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homemade coconut shell feeder (1 Viewer)

sirwindsor5d

New member
Not sure if this is the right forum for this. The kids and I want to make a bird feeder using a coconut shell. We saw a picture of one awhile back, but (now that I have finally bought a coconut) now I am not sure how to do it. Anyone have some ideas? Also, do you have to remove the coconut from the shell?

The picture we saw was a coconut that had not been cut in half, but a good size hole taken out of the side.
Thanks,
Sharon D.
 
Ive seen them used as a suet feeder sharon but you need to remove the coconut (works well in Curry!) and dry it out first. Drill a hole in the top and thread some string thorugh trying a knot to keep it in place and hang it from a tree. I dont make homemade suet but thats what you could try putting in the shell, Im sure somebody on here has a recipe. I buy it but I think you'll need to make it and pour it into the shell whilst still warm and then place it in the fridge to set. Good luck

In fact I just found a recipe, follow the link

http://www.birdforum.net/showthread.php?t=44804
 
I use half coconut shells (3 or 4 at a time in the busy period) that I fill with a suet mixture and they work a treat! The fairly rubbish photos are some of the results... The greenfinch is sitting on a bit of bamboo cane which I lashed on the bottom with some string. That helped loads, cos now the greens, chaffinches and even a robin have been seen sitting on them.

So a recipe for you: add/adjust/experiment to your hearts content!

I use a solid block of vegetable fat (Pura) because that was on the ingredients in the shop bought fat mixtures, but you can use beef suet (which I just bought but haven't used yet) or dripping, or lard, but that goes a bit sticky.

Add a mixture of any of these:
sunflower hearts/seeds
chopped peanuts
mixed seed
raisins
nyjer seed
dried insects
and anything else you can think of to add a bit of flavour!

Have fun experimenting and seeing which mixture goes down the best, it depends what birds you have in the garden. Of course, most aren't too fussy!!

Also, remove the cocnut first (I think the birds can eat it though (but NOT dessicated coconut) but definitely don't put the mixture over it, incase it goes off) and you'll need to drill a small hole in the top of the shell to put bit string through.
 

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turkish van said:
I use half coconut shells (3 or 4 at a time in the busy period) that I fill with a suet mixture and they work a treat! The fairly rubbish photos are some of the results... The greenfinch is sitting on a bit of bamboo cane which I lashed on the bottom with some string. That helped loads, cos now the greens, chaffinches and even a robin have been seen sitting on them.

So a recipe for you: add/adjust/experiment to your hearts content!

I use a solid block of vegetable fat (Pura) because that was on the ingredients in the shop bought fat mixtures, but you can use beef suet (which I just bought but haven't used yet) or dripping, or lard, but that goes a bit sticky.

Add a mixture of any of these:
sunflower hearts/seeds
chopped peanuts
mixed seed
raisins
nyjer seed
dried insects
and anything else you can think of to add a bit of flavour!

Have fun experimenting and seeing which mixture goes down the best, it depends what birds you have in the garden. Of course, most aren't too fussy!!

Also, remove the cocnut first (I think the birds can eat it though (but NOT dessicated coconut) but definitely don't put the mixture over it, incase it goes off) and you'll need to drill a small hole in the top of the shell to put bit string through.

Animal fat is supposed to be better for the birds than vegetable fat ;)

Apple, sultanas, currents and rasins in a fat cake works a treat for me, but I've found the birds don't appreciate fat cakes made from black sunflower seeds (yet the same birds were happy to plunder the feeder filled with black sunflower seed!). Just try as many different recipes as you can come up with and see what the birds like!
 
Silvershark said:
Animal fat is supposed to be better for the birds than vegetable fat ;)

Apple, sultanas, currents and rasins in a fat cake works a treat for me, but I've found the birds don't appreciate fat cakes made from black sunflower seeds (yet the same birds were happy to plunder the feeder filled with black sunflower seed!). Just try as many different recipes as you can come up with and see what the birds like!


Yeh I've heard that, and in some places they recommend veg fat, but I thought well since it's used by the bird people it must be ok...but I suppose you can't trust them really.

Is vegetable fat actually bad for them though?
 
turkish van said:
Yeh I've heard that, and in some places they recommend veg fat, but I thought well since it's used by the bird people it must be ok...but I suppose you can't trust them really.

Is vegetable fat actually bad for them though?

I've read that animal fat is better I've also read vegetable fat is better...
I suspect any form of saturated fat will be okay, but do avoid vegetable oils or margarine as soft fats could damage feathers.
 
Richard D said:
I've read that animal fat is better I've also read vegetable fat is better...
I suspect any form of saturated fat will be okay, but do avoid vegetable oils or margarine as soft fats could damage feathers.


When you say vegetable oil, do you mean the liquid or solid? Or both?

I admit I use a solid block of vegetable "oil", as it's called, but it's not soft, and sets fairly hard.

If I am doing bad things please tell me!! :brains:
 
I had a browse on the web and the advice on vegetable fats is mixed - some say nutritionally better, some say worse... The RSPB only advise against oil and margarine in terms of feather fouling
 
Thanks!

sirwindsor5d said:
Not sure if this is the right forum for this. The kids and I want to make a bird feeder using a coconut shell. We saw a picture of one awhile back, but (now that I have finally bought a coconut) now I am not sure how to do it. Anyone have some ideas? Also, do you have to remove the coconut from the shell?

The picture we saw was a coconut that had not been cut in half, but a good size hole taken out of the side.
Thanks,
Sharon D.

I think we will just do the half thing and remove the coconut. Thanks for the ideas. Not sure if I feel adventurous (sp?) enough to make the suet mixture just yet, but it would probably be a good school project for the kids and I.

I just went and put out some water and a little black sunflower seed. Came back in and saw a bird at the (store bought) suet feeder. I don't know what kind it was but this is what it looked like. Not too big, maybe the size of a small Robin, black with kinda white stripes and a good size white spot on the back. Straight beak, and a bit of red on it's head. It was so much fun to see the bird at the feeder. I have seen this type of bird going up and down the trees around our house. Anyway, just had to share. I know we have a long way to go in this birding stuff!
Thanks again for your info.
Sharon D.
 
Animal fat is better for the birds because it is made of saturated fat and is easier to burn up to use as energy, vegetable fats are mostly polyunsaturates and these take longer for the birds to convert to energy, so don't provide the birds with the quick energy fix they need to keep them going.
 
Silvershark said:
Animal fat is better for the birds because it is made of saturated fat and is easier to burn up to use as energy, vegetable fats are mostly polyunsaturates and these take longer for the birds to convert to energy, so don't provide the birds with the quick energy fix they need to keep them going.

Hi Kat - this is interesting alternative view: http://www.natureskeepers.com/suet_vs_veg_fat.html

The evidence seems mixed...

Richard
 
For a 'suet' mix I melt cheap lard in a pan to which I add sunflower hearts, nyjer, crushed peanuts, sultanas, raisins, home-grown freeze-drie mealworms and a handful of any berries in the garden. I also mix in good quantities of flour which helps stiffen the mix. Once poured and coolish I pop the moulds (coconut shells, yoghurt pots etc) into the fridge and then into the freezer until needed. The large blocks that go into the suet cage only last a couple of days or so when the Starlings are around.
 
sirwindsor5d said:
... I don't know what kind it was but this is what it looked like. Not too big, maybe the size of a small Robin, black with kinda white stripes and a good size white spot on the back. Straight beak, and a bit of red on it's head. It was so much fun to see the bird at the feeder. I have seen this type of bird going up and down the trees around our house. Anyway, just had to share. I know we have a long way to go in this birding stuff!
Thanks again for your info.
Sharon D.
Sounds like either a Downy or a Hairy Woodpecker. If it was almost robin-sized, most likely Hairy. Male with red on the head. Very cool to have one in your yard! :t:
 
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