Pine Cones

[bleeding green]

I collected some pine cones today as I read on here that the birds enjoy eating the seeds. Apparently there are a couple of ways to open them up to get the seeds out. I have a couple of questions which I'll just post in point form:

* Are any pine cones suitable? I don't know the name/species of the tree from which I collected them.
* Do they need to be steralised?
* I put two of them in the oven on 100 degrees for about 20 / 30minutes so they would open up for my finches. They didn't appear to open up, just started going dark. Does this sound right.
* Can I give them to parrots unopened?

Here are some photos of the two that were in the oven:

[finchbreeder]

I would give them to the parrots straight off the tree, but they look a bit big for finches.
LML

[jusdeb]

They are open already , I get them like this and stick pine nuts in the crevices for the parrots to play with . They will happily chew the cone after the nuts are gone .
My Corella can reduce one to threads in a week that's after she does some very unspeakable things to it and the others love to have a chew or just chuck them of the shelves and push them around .
I did see on an american site that peanut butter can be put in the crevices , never tried it .

They look good in the aviary too. Here I have some on the floor and up higher on the shelves.

[VR1Ton]

Not sure about the Pine Cones, but I dry Casurina Cones to get the seed out, but is painstakingly slow & a fair bit of effort for little return. Unless your lucky enough to have Beautifuls or Red-Ears, I would only use them as a treat. Red-Brows, & most firetails love them.

[bleeding green]

Deb, by saying they are already open I assume you are looking at each 'leaf' and how they are open like a flower? I remember seeing a photo of a cone that was dried out and you could see the small seeds that had fallen out from it, and that is what I was expecting to acheive by sticking them in the oven.

VR1ton, I just called them pine cones as a generic name. Are they pine cones (from the photo)? And what does a casarina oak look like?

[matcho]

From my experience/observations those pine cones ares spent; ie- they have shed their seeds. We had a big pine tree park down at Ramsgate when I was young and the Sulphur Crests/Galahs/Correllas and Black Cockies used to decimate them on the tree. When the cones fell then they would get into them on the ground and also forage for the seeds on the ground under the trees. I think they only fall when they have shed their seeds. You will know when the cockies have been at them because they look like they have been hit with a grenade and just been blown apart and all that is left is the core with some straggly bits hanging off. Have some big hoop pines at Callan Park with huge cones and the black cockies love them. I think they are too big for finches and have never even thought of using them for the littlies, but the bigger hookbills love them.

Matcho

[gomer]

Finches are said to eat casuarina tree nuts.We have about six trees in our backyard I dont know if the redbroweds eat them here or not but the black cockies do for sure. Apparently some of the fire tails eat them.I suppose they would eat them once they fall off and open up.

http://www.google.com.au/search?um=1&hl ... -1.1.6-8.1" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

http://www.finchsociety.org/cfa/nuts/nuts.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Tiaris]

The wild redbrows around home here love casuarina seeds. I've fed them to mixed finch aviaries before & most finches will have some. Parrotfinches (Reds) absolutely demolish them - not surprising though, pigs that they are.
You just pick the unopened pods & put them in a bucket or ice-cream container in a warm sunny spot for a few days & they open up & release the small seeds. Just need to shake the bucket/container & the seeds are all at the bottom.
Great finch tucker.

[BENSONSAN]

Yea im same as tiaris my redvorws love erm but sorry im no help with those big pine cones. I rekon your conures would smash erm tho

[bleeding green]

OK Cheers.
I gave one of them to the cockatoo, I'll see what she does with it. She's lazy though, if she drops it on the floor she won't go and pick it up.

I'll give one to the conures as well.

I guess I'll have to try and find a casaurina for the finches. I'll like to give them as much variety as possible with out being a burden to myself.