Pinecones? What Can I do With Them?

[identicaltriplets]

I was just given a very nice bag of pinecones from a bird store. Now, I understand that birds love them but I am not sure what to do with them. Do I just give Kiwi one and let her shred it? Do I try to stuff some nuts in it? What do y'all do with pinecones? I would love ideas. Thanks!

 

[atvchick95]

there is a lot of things that can be done with them Some people add nuts for foraging

Kaycee has one that i spread a small amount of peanut butter on some of it and then I poured her seed mix over top of it and hung it from her tree

she's had it for a few weeks and my floor is always being covered in pine cone shavings She tears it up

But I didn't do the entire cone just hit and missed on the little leaves or what ever they're called and only did the top half

but we've just given them a plain pine cone as well to shred up.

 

[GG.]

the outside birdies love them the way ATV fixes them also!

 

[Oknuma]

batman loves his with peanut butter adn seed mix
someone on a website ( here? ) showed photos of them wedging fresh fruits and vegetables into them as well and now batman loves that too.

we also use them as toy parts on swings/perches too.

 

[Cynthia & Percy]

some nice ideas everyone I will need to try them thanks

 

[hsmoscout]

the outside birdies love them the way ATV fixes them also!

Yep!

 

[dolldid]

dont forget to soak them first and i dry mine in a slow oven on cookie sheets

 

[identicaltriplets]

Thanks for the ideas everyone! I gave her one yesterday just plain so she could "check it out." She picked at it a bit but I bet she will really love it with PB and pellets!

 

[Alex]

Such awesome ideas. I gotta admit, I never even thought of pine cones!

 

[dolldid]

there is a lot of things that can be done with them some people add nuts for foraging

kaycee has one that i spread a small amount of peanut butter on some of it and then i poured her seed mix over top of it and hung it from her tree

she's had it for a few weeks and my floor is always being covered in pine cone shavings she tears it up

but i didn't do the entire cone just hit and missed on the little leaves or what ever they're called and only did the top half

but we've just given them a plain pine cone as well to shred up.

do you wash then first how do you make sure there safe

 

[Jacqi]

Yup, I agree. Tiki likes them spread with peanut butter (who wouldn't?) & rolled in crushed pellets. (She's not much of a seed eater yet)

Also, she just likes to chew at them. I have a toy (one of the few I didn't make, so I actually don't know how they attached the cones) with 2 pinecones on rope w/ wooden curls & she mostly ignores it, but will occassionally go NUTS on it when she's in one of her super, playful moods.

As of right now, she's been completely uninterested in just the loose pinecones in her foraging bin.

 

[Jacqi]

Dolores, if they're from the pet store I wouldn't worry about their cleanliness, but if you're gathering them yourself, you could probably just dip them in boiling water for a few quick seconds & then let them cool & dry. That would ensure there are no buggies or bacteria.

I'm going to big bear next week (with Tiki for the first time!!) & I'll probably collect a few & test this out.

 

[CeddysMum]

Ceddy couldn't care less about any treats in or on them, she just goes into pure 'destroy mode' on them having fun taking off the 'flakes' (dunno what they're called in English, sorry) and chewing them up. She LOVES pine cones.

I did wash and rinse them thoroughly, then into the oven for about an hour or so.

 

[Bokkapooh]

I bake the pinecones on 350F for about 10 minutes to kill any of the bugs. And then I give them to my fids They love pinecones

 

[dolldid]

I bake the pinecones on 350F for about 10 minutes to kill any of the bugs. And then I give them to my fids They love pinecones

lol i realy dont think birds would mind bugslol but i never know where the bugs have been lol i always have soaked then bake

 

[Welshanne]

Never tried them with the birds either and we have a fir tree in the bottom of the garden laden with pine cones each year. Will be using them from now on in if they take to them that is.

 

[Emmilyy]

I'm so going to try this! just gotta find somewhere to collect them!

I see them sometimes selling as holiday decor - would they be safe if cooked?

 

[dolldid]

I just have to walkout back door to get them never think of it
mango hasnt had any ill have to see if he likes them
he dosent like peanut butter though,,lol

 

[Beatriz Cazeneuve]

You have to make sure they are not the kind that have that really sticky and smelly resin on them (I don't know the species of tree that produces them but they are the ones that look like a Christmas pinecone because they have like white edges on the little scales) but, aside from that, I don't bake them, boil them or anything. I pick them when they first fall off and keep them in the fridge until I use them (I just make garlands out of them with sisal rope which I tie around them -sometimes I alternate them with branches, cinnamon broom, cinnamon sticks, baby toys, raffia, hay or even just twisted thick strips of the brown paper that painters use to protect floors). The main reason why I don't 'sanitize' them is that the heat makes them open up the little scales and loose the seeds hidden inside which the birds like to eat and, besides, they are either from my own trees or the ones around the shelter and we don't use any chemicals at all so, if there is a bug or two in there, the birds are welcome to them.

 

[Birdiemarie]

Beatrice, why do you keep them in the frig? I've only used ones I've bought or were give to me already dried. Is there any harm to letting them stand out of the frig?