jcarscadden Posted January 31, 2019 Share Posted January 31, 2019 for several years i have been buying C$S suet at walmart....always good and always a hit with the birds....especially the peanut treat. then a couple of months ago i noticed a markable quality difference. Instead of the pliable suet I was used to - it was whitish and brittle. I used it anyway and the birds did not care....it was the consistency of suet dough at best. Lsst few times I have bought suet (C&S at walmart) it has been ok just wondering if anyone else experienced something similar ....i will not use it again if it reoccurs 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charlie Spencer Posted January 31, 2019 Share Posted January 31, 2019 So it's not just me! The current formula is very crumbly, leaving a soft, grainy residue in the tray under my feeder. Unlike your birds, mine aren't eating it as quickly as they used to. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bee_ keeper Posted January 31, 2019 Share Posted January 31, 2019 Wow, same here. I literally just returned a whole carton of the stuff. It was the best suet, too. The birds used to fight over it. Now they only poke at it if the seed tray is empty. When it's 10 degrees F and nobody's touching the suet you know something's wrong. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MeInDallas Posted January 31, 2019 Share Posted January 31, 2019 I'm curious as to when you guys bought yours. I bought a big lot of it around August 2018 when it was on clearance at Wally World. I also noticed a brand called 3DPet Products, and their suet seems to be the exact same thing as C&S, and its sold right along side of C&S in Wally World. https://www.3dpetproducts.com/products/deck-porch-n-patio-suet/ If I ever have suet that birds dont eat thats new, I stick it all in a big crock pot, melt it down, pour a small jar of peanut butter in it, add some corn meal and flour to thicken up if needed, then pour it back in the trays. Amazing what a small jar of peanut butter will do. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MeInDallas Posted January 31, 2019 Share Posted January 31, 2019 And it usually is the most popular I put out once I put the peanut butter in it. The birds seem to ignore everything else I put out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charlie Spencer Posted January 31, 2019 Share Posted January 31, 2019 (edited) 6 minutes ago, MeInDallas said: I'm curious as to when you guys bought yours. I buy one 8-pack at a time. I bought the current pack about in mid-December. As to melting, etc. I'm too lazy to go to that kind of trouble. It may be time to look for another brand. The C&S was affordable, but it doesn't matter how inexpensive it is if they won't eat it. I can tell you that even the squirrels won't eat the Tractor Supply brand of suet, or their peanuts either. Royal Wing, or something like that. Edited January 31, 2019 by Charlie Spencer 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HamRHead Posted January 31, 2019 Share Posted January 31, 2019 46 minutes ago, Charlie Spencer said: I buy one 8-pack at a time. I bought the current pack about in mid-December. As to melting, etc. I'm too lazy to go to that kind of trouble. It may be time to look for another brand. The C&S was affordable, but it doesn't matter how inexpensive it is if they won't eat it. I can tell you that even the squirrels won't eat the Tractor Supply brand of suet, or their peanuts either. Royal Wing, or something like that. It's been a long time since I bought suet from Walmart. I've been getting mine at Tractor supply. I have tried about four different flavors and the only one that seems to generate any interest is the Royal Wing Woodpecker. I get it in a 10-pack. It seems to be appreciated by Downy, Red-bellied, Sapsucker, Pine Warbler, Tufted Titmouse, Carolina Wren, Chipping Sparrow, and others, including a Ruby-crowned Kinglet, and Bluejay. That said I long ago stopped buying seed at Tractor Supply. It routinely appears to be moldy! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MeInDallas Posted January 31, 2019 Share Posted January 31, 2019 I understand about the being lazy. If they wont eat it, then I dont buy it again either, I just hate to throw things out If I know its still good, so I "recycle" it. The Royal Wing No Melt blends from Tractor Supply go really good in my yard. The C&S will as well. At one point they wouldnt go near the C&S, and I didnt buy it for a long time, until the end of last year. Thought I'd give it a try, and they looked and smelled really good on the shelf, so I grabbed a few of them to try. I have noticed this winter that I dont have nearly as many numbers visiting as I did the year before for some reason. Also it seems they want more Black Oil Sunflower than they have before, and they are going crazy over peanuts. I know the suet seems to pick up more for me in the spring. Just been a different winter this year. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Bird Nuts Posted January 31, 2019 Share Posted January 31, 2019 We usually buy the least expensive suet we can find, so recently we've been using St. Albans Bay Suet Plus high energy suet and the birds seem to love it. We just got 120 cakes (8 packs of 15 ?)! I hope they stay fresh... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bee_ keeper Posted January 31, 2019 Share Posted January 31, 2019 1 hour ago, MeInDallas said: I have noticed this winter that I dont have nearly as many numbers visiting as I did the year before for some reason. Also it seems they want more Black Oil Sunflower than they have before, and they are going crazy over peanuts. I know the suet seems to pick up more for me in the spring. Just been a different winter this year. Interesting observations. This year I've also noticed that peanuts are a hot item. Even the cardinals are going for them over sunflower seeds. And I've never seen woodpeckers thumb their noses at C&S suet before, but this year they're favoring the seed tray for shelled peanuts instead. Wonder what the significance of that all is. Incidentally, I called the C&S customer service number; they were very nice and insisted nothing's changed regarding their suet ingredients. The rep welcomed the feedback and made it clear that they are very dedicated to maintaining the quality of their product. I'm going to try one from a different lot number and see what happens. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charlie Spencer Posted January 31, 2019 Share Posted January 31, 2019 Maybe it is just something about this winter after all. I tried a different flavor from C&S, one of their conventional 'not no-melt' types. This was in early December when I noticed the no-melt peanut wasn't doing as well as usual. That type didn't really attract much attention either, so I went back to the cheaper, slightly more popular peanut suet. Like the rest of you, I notice peanuts are the hot item this winter, more popular than I've seen them in the past. I've used them to replace BOSS in the small feeder I stick to my kitchen window in the winter. I'm getting more titmice, chickadees, pine warblers, and even bluebirds jamming themselves onto the small perches. They're a more entertaining crowd than I get with BOSS in that feeder (mostly house finches bellying up to the buffet for several minutes at a time). 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jcarscadden Posted February 6, 2019 Author Share Posted February 6, 2019 (edited) thank you all for your responses - just opened a new pack and it looks ok so am keeping my fingers crossed this was a one time thing. I use mine in 12-18 inches of tree branches about 3 inches in diameter....I drilled holes of varying depth and 1 inch in diameter. The woodpeckers have no problem with this and once in a whiile I put a perch on for other birds. I use suet dough in the main feeder and usually only woodpeckers and nuthatches use it. Black oil sunflower seed for others oh and it does not seem we have as many birds as well....woodpeckers and nuthatches and carolina wrens - oh juncos in the winter again thanks Edited February 6, 2019 by jcarscadden Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RustyE Posted February 8, 2019 Share Posted February 8, 2019 I normally buy all my bird seed and stuff from Tractor Supply. My wife and I had some shopping to do at Wal-Mart and we went over to the bird seed area rather then make a second stop at Tractor Supply. I didn't note the brand name, but we saw a few suet blocks with mold in them. We took them to an associate. I don't know if any of you have a Tractor Supply near you, but I would recommend looking into the supply of bird products. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lonesome55dove Posted February 26, 2019 Share Posted February 26, 2019 On 1/31/2019 at 10:17 AM, The Bird Nuts said: We usually buy the least expensive suet we can find, so recently we've been using St. Albans Bay Suet Plus high energy suet and the birds seem to love it. We just got 120 cakes (8 packs of 15 ?)! I hope they stay fresh... I know I'm a little late to this party ... but when I buy suet in bulk I pop what I have room for it in the freezer and use those last. ? 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Bird Nuts Posted February 26, 2019 Share Posted February 26, 2019 1 hour ago, lonesome55dove said: I know I'm a little late to this party ... but when I buy suet in bulk I pop what I have room for it in the freezer and use those last. ? Thanks. We don't have much room in the freezer at the moment, but I think I will try to do that when it starts getting warmer out. Do you know how long unopened suet will last stored in the house (not in the freezer)? The sell by date is 2020, I think. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lonesome55dove Posted February 28, 2019 Share Posted February 28, 2019 On 2/26/2019 at 10:07 AM, The Bird Nuts said: Thanks. We don't have much room in the freezer at the moment, but I think I will try to do that when it starts getting warmer out. Do you know how long unopened suet will last stored in the house (not in the freezer)? The sell by date is 2020, I think. You're welcome. Or even in the back of the refrigerator would be good too. I would think it would be alright for six or seven months or longer but keep it in the coolest part of your house and in some sort of mouse proof container...those little buggers like suet a lot!! Hope this helps. ? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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