How to hang Apples for birds
Apples shouldn't be made too difficult to feed wild birds because few birds do eat them, with all the fuss for nothing, but it can be achieved in many fun ways.
How to hang Apples for wild birds can rely on a specialty apple bird feeder, with an whole apple secured on to a spike. Similarly, apple halves or wedges can be inserted in a clean fat ball feeder. Apple core can be removed to thread in rope to hang, or my favorite is slotting an apple in a hung by the handle mug.
Providing our common backyard birds a mix of fruits on occasions can be a lot of fun, if not just a bit of experimentation on your part.
Apples can be fed to wild birds even though few species will eat them. With that said there's certainly no harm in trying with the occasional apple if you especially attract American Robins to your yard, as they are seen to eat apples.
Birds will eat all kinds of fruits in the wild including berries like strawberries to raspberries, so as you can imagine an apple is different in taste and certainly in texture, and something common fruit-eating wild birds are likely too take to right away.
I wouldn't try to hard to get wild birds to eat my apples in the yard, thus I recommend you attempt any of my personal techniques for just a bit of fun.
If you find your local birds to be big apple eaters, then certainly an investment for the long run can rely on an actual apple bird feeder, or a fat ball bird feeder that is now used exclusively to hold apple halves or wedges.
While I go into greater detail to cut out the apple core to string each apple up, or multiple apples on a length of rope - my favorite method is with an unwanted mug or cup.
How to feed fruit to wild birds like an apple is by inserting fruit into a mug, for the mug to be strung up on a tree branch or bird feeding station pole, attached to the mug handle.
How to prepare an apple for wild birds to feed will depend on the techniques outlined, while baring in mind an uncut apple is likely to last far longer than a cut open apple.
Impale on apple bird feeder
What must be the go-to way of hanging apples for birds will see a lot of success with use of a simple apple bird feeder, to hang off a branch or bracket.
What is an apple bird feeder exactly? Well, its a made in wood bird feeder with a roof and a hole in the middle to accommodate a spike that slots across this hole horizontally, an whole apple is positioned at the center of this hole with the spike holding it in place.
Now what could happen is some wild birds who are capable at traditional bird feeders, will cling onto the apple itself as its stabilized in a way to allow birds to feed.
Whereas additional perching areas for more awkward birds can find a place to peck at the apple while perched on the apple bird feeder ledge.
While few wild birds will eat apples like this, such as Chickadees or American Robins as they are seen too... bear in mind an hung apple can be made difficult for Cardinals to Blue Jays to access, if they ever attempt to.
To slot an apple into an apple bird feeder, remove the spike to position a whole apple or halves into the center of the whole, then slot the spike all the way back through to enter the apple on one side and to come out the other, and then secure the spike in place.
Pre-impaling an apple or apple half prior to stabbing while it sits on the apple feeder may be a little easier than positioning on the feeder to do it all in one go.
Put apple wedges in fat ball feeder
On the same line as a specialty bird feeder made to hold an apple or a half - while also suitable to hold pears or larger fruits - you could rely on a basic fat ball bird feeder.
Why a fat ball bird feeder is because its made in a wide open plastic coated wire, thus your common backyard birds could cling around the sides to feed on the apple that are cut in halves or in wedges - thus wild birds will feed on an apple just as birds do when feeding on suet balls, dispensed in a suet ball feeder.
Admittedly, you'd still want to feed fat balls to birds especially in wintertime, thus an additional fat ball feeder replenished with a cut up apple can do no harm.
Cylinder shape metal fat bird bird feeder will do where you'd normally stack 4 to 5 fat balls on top of each other.
However, what will be more suitable to hold primarily apple wedges will be a spring style fat ball bird feeder, made to hold just the one or two fat balls.
Only this small 'spring' style fat ball feeder it will now accommodate apple halves or wedges, as an whole apple is unlikely to fit into a universal fat ball bird feeder.
Simply hang this apple-filled fat ball feeder alongside other bird feeders in the tree or on the bird feeder pole, where hopefully fruit-eating birds will take the occasional bite.
I would never normally advocate putting fruit in a bird feeder, but a clean - and preferably reserved for fruits only - unused fat ball bird feeder just might do the trick.
Tie rope in drilled through core
Little more complicated on your part, if a little messier, but nothing you can overcome as it can be a fun task to do with the kids.
What you need is an whole apple along with a nice thick rugged rope you can use in an outdoor environment.
What we're looking for now is to hang an whole apple on a length of rope, and that's it.
How to hang apples for birds on a length of rope will require you to core an apple. Not in the traditional sense to remove the core and or pips. In fact to leave some of the core can provide a stronger base to thread the rope through.
Well, after you manage to core the apple, with an handheld drill or even a power drill, the hard part is done.
Now you can thread a length of rope through this apple core to then tie a big old knot on the end. When the apple drops in a hanging position it will sit on top of this knot, as appose to the apple sliding off the rope, to the ground.
Similarly and what I would recommend, is instead looping a length of rope through this core so the drilled out hole is horizontal this time. You can then use this large loop with a knot to tie each end together, to then hang on a branch or bracket.
Birds can feed on the whole apple in a way they must land on it - great for Starlings or Chickadees - but maybe just beyond the reach of others.
Wedge apple in mug, then hang mug
On the theme of hanging apples for wild birds only, why not rely on some kind of device to hold the apple, as oppose to the apple freely hung off a rope.
Well, this time all you need is a mug you don't mind using exclusively for birds, as the mug will become a way to wedge a whole apple in.
Squeeze a whole apple into the mug to create a tight seal so the apple can't fall out, then the mug can be hung off a tree branch or pole instead of directly interfering with the apple core itself, whilst exposing the apple flesh that will quickly decay.
Apples do vary in size of course thus some apples may be compatible while others may be too big or small. In which case the too small apples can sink into the mug more with little difficulty for birds - while too large apples can be cut up a little.
Idea behind utilizing a mug to be used as a device to hold an apple - and other types of fruit if you like - is so we can use the mug or cup handle to hang.
How to hang a mug with a whole apple wedge in to it relies on you tying a rope or wire securely on to the handle; to then hook the other end of the rope to the object where you plan to hang the apple in your yard.
Apples can be slotted in the mug whole with an option to half them or cut an apple into wedges... all in an effort to make the apple fit in a coffee mug.
Rather than making a complicated make-shift fruit bird feeder, just take a mug to pop apples, pears or even raspberries in.
Horizontal twig, tied on both ends
Similarly to cutting the core out of an apple to thread a rope through to hang an apple freely on rope only, this technique utilizes a bit of nature.
Cut the core out of an whole apple in a way you know best, then proceed to slot an actual twig or branch all the way through the apple with 4 to 5 inches of twig/branch protruding out opposite sides.
We must now tie rope to one end of the twig with the some rope tied to the opposite end.
What you end up with is an apple with a one foot or so length of twig stabbed through it, with a length of rope tied on both ends that will make one big loop in the rope.
Now the rope is ready to hang off any object you intend to hang an apple on in your yard.
Few birds, even fruit-eating birds are unlikely to take to eating your particular apple - as berries like strawberries and raspberries are a favorite - but with a twig which can be used as a perch, it just may open up your hung apple to less able bird species.
Stab apple will be easier
Never restrict wild birds when the opportunity comes to feed on your hanging apples, as few do already thus it won't help to limit your apple to just one or two bird species.
Rather than finding out how to hang an apple for birds, have you thought about stabilizing an apple in nature. All it takes is to impale an apple on a visible yet accessible branch on a tree, or a twig protruding out of shrubs to present an apple to backyard birds.
Apples must be off the ground of course but they don't necessary have to hang.
Most wild birds who are likely to feed on an apple, must do probably on a swinging apple hung off a branch or pole, with great difficult.
If this same apple is impaled on a branch then these same wild birds can now land directly on top of the twig or branch, or they will perch on an adjacent branch to peck at the apple at a distance as the apple remains stabilized.
Some of the backyard bird who may eat a bit of apple could be Starlings to Finches with no difficulty.
Whereas whenever larger birds attempt to feed on an apple like Cardinals or Pileated Woodpeckers for example, then the apple that hangs just won't be accessible to them.
To summarize up
Many ways you can hang an apple for birds but its imperative to find the method that can open up an hung apple to as many bird species as possible.
Seriously, few wild birds will attempt to eat your apple but those that do, the apple must remain stable as possible so less able birds can cling on top of the apple to feed.
First, simply utilize an apple bird feeder where you can present an whole or an halved apple to birds that is stabilized on a spike. Similarly, apple wedges can be slotted into a 4-5 capacity, or a smaller 1-3 capacity fat ball bird feeder.
On the theme of cutting out the core of the apple, do so to thread a length of rope through with a knot on the end to secure the apple - with the opposite side of the rope used to tie up on a tree branch or on bird feeder pole.
Similarly, thread up to a 3 foot length of rope all the way through the cut out core, to make one big tied together loop of rope that can be hung with ease.
Better than that, with a cut out core with the apple still whole, thread a suitable foot or so long twig through the care to tie both ends of the rope on opposite sides of the twig.
Result is a length of rope tied on opposite sides of the twig with the whole apple in the center, so its ready to be hung.
My personal favorite technique of how to hang an apple for birds is with use of a mug.
Take an unwanted mug and tie rope around the handle in a way it can be hung. You'd then squeeze an whole apple into the empty coffee mug which will result in probably a protruding out apple, where birds can perch on to feed.
Hang a mug to be used as an feeder for an apple, with an option to use this mug to hold pears to even berries.
In the end you could just stab an whole apple on a visible twig or branch in your yard to keep it real for wild birds. Bear in mind you don't want to risk birds impaling themselves, thus its vital you avoid a twig or branch facing directly upwards.
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