Are Pine Cone bird feeders good for birds

What can be better than a pine cone pulled off a tree in nature, then hung back up while stuffed with beef fat or peanut butter with a combination of seeds or insects mixed in.

I can say pine cone bird feeders are good for wild birds as its sure to be highly nutritious, thus will provide a source of protein. Pine cones are fed on by seed-eating birds yet a stuffed pine cone will be fed on by more birds. Keep it steady as it hangs in a tree while favoring colder conditions to stop it going rancid.

Don't be concerned about the use of pine cone bird feeders, because if you keep it clean and hygienic, wild birds are sure to benefit with this source of protein.

Birds can eat regular peanut butter out of a jar, only this time you are smothering the peanut butter into the crevices of a pine cone found in nature. Mix it in with seeds, dried mealworm with extra nuts - while rolling it up in seeds to make it a super food for birds.

While you can use peanut butter for bird feeders then of course you can use a pine cone as a bird feeder, which is sure to benefit wild birds hugely.

I don't recommend buying pine cone bird feeders when it can quickly be made at home at little cost.

Hang the stuffed pine cone off a tree branch as the best way to hang a bird feeder, even if you have no choice but to use a bracket.

Possible takers of a suet made pine cone will be Clark's Nutcracker, Pine Grosbeak, Pine Siskin, Pine Warbler, Steller's Jay, Woodpeckers, Chickadees and Titmouse.

Whereas the peanut butter pine cone bird feeder will be favored most be the White-Breasted Nuthatch and Orange Crowned Warbler respectively.

Good if stuffed with nutritious food

What am I saying, of course stuffed pine cones will be nutritious, and to say it will benefit wild birds would be an understatement.

To begin with, usually made exclusively at home stuffed pine cones would use a rendered beef fat to allow all birds to eat it, especially in wintertime - while peanut butter stuffed pine cones will see a lot of use.

What else these pine cones will be used with other than beef fat or peanut butter, is even more nutritious fillers.

You'd get a much needed intake of beef fat with protein via the peanut butter, yet more protein would be added with rolled up seed mixes.

To make the beef suet at home you simply heat it up so we can introduce other ingredients in the liquid fat only after it cools down - then allow it to cured in the fridge.

Once this greasy white substance is ready, it can be smothered in with seeds with an option for crushed up peanuts or rolled up dried mealworms - with that in mind people usually stick to seeds as its less hassle.

What you are looking at is making sure seeds are mixed up within the beef fat or peanut butter; as others prefer to simply roll up seeds on sticky outer layer only - to do that then birds risks stop eating as soon as seeds run out.

Regular, metal suet bird feeders can be messy yet difficult to clean up; all you have to do with a pine cone bird feeder once its used up is throw it in the trash, its that easy.

Pine cones what their used to

Why pine cones make such a good bird feeder is because for many songbirds, a pine cone may be what they forage for up in trees.

You see birds in the wild like to eat pine cones seeds that are located on the upper side scales of a pine cone. To stuff a pine cone in nutritious peanut butter or beef fat then hanging back up on a tree branch, is a guarantee birds will use it.

And as birds only feed on seed-filled pine cones, you must prioritize healthy pine cones that must still be hanging - while avoiding broken pine cones or cones on the ground as they will be rotten.

What birds expect then but with a difference, is that you can still hang this pine cone bird feeder off a bracket or bird feeder pole if that is what you are using.

To hang a pine cone bird feeder in a tree it can help to make it secure. By that I mean it can be better to secure a hanging pine cone feeder on two string lengths, rather than one as the pine cone will be too unstable as it drastically swings.

Prioritize hard beef fat or peanut butter for winter or colder months, as homemade suet of this kind can quickly go rancid in hot weather.

Accessible to many species

Absolutely no shortage of the kinds of birds who forage higher up in trees, be it on tree buds, bark and of course pine cones.

To use beef fat to stuff your pine cone bird feeders, it would be better for many common backyard birds to feed on - providing its accessible and the pine cone hanging location is seen.

Stuffed in beef fat pine cone bird feeders will see Pine Siskins, Pine Grosbeak and Pine Warblers - as pine is in their name - with Clark's Nutcrackers and if made available, Steller's Jay with many other birds feeding on a stuffed pine cone.

Not all birds are nut-eating birds thus you can't expect your peanut butter stuffed pine cone bird feeder to be eaten by as many birds.

I will say that isn't to say none nut-eating birds wouldn't at least feed on the rolled up seeds on the outside if they do stop by.

What wild birds eat pine cones in the wild yet can be seen to feed on a pine cone bird feeder made up primarily in peanut butter, can be all of those mentioned above.

With that you can also expect many of the Woodpeckers, Chickadees and Titmouse to name a few.

Few downsides to it

To be honest this is where I usually say there are downsides, although I don't believe there's anything to worry about when making up your own pine cone bird feeder.

Saying that, its vital you make sure all ingredients to make up your own beef fat or peanut butter stuffed pine cones at home, still have a long expiry date on them.

Summer or hotter climates can rapidly spoil homemade suet which any beef fat pine cone would be. Similarly, a peanut butter stuffed pine cone can last longer, even though the hot weather won't be kind to it.

To buy suet or on occasion, a suet pine cone bird feeder is usually formulated to deal with extreme heat - while this goes a miss on homemade suet recipes.

It is possible to hide stuffed pine cones out of direct sunshine - while unable to avoid the humid conditions - by hanging your pine cone bird feeder in the shade; preferably under the cover of a tree to at least keep it cool or at room temperature.

Hygiene still applies when feeding wild birds homemade or store-bought pine cones, so any signs of rot then it must be thrown away.

Conclusion

Don't worry as I can guarantee pine cone bird feeders are really good for our backyard birds, at its stuffed with highly nutritious, protein rich ingredients.

Although it can depend on if the stuffed pine cones are occasionally bought in-store or better still, when made at home.

Made at home pine cone bird feeders usually favors more ingredients, thus homemade will be better for wild birds as producers of pine cone bird feeders are usually selfish on ingredients.

I believe there's two options when it comes to a pine cone bird feeder; a popular with more birds beef fat pine cone - or why not a peanut butter stuffed pine cone.

Both options of course will see the beef fat or peanut butter spread into the pine cone, while also rolled up in seed mixes for a super protein boost, wild bird food source.

It can be good for birds to offer it in the open as it hangs off a bird feeder pole, while a pine cone hung back up on the tree in which it was found may quickly be eaten.

To bring a pine cone home during a walk is not a problem at all, as a pine cone feeder can hang in a none pine tree - yet can still see success if only hanging on a bracket rather than a tree branch.

Pine cone bird feeders are accessible to many common backyard birds, thus you'll sure to get many birds feeding on it when its found in your yard.

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