Feeder Types
Suet feeders: cages, tail-props and upside-down
The cheapest feeder in this hobby, and the fastest way to get a woodpecker into your yard.
By Scooter M. · Published · Last updated
A suet cage holds a fat cake for woodpeckers, nuthatches and chickadees. A tail-prop panel gives larger woodpeckers something to brace against, and an upside-down design keeps most starlings off. Use no-melt suet dough in warm weather, because plain suet can coat a bird's feathers.
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Quick picks
| # | Product | Best for | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | NWno photo Nature's Way Tail-Prop Suet Feeder (CWF1) Extended cedar back panel, 12" tall. Woodpeckers brace their tails; this lets them. | Best for woodpeckers | |
| 2 | NWno photo Nature's Way Upside-Down Suet Feeder (CWF2) Access from below only. Woodpeckers manage it, starlings mostly will not. | Best against starlings | |
| 3 | Cno photo C&S Mealworm Delight No Melt Suet Dough No-melt dough with mealworms, so it survives a warm afternoon. | Best cake to put in it | |
| 4 | NWno photo Nature's Way Cedar Hopper with Suet Cages (CWF19) Six quarts of seed and two suet cages on one hook. | Best combined with seed |
Rows link to the full write-up further down this page. The price button goes to Amazon.
Suet is the cheapest upgrade in bird feeding and it changes the cast of your yard more than any other single purchase. Project FeederWatch lists woodpeckers, nuthatches and chickadees as the birds a suet cage attracts, and woodpeckers are usually the reason somebody new to this stops and stares.
Three designs
| Design | What it adds | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Standard wire cage | Nothing — it is a holder | Cheapest option, all small clinging birds |
| Tail-prop | An extended back panel to brace a tail against | Larger woodpeckers, which need the brace to feed properly |
| Upside-down | Access only from underneath | Keeping starlings off, while woodpeckers and nuthatches still feed |
Why a tail prop is not a gimmick
Woodpeckers feed with their tails braced against the trunk — it is how their whole body plan works. On a bare hanging cage a large woodpecker has nothing to press against, so it takes a beakful and leaves. Nature's Way's tail-prop cage extends the cedar back panel below the cage for exactly this. It is the difference between a visit and a feeding session.
The starling problem, and the one real solution
Starlings arrive in numbers and can empty a suet cake in a morning. The reliable fix is an upside-down feeder: the cake is accessible only from below. Woodpeckers, nuthatches and chickadees hang underneath without difficulty; starlings are far less willing to.
Give it a week or two. Some woodpeckers take a few days to work out the new arrangement, and people often conclude too early that it has failed.
The warm-weather rule
Plain rendered suet softens above roughly 70F. Soft fat transfers onto the head and face feathers of the birds eating it, and matted feathers do not insulate or shed water properly. In warm weather, use a no-melt suet dough — C&S publishes its Mealworm Delight as corn, roasted peanuts, rendered beef suet, oats, soy oil and mealworms, with 24% minimum fat — or take the suet down entirely. More in suet and suet cakes.
Does suet attract mice and rats?
The cake in the cage is out of reach. What draws rodents is what falls: fat crumbs and fragments under the feeder. Keep the ground clear, use a tray if the cage is over paving, and do not let crumbs build up in a corner. This is the same discipline that keeps spilled seed from becoming a rodent problem — detail here.
Where to hang it
High, on a pole with a baffle, away from anything climbable. Suet is the single most attractive thing on your feeding station to squirrels and raccoons, and a cage is the easiest feeder to simply carry off. If you can only baffle one thing, and you run suet, baffle the suet.
When to start
October. Insects are thinning out, temperatures are dropping, and the woodpeckers that will use you all winter are working out their routes now. See the fall feeding calendar.
The picks in full
#1 · Best for woodpeckers
Nature's Way Tail-Prop Suet Feeder (CWF1)
Nature's Way · Woodpeckers, including the big ones
A single-cake suet cage with an extended cedar back panel that gives a woodpecker somewhere to brace its tail, which is the difference between a visit and a feeding session.
Published specifications
- Dimensions
- 12" H x 7.875" L x 3" W
- Capacity
- 1 standard suet cake
- Materials
- Premium cedar with rust-free hardware
What it does well
- The tail prop is not marketing: woodpeckers brace their tails when they feed
- One cake at a time means suet does not sit out going rancid
What it does not
- The open cage is easy for squirrels and starlings
- Holds one cake, so it needs refilling in cold weather
Specifications above come from the manufacturer's own published listing: Nature's Way CWF1 published specifications.
#2 · Best against starlings
Nature's Way Upside-Down Suet Feeder (CWF2)
Nature's Way · Keeping starlings off the suet
Suet reachable only from underneath, which woodpeckers, nuthatches and chickadees manage easily and starlings mostly do not.
Published specifications
- Dimensions
- 8.5" L x 8.5" W x 4.13" H
- Capacity
- 1 suet cake (8 oz)
- Materials
- Premium cedar with rust-free hardware
What it does well
- Genuinely reduces starling monopolies without excluding the birds you want
- The roof shades the cake, which slows melting
What it does not
- Some woodpeckers take a week to work it out
- Not squirrel-resistant in any way
Specifications above come from the manufacturer's own published listing: Nature's Way CWF2 published specifications.
#3 · Best cake to put in it
C&S Mealworm Delight No Melt Suet Dough
C&S · Suet that survives a warm afternoon
A no-melt suet dough with mealworms in it, which is the version to buy whenever the temperature climbs, because plain rendered suet turns to grease and coats birds' feathers.
Published specifications
- Ingredients
- Corn, roasted peanuts, rendered beef suet, oats, soy oil, mealworms
- Crude protein
- 11.0% min
- Crude fat
- 24.0% min
- Crude fiber
- 12.0% max
- Format
- Standard cake, fits a single-cake cage
What it does well
- The no-melt formulation holds its shape in warm weather, unlike plain suet
- Mealworms in the dough pull in birds that ignore a plain seed cake
What it does not
- Corn is the first ingredient, so a share of it goes to starlings and grackles
- No suet is truly heatproof; in a hot spell, take it down
Specifications above come from the manufacturer's own published listing: C&S Mealworm Delight published ingredients and analysis.
#4 · Best combined with seed
Nature's Way Cedar Hopper with Suet Cages (CWF19)
Nature's Way · Running seed and suet from one hook
A six-quart cedar hopper with a suet cage on each end, which covers seed-eaters and woodpeckers from a single hanging point.
Published specifications
- Dimensions
- 8" L x 12" W x 8" H
- Capacity
- 6 quarts of seed plus 2 suet cakes
- Materials
- Premium cedar with rust-free hardware
What it does well
- Two food types from one hook, which suits a small yard
- The roof keeps seed dry, which is the whole point of a hopper
What it does not
- No squirrel mechanism whatsoever
- Suet cages on the ends put suet within easy reach of squirrels and raccoons
Specifications above come from the manufacturer's own published listing: Nature's Way CWF19 published specifications.
Common questions
What is the best suet feeder for birds?
A tail-prop cage if you want larger woodpeckers, and an upside-down cage if starlings are the problem. Both cost about the same as a plain wire cage.
Do suet feeders attract mice?
Fallen crumbs can. The cake itself is out of reach. Keep the ground under the cage clear and it is rarely an issue.
Is there a squirrel proof suet feeder?
Caged and upside-down designs slow squirrels down; nothing stops a determined one on an unbaffled hanger. Suet on a baffled pole is the reliable arrangement.
When should I put suet out?
From autumn onward as standard. In warm weather use a no-melt dough, and in a genuine hot spell take it down.