RSPB Wild Bird Food Super Suet Fat Balls, 50 in a Box

Our garden gets bombarded with hundreds of Starlings, they love these suet balls and the balls are soon gone.Sparrows and Tits do like these as well but they are lucky if they get a look in. Must admit the Starlings with their young can be a nightmare.

I've never used suet balls before but the birds in my garden seem to be constantly hungry this year I don't know if it's all the high winds or not but the robins and blackbirds have even come into the kitchen to take the dog food so I thought I'd try these. I bought a pretty spiked holder from Amazon as I like to feed all the birds that come into my garden not just the little ones so I need the food to be accessible. Lol within 10 minutes of putting these onto the holder they were gone. I've had to buy more. The birds love them and they don't crumble at all when you put them on the holder. I shall buy them every month now.

I've been feeding birds in my garden for years. Over the years, I have come to learn a lot about different types of feeders, different types of bird food, the varying quality of that food, and what types of food the birds like best.With fat balls, the cheaper ones are made with a lot more wheat flour and other ingredients to bulk out the product. They are harder (sometimes VERY hard!). The higher the fat content (look for suet fat), the more expensive they are, and the more beneficial they are to the birds. If you really take the time to look around, you can normally find a happy medium, if you are on a budget, like me. Obviously the amount in one box affects the price too, but you've got to think of how long you might have to store the fat balls for. They are obviously made of ingredients that will go off eg.. in the never ending heatwave of southern England.These RSPB Fat Balls:They are the best quality I have ever bought (in my opinion).The higher the fat content, the paler the balls will be, and speaking from experience, they are also likely to be much softer, and therefore inevitability, some will get squashed. I knew that these were good quality, when I first opened the bag, inside the box. The ones at the bottom had been completely squashed down....like if you sqished down a pack of butter! That's unusual, and shows the very high fat content. Ordinarily, balls made with more wheat flour and seeds, will crumble, rather than be completely squashed down. I really have never understood why so many people complain about fat balls arriving squashed or crumbled! The birds don't care! It's all food to them! In fact, the more food that is sprinkled on the ground, or put in a ground feeder, the more variety of birds you will get! Not all birds can feed from a feeder!I have purchased them twice now, via the Subscribe & Save scheme, and they were affordable to buy, but the birds loved them sooo much, that an entire feeder of 5 balls would be eaten in one day, even one afternoon! There is no way that I can afford that! So, as with all the other types of food, I have to ration them. I fill the fat ball feeder twice a week. This rationing is actually a very good thing, as if food (particularly the same type of food) is fed continuously, then the birds are inevitability not getting a balanced diet. As with humans, we need a variety of different foods, particularly fresh foods, to eat a balanced diet.Pros:- very good quality- affordable under the Subscribe & Save scheme- the birds love them!Cons:- I realise that food prices keep increasing, but putting the cost of 50 fat balls up by £7.00 in 1½ months is outrageous!I paid £11.04 for them on 30th May. By mid July, when I was anticipating buying more, the price had gone up to £17.99!!!Consequently, I have had to order from a different company.- The birds love them sooo much that they empty the feeder within ½-1 day!WARNINGS:- Please don't buy netted fat balls....they maim and kill birds very easily, who get their feet caught up in the nets.- Feeders need to be thoroughly cleaned or disinfected fairy regularly.If your health is bad, like mine, and you are not able to do this as often as it's needed, then my solution, is to buy multiples of that feeder, so that you can swap out a dirty feeder, with a clean one. You can then store the dirty feeders, until you have the time/strength to clean them out. I have also learnt to spend a bit more on a feeder, that comes apart easily, making cleaning much quicker.The RSPB told me that they believe that the massive drop in Finches in the uk, in the past couple of years has been caused by Trichomoniasis! Birds can become ill from firty bird feedsers, from leftover bits of seeds and hulls that have become moldy or from droppings that have accumulated on and around feeders. Fluffed-up feathers, lethargy, abnormal growths, and crusty eyes are all symptoms of avian illnesses such as salmonella, trichomoniasis, avian pox, and eye disease.- As soon as you get a delivery of food, check that the use by date is ok.- If you have a bird table or ground feeder, then move it to a different location every so often. Diseases can be picked up by the birds, from the mess that's made under a bird table.TIPS:Feed as many different types of feed as you can, in different types of bird feeders, but also put food on the ground.I get a wide variety of birds in my garden, even though I have to ration the food. I have leant over the years, to buy a good quantity bird seed, with many different types of foods in it, and to sprinkle that over the lawn.....that way, there is plenty of room for everyone to get a chance to feed, and by the evening, the majority of that food has been eaten, as the birds know they have to search for any remaining seed. It's also a way of putting the seed in various different places, to try and avoid any diseases. eg....https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B0039ZBK02/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1TIPS:I have a medium sized garden, and have 3 shallow, easy to clean, plastic plant pot saucers at various locations around the lawn. My ones aren't available any more, but something like these:https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B09W5JB2LT/ref=ox_sc_act_title_29?smid=A10C1D6GFZP3K2&th=1These are vital to have both in the dry weather, but also in winter, when water may be frozen. They also attract tonnes of different types of birds, for drinking or bathing. These DO also have to be cleaned out and topped up at least twice a week. I use an old kitchen kitchen scrubbing brush eg..https://www.amazon.co.uk/Addis-Ultra-Jumbo-Metallic-Silver/dp/B000NJSWNK/ref=sr_1_9?crid=2KZQ8DVY1B89T&keywords=vileda%2Bscrubbing%2Bbrush&qid=1658683050&sprefix=Vileda%2Bsc%2Caps%2C105&sr=8-9&th=1

There are dozens of wild bird families living around my home, and even tho I don't have a garden, I make sure I do what I can for our little feathered friends, they love it!! Every couple of hours they visit and squabble, it's a joy to see and hear it. The fat balls are their faves, so I will happily continue to make sure they are fed, thank you.

Our garden birds, especially robins and blue tits, really seek out large chunks of the fat balls which they then fly off with back to nests in our garden hedge.

The birds absolutely adore these. They were gone within hours! Much better than the cheaper version which are often left uneaten.

I've never seen as many birds in my garden as I have since getting these. I even see the occasional woodpecker in my garden now which has never come to visit before. It's true, these balls do her eaten faster (three of them usually don't survive a week) when other fat balls would hang there for a month if not longer. But to me it's well worth the money and you so get a huge box of them for the price. Will definitely buy again!

Why did you choose this product over others?:So glad that the birds really love it sososoossooo much!