Can birds eat coconut

Its a rare thing to try but it is possible few backyard birds would eat the meat of a coconut, but you must be very cautious when offering coconut to native US birds.

Birds do eat coconut in our yards, with Robins to Chickadees giving it a go. Coconut can be damaging to their health in two ways; first, desiccated coconut can swell in their stomachs; second, a birds gut cannot digest milk - so can lead to ill heath or death. Clear coconut of its milk but be sure to hang it still in shell.

Its that time again when you feel experimental with a need to offer your backyard birds a new treat, with coconut being just the thing you happen to have to hand.

To offer backyard birds a fresh coconut would be the safest option, but you would need to rinse it out as birds cannot drink the milk contents - as it would lead to serious health problems.

Nor can you serve them desiccated coconut as it swells up in their bellies.

Coconut can be made safe, but as a rule its not a food wild birds should eat as many people don't follow proper procedures.

You only need to wash out the coconut of its milk as you go on to hang it up in the yard to avoid a build up of mold - while birds prefer coconut offered to them this way.

You'd need to drill one or two holes to tie a knot through with a piece of rope or lace [as pictured above], but do it on opposite sides as to prevent the hanging coconut swinging around.

Not many common backyard birds would try any kind of fruit, let alone coconut; give it time then as you may be surprised with a few well know bird species, willing to try.

Freshly opened coconut only

To offer up coconut to US backyard birds it must be fresh coconuts only, in which it must still be in the shell, or just been removed.

Fresh coconut can guarantee its safe enough for more common backyard birds, as there's risks to serve it up other ways.

Crack up the coconut as you would normally for people to eat, then serve it as is.

That is only once you've removed all milk content while making sure to remove any possible remnants of shell.

You can go one better by cracking open the coconuts into multiple pieces, while serving up a little bit at a time to avoid waste.

Its vital to remove the coconut of its natural residues - so basically the milk - as birds cannot digest it, in which can lead to making them poorly - but its more likely to kill them in due course.

Clear of coconut milk

Once you've opened up a fresh coconut in the kitchen or outdoors via your normal method for opening a hard shell, you must remove the milk right away.

To do this you can thoroughly rinse out the shell with running cold water under the tap.

Continue to clean out with as much cold water as possible to be sure the coconut milk has been completely removed, from the shell and the coconut meat.

It can't be said enough, and as warned by the RSPB; a birds gut is not developed to digest milk of any kind - so coconut milk can be a killer.

A bird's gut is not designed to digest milk and it can give them serious stomach upsets or even kill them - RSPB

I understand that applies to native British garden birds but same can apply to most worldwide backyard bird species.

To make a better job of removing all milk from the coconut shell, you can place a rinsed out coconut piece into a bowl of hot water to see if it bleeds out any remaining milk.

But to rinse out the coconut still in its shell should be all you need.

Drink the milk yourself if you want too but absolutely be sure its never served up to backyard birds, nor pets while for that matter.

No desiccated coconut

To clean out the coconut of its natural milk contents from a freshly bought coconut would be a good start.

And as you've ask can birds eat coconut, you may indeed be wondering if you can offer them a little bit of the desiccated coconut you have available for cooking.

But as with not being able to digest milk, birds cannot eat desiccated coconut.

Well the meat of the coconut is safe to consume, desiccated coconut is basically dried out, so its risks swelling up in their bellies. In fact desiccated coconut would eventually - not might - swell up in their stomachs so would lead to death.

I do recommend to never give wild birds in your yard desiccated coconut at all, but it can be a possibility.

That is to soak the desiccated coconut in hot water to pump juice back into it, only then can a small amount be offered to birds in the yard.

Hang coconut to prevent mold

How you offer coconut to backyard birds would be to only serve it up still in the shell, stuck to the inner shell as it always is.

You'd need to of course break open the coconut into a decent half shell, much like the coconut halves you can buy for wild birds - only this one is a fresh coconut and not one substituted with all kinds of suet.

To possibly feed the coconut to few yard birds such as Robins, Chickadees or Finches, the coconut will need to be hung up at all times.

I therefore recommend drilling two holes opposite sides through the hard shell, as to tie a knot through for hanging off a branch or bracket on the bird feeding station.

One hole tie is possible but unless you have two or three knot locations, the coconut is only going to continue to swing - making it hard to perch on, let alone feed off.

Coconut still in the shell, or broken into multiple pieces can be served on a surface or on the mounted, posted or hanging platform feeder - but there is a risk with bacteria.

Limited lifespan in backyard

Risks of feeding coconut to birds in yards can lead to bacteria building up very soon in warmer conditions, and that is possible as supermarkets offer coconut all year long.

To rest the coconut with any spilt residue pouring over a wooden feeding platforms such as table on a post, can lead to staining or rot.

Its recommended you only hang coconut in its shell to prevent this happening.

Less so rot but more so mildew can occur on surfaces, so to hang the coconut on a branch or bracket - over the lawn or patio - would be the best thing to do.

Offering coconut in more chilly weather for curious birds to try would only be for a short period - but far less so if its hot outdoors.

Its important then to only offer coconut in its shell for a day only.

To avoid waste, break up the coconut into many pieces with coconut still attached to inside of the shell - while serving it up one or two pieces at a time.

It may be a good idea then to lay the coconut on a dish as to avoid damaging the wooden surface.

Conclusion

Birds that land in our yards do eat coconut but be warned, its a big ask. Few common backyard birds would try, but those who do won't eat much coconut.

Only serve a freshly opened coconut to your yard birds as the safest cause of action.

First though be sure to remove every trace of the natural coconut milk, as wild birds can't digest it - not through choice but their gut is not capable of doing so.

That can only lead to making them ill, but in all seriousness it would probably kill them.

No desiccated coconut either, as the dried coconut would only swell up in their bellies, thus leading to death. You can offer desiccated coconut but only if its first soaked in hot water, to reintroduce moisture.

Hang up the coconut still in its shell as the most convenient way birds can feed off it, but it also helps prevent mould developing on the surface, as it would be laid out on one.

Lifespan of a coconut left out in the yard is short so only give it a day. You can offer a few broken coconut pieces at a time as to avoid waste.

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