Pine Cones

Pine cones make excellent toys for birds. When collecting pine cones, ensure that they are not old, damp, moldy or are growing moss. Ideally one should collect pine cones as soon as possible after they have fallen to the ground and before they have become wet from rain. This is not always possible. Pine cones are also a favorite hiding spot for little beasts such as spiders and earwigs.

It is not possible to "sterilize" pine cones but heating in an oven will kill molds and little critters and make them safe for the birds to chew on. I heat pine cones in an oven for about 20 minutes at 225 degrees F, then turn off the oven. The pine cones are left in the oven for approx. 2 hours to dry out. It is important not to exceed 225 degrees F. otherwise the pine cones will scorch and possibly catch on fire.

The seeds inside the cones are a special treat and are safe for the birds to eat.

I agree with you 100%, pine cones are my girls most favourite foraging toy!

I wish there were more pine cones in my area. All we get are the treated ones at craft stores. Hmmm....I may need to make a trip to the mountains.

Mine love pinecones! It is important to remember to put foil down on the pan because when the pinecones bake they emit their sticky gum and it will not come off your pan.

Rosie was so afraid of pine cones I did not continue with them.
Who knows what they looked like to her. A big monster or something.

You could get some of that stuff that you spray on. Sorry i dont know what its called. But it leaves a clear coating on plants. Sometimes they use it when you go to a flower shop to get a bouquet .
By the way, that is a cool idea. Your home will really smell like christmas! I live in southeast Texas, and we are wall to wall pine trees.!


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Glad to have found this info on pine cones. We are surrounded by pine trees here of all shapes and sizes. I normally boil all of my wood to sterilize it and then dehydrate so that it won't get burned, but can imagine that boiling would cause all the yummy bits on the inside to get washed out.

We have tons here We Boil for 15 minutes, let them dry and then birdies have fun. Make toys with them or you can put peanut butter and seed for a foraging treat.

sounds great im glad this topic was reintroduced because this is such a cheap toy and birds looove them. i need to start collecting more again.

When Bella came to me she spent most of her time fooling with her feathers. Then I introduced her to pinecones. She can go through 10 a day. She gives them all a haircut. Pinecones have definitely enriched her life.

I live next to a state park with some pines that drop large cones. I gather them at least once a week.

All of my birds will chew cones, some more often than others. I just toss them on the cage tops daily, and clear off the ones they have trimmed.