Where do you hang a suet feeder
It really can depend on the landscape of your backyard, but many of you can benefit with use of a bird feeding station if natural cover of a tree or hedge is unavailable to you.
Where you hang a suet feeder is amongst a blossoming tree or hedgerow that can hold a suet feeder. It can hang to allow all sides to be used at once, but to push the feeder against a branch or object to come to rest is more secure. Refer to a bird feeding station if not, but make sure there's plenty of clearing.
I don't believe there to be any correlation between the suet feeder type used, and where it can or should be location in your backyard.
Similarly, there's no difference in where you hang a suet feeder to accommodate specific species - as most backyard birds can come to a suet feeder wherever it may be hanging up.
Can I remind you Woodpeckers love to feed in trees, but regardless you can expect the Woodies to happily perch on a suet feeder positioned out in the open, central to the yard with no tree in sight.
Wherever you decide to put the hanging suet feeder, be sure to only concentrate on a safe and quiet location within your backyard.
Time is needed for birds to finally locate your suet feeder, so don't give up too soon on a new hanging location.
How long it takes for birds to find a suet feeder is instantly in a currently busy bird yard, but much longer if your hanging location new and out of view.
Location of a hanging suet feeder is no different to any type of bird feeder used, but a focus on the birds well-being must be prominent in picking a location.
Suet feeders can be messy but less so if kept clean, so don't keep the suet feeder out of reach as you'd need to clean the mess below it, while swapping out suet regularly.
Bracket on pole
First up is to hang your specific suet feeder of any kind off a bracket on your metal bird feeding station.
Why this is, because in theory you would have already sort the location to be good enough for the feeding station, and therefore the assorted bird feeders in use.
Brackets on a metal bird feeding station are not only tough and secure, but it offers much needed clearing with up to a feet apart from other brackets featured.
Trust the use of a bird feeding station wherever you choose to hang a suet feeder, as the most practical way of where you finally hang up a suet feeder.
Now I am referring to the type of suet feeders that is a flat or square cage block, designed to hold suet in cake or fat ball form. To use what could be a larger, upside down suet feeder would be seen to benefit more hanging off a tree branch.
Benefits to use a practical bird feeding station over any other hanging options is accessibility, and you would need access to the suet feeder two to three times a week.
You'd need to badly clean the suet feeder as often as you can, but so too can a feeding station allow you to swap out suet cakes or fat balls with no restrictions.
Solid tree branch
If you're lucky enough to have a tree of any kind in your backyard, then you'd certainly look to benefit more if the suet feeder is hung up within the blossoming tree.
Birds love to mix within a tree as both cover and where to find natural food in the wild.
To hang up a suet feeder in your tree of any size - or a hedgerow if you like - is certainly going to attract birds naturally, as its a place where they often rest.
Height of the tree or size has little baring but an enormous tree of at least a 10 feet is sure to offer more solid, more options of where you can hang the feeder.
Strength of the tree branch doesn't matter nor does its size, as a bend on a tree branch is a guarantee.
Hang up a suet feeder, or any bird feeder for that matter to attract all birds to it under the cover of a blooming tree - only a poorly placed hanging location can obstruct your backyard birding session.
Hanging a suet feeder within an accessible tree is not without its issues either, because without use of a baffle fixed above the feeder, its easy pickings for squirrels.
I would therefore recommend using a baffle to keep squirrels off your suet feeder, because if you fail here you'd need to find a new location, off the tree in use.
Fewer sides if against tree
Hanging a bird feeder within a tree or off a flimsy branch can be a problem as it bounces all over the place due to wind or when birds land to feed.
What this creates is a difficult to access suet feeder because this can lead to swinging or a twisting action - thus making it difficult for all species to feed in safety.
One trick around a moving suet feeder is to hang the feeder all the way up the tree branch - for it to come to rest on what would basically be the tree trunk. If not then at least the part of the branch that can act as a pillow.
What you are after is the need to settle the hanging suet feeder in a 20 or so degree angle, so the feeder relies less on the hanging method - so it comes to rests more on the tree trunk.
Downside to resting a suet feeder against a tree trunk rather than hanging it off a branch makes it completely accessible to all pests, but it really is effective if you can go down this path.
When a Woodpecker if you like wishes to feed off this resting suet feeder, as oppose to a hanging one - it will do so by landing on top of the cage to feed on one side.
One side is made available to all feeding birds, but the rested placement can allow birds to access more of the suet without risk of being thrown off.
Feeders that hold suet can cater to more birds than you know, with amazing benefits to be had if you at least try to feed them suet in a less counter-productive way.
Complete 4-sided clearing
Where you decide to hang a suet feeder is basically going to open the back and rear sides of the cage to birds, whichever suet feeder type you use.
And in many respects even the shorter sides of a cage suet feeder can be used to feed.
Much like feeding birds on a suet cage that is pressed flush against a tree branch or trunk - rather than hanging openly in the yard, can be an issue with accessibility.
While my suggestion of pushing a suet feeder against a tree trunk or anything similar is a solid one - as it prevents any swinging or twisting of the feeder as its being used.
Its up to you then to decide if you don't want to restrict the suet feeder to fewer birds at a time by leaning it against on object, or simply allow the feeder to hang in the open.
Push the suet feeder against an object to keep it still opens up one side for birds to feed off only, while a hanging location with plenty of clearing would in turn allow birds to feed off all four sides.
Clearing is important with a suet feeder as most are designed to be used from all sides, thus more birds can feed at a time as they perch opposite sides of each other without getting in the way.
To summarize
Most of us would be limited to hanging a suet feeder of any kind within a tree or on its own bracket of a bird feeding station.
Rest assured all are solid suggestions and safe ones if that. If the location you choose to hang a suet feeder off doesn't offer a clearing for birds to come and go without harm, then its not a place to hang the feeder.
Your first choice must be the natural cover of a tree, where an opening can can help birds spot it, yet allow you to watch from a safe distance away.
Hang the suet feeder in a tree by selecting a mature, secure tree branch that can hold the weight, and any additional disturbance thereafter.
Better still, push the suet feeder all the way up the branch so its flush up against the tree trunk - as if the feeder then appears like its sleeping on an angle.
Hanging suet feeder off a tree branch would apply to most, but the idea of this is to counter any swinging or twisting around of the feeder as its being used, or indeed being hit by wind.
If no tree is available in your yard then you can quite simply turn to a reliable bracket mounted to a bird feeding station.
Designed to be spaced a foot apart for more clearing than is needed, while the height of the bird feeding station allows birds to feed at a safe height from predators.
Where you hang a suet feeder must always be accessible to you and the birds, so no harm can come to them, while you can clean up the mess on a regular basis.
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