How long can you leave suet out

Must be said this is one question no one can really answer that applies to all, as it will depend on time of year, location and quality of suet in use.

How long can you leave suet out in a suet feeder will depend on climate, humidity, weather and where you live overall. With that, to give new or old, store-bought or homemade suet only a week or two in an outdoor environment - will avoid all issues surrounding suet cakes or fat ball expiry dates.

Notwithstanding, give any kind of suet up to two weeks only in its compatible suet feeder, before swapping them out with brand new suet cakes or fat balls.

So there you have it, the matter is closed because the suet can't left out too long, as there won't be enough time for any kind of suet germinate in an outdoor environment.

How you use suet for wild birds is to really encourage wild birds to feed on it, so its eaten as quickly as possible - and that is especially true in summer months. You can prioritize suet over all bird feed, by only making suet available for a short while.

Birds can still be fed suet in summertime thus you don't want to stop using it, but remember the heat and humidity will speed up the expiration date.

In fact, long spells of humidity and heat can give suet cakes, fat balls and suet pellets only a few short days in a few States like Florida.

So were on the same page, all information outlined applies to store-bought suet only, as homemade suet to put in feeders, can go bad in less than 24 hours

Unfortunately for many of us, wild birds do tend to feed on suet over a period of several weeks, which means we do leave out suet longer than it should.

And that's OK, just be sure to check for signs of mold or bacteria on the suet surface, with any rancid smell coming off the suet a sign its gone off.

In the meantime, do your best to encourage new birds to find your suet feeders ASAP, while at the same time break up your suet - or turn them in to small pieces - so you can put the suet in an accessible dish which can open your suet to many more, large or small size bird species, who regularly visit your bird feeders.

Give it three weeks maximum

Its a tough one this because it can depend on climate, weather and many other conditions that can extend suet's life, or rapidly spoil it due to heat and humidity.

Personally, I give my suet cakes and fat balls a maximum of three weeks until I throw them out of the suet bird feeder, to replace them with new.

Even so, its still hard to throw out suet when it appears to be eaten daily, only the birds are taking their sweet time in using it up. Of which, I admit I will then leave out my suet that is being used, up to four or five weeks.

Climate and weather conditions do play its part, thus I am lucky enough to have mostly mild summers and chilly winters.

Conditions as you'd imagine can extend my suet cakes or fat balls for a reasonable time.

Now, let's say for example you live in sunny States like Texas or Florida, then its safe to say the heat or humidity will only allow a maximum of two weeks or so.

In fact, expect suet to last less than a week in high humidity with visible signs of bacteria and mold - and odor as a matter of fact - clearly visible on any kind of suet bird feed in use.

Give it a maximum of three weeks in colder months then, while consider throwing out leftover suet even more frequently - say less and a week or two - in summer months which will apply to most of you.

Encourage birds to avoid expiration

How long you can leave suet cakes or fat balls out in their corresponding suet feeder will vary by State, and time of month - yet it doesn't hurt to encourage wild birds to actually eat the suet before it expires.

Suet isn't really that expensive but it can be discouraging to waste, thus you'd want to really put out what you know will be eaten before the suet expires.

Do use only a couple of fat balls in the feeder, or in case of suet cakes being used, just the one suet cake in the feeder will do it.

I will say when a mix of wild bird seeds are made available - and remain accessible - do expect your suet to see little interest until the seeds are eaten up.

What you want to do then is try your best to attract your birds to the suet feeders in hope they will eat them before they expire. It isn't easy I know as you have no control over your wild birds feeding habits - though to prioritize suet cakes or fat balls only could be an option.

Don't put suet feeders out along with a bunch of bird feeders made for seeds, peanuts or others, as it will provide too many options to your backyard birds.

When it comes down to it, you could always break up the suet cakes or fat balls to put in an open dish, as the suet now becomes more accessible to a wider range of birds.

Expired suet will be obvious

I will say it can be difficult to spot expired suet cakes or fat balls, which is why I expect most of us leave the suet hung up in their feeders for longer than it should.

With the suet mashed in with seeds, peanuts or dried mealworms, this coloring can make it hard to notice visible signs of mold. However, placing your nose closer to the suet is one way of knowing if the suet has gone bad.

Not always, but if you know what the suet smelt like fresh out of the packet the suet cakes or fat balls it came in originally, then you'll know what rancid suet smells like.

Ok, so expired suet isn't that obvious but you really shouldn't wait until its gone past its best before date.

If you switch out old suet cakes or fat balls for new every two to three weeks, then any concern about moldy suet that will make wild birds unwell, won't really be an issue.

Suet cakes or fat balls do tend to stay in shape with the one side usually pecked out over the course of several days. Its in the pecked out area that you must check - along with the untouched side - to view the differences in texture and coloring.

Mold can be visible in a white fluffy texture yet any green mold can remain invisible.

Summarize

Come to think about it this isn't a question most of us can truly answer correctly, as it will depend on your personal circumstances.

With localized climate, humidity and weather all playing its part of slowly or rapidly spoiling suet cakes or fat balls - no one can really put an exact time or day on it.

On the other hand, one way to get around the issue of how long suet can last as it hangs in their corresponding suet feeder, is to switch out the old suet for new every two to three weeks - with more or less time given which will depend on summer or winter months.

What else you can do is only use one fat ball at a time for example, or one suet cake in the feeder to find out how much or little suet is used - before you truly commit to filling up suet feeders to their maximum capacity.

Put too much suet balls in a suet feeder that isn't expected to receive a lot of interest, will see the fat balls expire before they're used up in a timely manner.

Do your best to attract wild birds to your suet feeders but not in a way these suet feeders will have to compete with other types of bird feeders.

Admittedly, suet cakes or fat balls won't be easy to spot signs of mold or bacteria, but there can be rancid odor emitting out in the direction of said suet.

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