the -7 frosts we have had this winter & it gives me much pleasure watching them from my kitchen window (in the warm).
awoftam,
Sep 11, 6:34am
Oh yes, fantastic stuff.
uli,
Sep 11, 8:42am
Yes I do - every day of the year without fail.
uli,
Sep 11, 8:46am
Please DO NOT feed them fat!
Silvereyes mainly eat insects, fruit and nectar.
They would get very ill or die with your mutton fat if they ate it.
If you do not want to eat it - then let it go hard and dispose of it in the rubbish (bl@@dy waste in my eyes - but there you go). But do not feed it to the poor birds!
Bumping . just so people know it IS OK to feed silver eyes raw fat (not used cooking fat) & I'm pleased that I did over our harsh winter with quite a few -7 days.
awoftam,
Sep 12, 6:15am
One day there was an awful commotion on our deck with partner yelling to 'get the dog and grab the cat! '. I rushed out to see a wax eye immersed in the fat on our barby that hadn't been cleaned from the night before. He had obviously swooped down for a meal and got stuck. What a nightmare. it all turned out okay in the end thanks to a friendly vet who did a consult by phone and a very resilient little bird.
samanya,
Sep 12, 7:18am
Good on you! If you read the link I gave ^^^ there some wher,e it's raw mutton fat that is OK, not rendered fat from a roast etc. I have some very fatty hoggets in the freezer & before I cook them I trim up the fat & then pop it in the microwave until it's a bit melty & then put it out on my bird table & the little darlings love it
punkinthefirst,
Sep 14, 10:47am
A ham is a leg. The bacon, whether pork or mutton, comes from the rib area. the ribs and backbones are removed, the meat is then salted and smoked. Does that help? The fat may be too salty or smoke-flavoured to be of any use, but try putting it in a large pot with a peeled potato and some water, Boil for 20 minutes or so. The potato will remove most of the salt, the water will maybe dissolve the smoky taste. Let it go cold and then lift the fat off the top of the water. My grandmother used to use mutton fat to fry with, and also as part, but not all of the fat content in savoury short pastry, amongst other things. She also used it to make soap, but that's probably a step too far for you! However, she had 12 kids, no refrigeration, and mutton was the most convenient meat for her to deal with on the farm.
poppysinger2,
Sep 15, 9:06am
Once I was visiting a friend who served up a most peculiar apple crumble with the oddest after taste . I ate another spoonful and looked at my partner and then at my friend who all looked equally bemused . Can you taste something a bit odd ? I asked my friend .Yep . We all could . It turned out that her fulla (who wasnt actually at the meal) had used mutton fat as the shortening in the crumble . NOT yummy !
samanya,
Sep 15, 9:46am
Eeewh . but at least her fella tried.
punkinthefirst,
Sep 17, 4:12am
Haha. notice I suggested using it as part of the fat in savoury dishes. because it DOES have a peculiar taste.
whitehead.,
Oct 21, 4:57pm
i would be worried about the salt in the fat for birds . i feed normal fat off beef as i dont eat it and i also buy a green coconut the ones you stick a straw in to drink the milk and when finished chop them in half and leave them out side for the birds they love it and peck it clean
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