Acorns?

[elitys]

Hi everyone.

I was wondering what everyone's thoughts were on acorns. From what I've seen, sources repeat that the "bark, leaves, and acorns" of oak trees are all poisonous, but there don't seem to be many studies backing that up.

Others have mentioned that the tannins are what make the acorns poisonous (not sure why, but it's been mentioned) but if I were to remove the tannins by boiling and/or soaking until the water no longer darkened, would they be safe then?

I was just sitting under an oak tree this afternoon and there were lots of acorns on the ground. I was wondering if Poppy might have fun playing with them. Sidenote, if anyone has any recommendations for natural foraging that I could find in the Pacific Northwest, I'd love to hear it!

 

[Ali]

Are acorns safe?

We have a lot of Live Oak trees where we live. Does anyone know if the acorns are safe to feed to parrots?

forums.avianavenue.com

 

[elitys]

Are acorns safe?

We have a lot of Live Oak trees where we live. Does anyone know if the acorns are safe to feed to parrots?

forums.avianavenue.com

Yeah, I saw this thread. It's old and there seems to be mixed opinions. I was wondering if anything has become more definite since then.

 

[Ali]

Yeah, I saw this thread. It's old and there seems to be mixed opinions. I was wondering if anything has become more definite since then.

I had a quick look and the same came up as your look. I would say not out of personal preference.

 

[Lady Jane]

Acorns can have mold. I would not give them to a bird.

 

[Mizzely]

I would not give raw acorns myself. There are a lot of things for birds we avoid that have tannins - some barks, fruits, etc. I've eaten raw acorns because I was 10 and curious and read My Side of the Mountain and thought I was cool They taste very bitter uncooked and gave me a stomach ache (I only had 2-3).

Minus the tannins, I don't see an issue with them as long as they are visibly healthy looking.

 

[elitys]

I would not give raw acorns myself. There are a lot of things for birds we avoid that have tannins - some barks, fruits, etc. I've eaten raw acorns because I was 10 and curious and read My Side of the Mountain and thought I was cool They taste very bitter uncooked and gave me a stomach ache (I only had 2-3).

Minus the tannins, I don't see an issue with them as long as they are visibly healthy looking.

I was intending to boil them as per recommendations found in articles for human consumption. They say to boil once, drain, and boil again until the water is clear. This is supposed to remove the bitter tannins. Although, I'm not sure how effective it would be for the entire acorn rather than just the nut inside. I might have to do some experimenting.

 

[elitys]

I don't think I'll be giving the ones I found to Poppy. They are all either underdeveloped or unripe. It looks like most of the wild animals have eaten the edible ones as there are a lot of larger, empty shells around, but no one's touched these.

Plus, when I was splitting a bunch open to check the insides, I found a worm in one of them. Yuck!!!

If I decide to try acorns again, I will probably have to buy them. Or on the off chance that I find a ripe one a squirrel hasn't gotten to yet.

At the very least, I used up a bunch of a boring afternoon looking for acorns. Not bad