Warning

I'm glad you told us that clarice. I suppose the best way would be to pour it into some kind of disposable container and when it sets to put it in the rubbish bin.
Very useful information.

Thats what i do,M

Yes, I saw that warning from the RSPB this morning, on BBC1 news.

Good idea of yours to put the information in a blog.
Clarice...Well done :o)

Cheers TT :o))

Did they say why Clarice?

Yes something to do with salmonella and alsorts of illness can be carried to the birds with it.

Thanks Clarice i've always minced mine up for the birds thinking the fat was good for them.

So did i, looks like we are never to old to learn, best bit is the birds loved it aswell.

Salmonella? Oh no! I think we'll have baked beans on toast!

Thats for the wild birds Mad.....

I am a little surprised as if the turkey is properly cooked then any salmonella should have been killed off! Okay just done a little check and this is what was actually said:

AN ANIMAL charity is warning people to not feed birds fat from their roast dinner this Christmas.

The RSPB says many people believe turkey fat is as beneficial to birds as other fats like lard and suet, but the wildlife charity is warning that it could actually kill them.

"Cooked turkey fat remains soft even when cooled meaning it could smear onto birds’ feathers and ruin their water-proofing and insulating qualities as they need clean, dry feathers to survive the cold.

And because the fat in roasting tins cannot be separated from other leftover ingredients such as meat juices, the mixture can go rancid and this forms an ideal breeding ground for salmonella and other food poisoning bacteria.

However the charity suggests other leftover Christmas scraps such as Christmas cake crumbs, mince pie pastry crumbs and biscuit crumbs.

Other suitable leftovers include mild grated cheese, cooked or uncooked rice, breakfast cereals, cooked potatoes and fruit."

My fat and juices get used for gravy...

Goes in my gravy too Moongrower..........!

Mine to, I think it's the best thing in the world and improves the flavour no end. A very timely warning all the same Carol. I can imagine lots of people would think it a special treat for them.

Merry Christmas to you and all you family and a very happy and peaceful new year for 2010.

Merry xmas to all of your family Ian, you are right think lots would think of a treat for them.

Thanks for the information Carole I hadn't heard that , I wouldn't want to do anything to make the birds ill ..........

I heard this item too but never thought to let everyone know. Good on you, Clarice. It's not something I've ever done but its interesting to know the reasoning behind it. I have several lardy cakes in my freezer for over Christmas and plenty of seed and suet pellets plus mealworms so my visitors (feathered) should all be OK :)

Thanks for the warning Cariice, we dont want to put our feathered friends at any risk.

Yes,thank you very much for this crucial information Clarice.Would not like to cause our wildlife any more danger.They have a hard enough time of it out there in these freezing temperatures x

thanx for that carol, i wouldnt have known either, i will give them spare roast spuds as not in turkey fat, and lots of pastry will be left from mince pies im making tomoz, made with full butter pastry very yummy to lol, turkey stock i use for gravy uuummmm

Thanks for the information Clarice. I usually don't give such things to the birds. I prefer to give them store bought as it is made especially with the birds needs in mind. I do throw out stale bread and maybe stale cookies (even stale cookies are good in a cup of tea, eh?), I try not to put out other human food items as it may attract vermin. When I have liquid fat and juices, I pour them into a plastic cup and place in freezer door. When frozen, I just pop it out into a zip lock bag and put back in freezer waiting for garbage day.
~Merry Christmas Clarice and thanks again for this information~ Lisa

Another thank you Clarice; where would some of us be without such caring and thoughtful friends to keep us on the straight and narrow. Happy Christmas everyone and a peaceful new year. Love Sue xx

Sandra only give the birds cooked pastry, their digestive systems can't cope with it raw...

Never mind decking the halls with boughs of holly (though that is fun to do) put a couple of extra feeders up for the birds... We bought another 'station' on Saturday and the little, and not so little, tweets are mobbing it during daylight hours.

Given that we have extremely fussy Siamese cats I often end up with sachets of cat food the girls WILL NOT eat lol I save these up and mix with stale bread and the like to put down for the birds that can't use the feeders. You can also by cheap vegetable cooking oil and mix with rolled oats, stale bread and anything else that will absorb the oil and put that out too.

They have stopped throwing rice at weddings here...they say the birds were eating it and it was killing them as it was uncooked. It apparently swelled in their tummies and caused trouble. I have often used bacon fat in suet..I wonder if that is ok...

Yes Cat bacon fat fine as is other animal fat like lard.Polyunsaturates in margarines,veg fats and oils that they cant break down, so what appears healthy fats to us are unhealthy for birds !

I don't eat the veg and poly's ..prefer the real butter and olive oil or peanut oil..
I don't think poly's are good for us either..
I rendered out a whole bunch of lard when we butchered a pig many years ago..was in the first trimester of of one of my pregnancies...could not eat bacon for a year or more I bet...lol

At least this goes to show how much we love our birds. I'm feeding them like there is no tomorrow right now. Accidentally bought a wet cat food the girls wont touch and this is being mixed with rolled oats and sunflower seeds to put down for the ground feeding birds... will have to make a trip to the supermarket today to by more feed. We've a large sack on peanuts and lots or 'fat balls' for the feeders

mine had fat cakes again today, also mixed seeds, apples, and when i came home brought them some currants, blackbird was waiting at patio doors, nice to be wanted isnt it :o))

Mr MB counted 12 blackbirds in our garden yesterday all to busy eating to actually fight for a change! We're also getting crows and other carrion birds - well they all have the right to live...