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Peanut feeder: can birds get through the shell?

14 years ago

Hi, I have had a peanut feeder sitting in my garage for years (I took it down as it got too expensive to feed peanuts!) Recently, I saw that someone had a feeder like mine, but instead of using shelled peanuts, just put in cheap old peanuts in the shell. Can the birds really break the shells to get the nuts out since the holes are too small to pull the peanuts through? I would love to be able to attract bluejays on a regular basis, none of my other feeders are large enough to accomodate the bigger birds.

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Comments (6)

Elly_NJ
14 years ago
BJs love working on those shells. They hold them in their feet and hammer.
stl57
14 years ago
I have a peanut wreath feeder so the bluejays easily pull the shells out but smaller birds like the Downy woodpeckers and Titmice will work the feeder as well. As long as the shells are packed in somewhat tight, they have no problems pecking the shells open and getting the peanuts out, leaving the empty shells in the wreath.
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Part of your success will be the type of seed you're putting out. Here in Florida I use a general wild bird mix that contains millet, sorghum, sunflower seeds, and cracked corn. In tube feeders that are specifically for Painted Buntings this time of year I use straight millet. In a tray feeder to keep the squirrels and Blue Jays happy I put out peanuts in the shell. Once birds find your feeder they'll return regularly.
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I use a peanut wreath style feeder. I bought it with the hope of slowing down the BJs. They haven't tried too hard to figure it out, yet. The woodpeckers are the only ones that use it, which is fine with me. I put out whole corn kernels that the jays take. I also put out a hand full of whole peanuts every couple of days, which they take and cache as fast as they can. Basically the Jays are on a schedule, they come by every morning and check for peanuts. If there are no peanuts, they have a couple kernels of corn and move on. But I hear them every morning at about 7:45 looking around. If I cut off the easy food they may spend more time to figure out the wreath. Although, most of the time the woodpeckers, break them open in the wreath, rather than pull a whole peanut out. I'll probably move the wreath to a quiet location away from the other feeders so the woodpeckers can enjoy it more.All my feeders have squirrel baffles, so they dont bother them. I also feed our one squirrel and trying to get him on a schedule. The squirrel lives in a box I provided and defends the area from other squirrels. Here is a link that might be useful: peanut wreath
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Comments (11)
Oh I would just eat them like that. I don't like salted peanuts anyway. If you must have the salt, you can always toast them in a small frying pan with a bit of salt to satisfy your taste. I also second the idea of making peanut butter. My all natural peanut butter has no salt in it. But of course, I don't like salty peanuts therefore I enjoy salt-less peanut butter. If the peanut butter turned out to be too "plain" you can always add some salt in the process. Way better than the stuff you buy in a store. :-) I also use small amount of peanuts in stir fries or any recipes that call for cashew or other nuts. Put a handful in your fried rice, they definitely give you a better crunch. Got to love peanuts! YUM! Al
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brendainnj
Original Author
14 years ago
OK, thanks but I'm having a hard time getting them to come to the feeder with shelled peanuts inside! I'm not sure why the birds don't like it, but they mostly bypass the peanut feeder to get to the "clingers only" feeder next to it filled with BOSS. I get nuthatches, woodpeckers, chickadees, and titmice but no one has really taken to it yet. Even the jays only came once & they ate the peanuts that had fallen on the ground, ignoring the feeder.
BennyBoyBird
14 years ago
Not sure where you live but in north Texas, the bluejays go crazy for whole peanuts in the shell. Check out this video.

Here is a link that might be useful: Feeding Birds with Peanuts
joan754
14 years ago
Do you think it makes a difference whether the peanuts are in a hanging basket or just on a tray? I have peanuts on a flat tray sitting on top of my compost bin but haven't been able to attract any blue jays. Does anyone know if it makes a difference?
BennyBoyBird
14 years ago
Joan, bluejays can't resist peanuts so maybe they just can't see them. Maybe try putting the existing peanuts you have in a few different places around your yard in small piles. Once they start coming, they'll come every day. Hope that helps.

Here is a link that might be useful: Feeding Birds with Peanuts

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