Even if they’re not the typical nut for backyard birds, you can still expect to see birds happily devouring them.
The only kind of Macadamia nuts that are safe for birds to consume are unsalted ones that haven’t been treated in any way. You’d have to break them up to make them more manageable for smaller birds, but only after de-shelling them first. It would be a waste if more fell to the ground uncrushed.
It’s exciting to watch the backyard birds embrace a novel food source, but they’ll readily accept practically any kind of nut.
If the more typical nut eaters ignored this fiber-rich Macadamia nut, it may cause major problems in your yard.
It’s a huge nut, so to prevent the birds from throwing away the majority of it while they forage, you’ll need to break it down into more manageable pieces.
The birds in your garden may not be interested in eating macadamias since you haven’t removed the shell first.
Always use unsalted Macadamias only; ornamental, chocolate, or spice coated Macadamias can be fatal to birds.
Birds CAN eat Macadamia nuts
There is no reason not to give Macadamia nuts to birds if you happen to come into possession of a little quantity on occasion.
Macadamia nuts are loaded with the vitamins, protein, and fiber that a busy wild bird needs to keep flying.
Use only unsalted macadamia nuts, preferably ones without added flavors; never give birds nuts covered in chocolate.
Only unsalted, low-flavor, wholefood or organic Macadamia nuts are available to you.
Unsalted Macadamia nuts only
Like with peanuts, which are the birds’ preferred food, it’s easy to go overboard when feeding backyard birds any kind of nut.
Therefore, you should never provide salted Macadamia nuts to wild birds because the salt might make them sick and even cause death.
Fortunately, unsalted Macadamia nuts are widely available and may be purchased in their natural form at any grocery store or specialty food shop.
For those who are able to resist the temptation, the nuts are unsalted this time, which should make it easier to avoid eating them.
A macadamia nut’s shell is about the same size as a cashew’s, therefore the two should be treated similarly when feeding them.
High in fiber benefits
Because of their high fiber content, Macadamia nuts are a surefire bet as a wintertime energy snack.
Therefore, you should wait until the winter to feed any kind of nuts, but you can still do so in the summer if you take the proper safety measures.
Birds that migrate south during the summer can get through the hot nights by eating a diet high in vitamins.
Since birds tend to lose body fat in the winter, a protein-rich food source like Macadamia nuts can help recover their energy levels.
No harm comes from giving birds Macadamia nuts, which are high in fiber and other key nutrients, so long as you have them on hand.
Inaccessible unless shelled
As you may be aware, if you have any Macadamia nuts on hand, they were most likely purchased in their shells and will therefore require shelling.
It’s never a good idea to leave the shell on for wild birds when they eat Pistachios or Walnuts, unless it’s a soft shell food like peanuts.
If you want to feed the birds in your backyard Macadamia nuts, you’ll need to remove the shells first.
In order to avoid accidentally eating bits of shell with your Macadamia nut serving, you should remove the nuts from their shells one by one and take your time doing so.
Carefully discard all nut shells, then get ready to crush the nuts.
Large nut must be crushed
Small backyard birds would have to crush the macadamia nuts in their beaks to a shallower size before they could consume them.
Once they are broken down into smaller pieces, and most of the nuts have fallen to the ground, then it is okay for all of the usual backyard birds to eat them.
It’s up to you to reduce the size of these nuts into something more manageable, and you should only have to spend a few minutes doing so.
You see, from February through August is nesting season, and during this time, parents will bring nuts back to the nest to feed their young.
It’s common knowledge that chicks and their young might suffocate on nuts that are too big for them.
Offer up in dish or tray
Once the Macadamia nuts have been cracked and de-shelled, they should be placed in the garden in a spot where birds may easily get them without drawing the attention of other animals that might try to steal them.
The first step is to put any available Macadamia nuts into the hanging peanut feeder that is attached to the bird feeding station; even better would be to make a platform feeder more easily accessible.
The crushed Macadamia nuts are best offered in the open, thus a mesh tray or dish fastened to the bird feeding station, or a tray hung from a wall bracket, is ideal.
Because some nut-eating bird species naturally forage for their food on the ground, you may still attract them to your yard by scattering nuts on the ground for them to find.
You should probably leave the nuts in a more secure location, such as on a high shelf rather on the ground.
Small and large birds alike like snacking on macadamia nuts in our backyard, and they are enjoyed by many different species.
High in fiber and vitamins, Macadamia nuts are native to Hawaii in the Us while more widely available in Australia – but can still be gobbled up as much as wild birds consume peanuts on the feeder.
Never offer salted, chocolate coated or flavored Macadamia nuts to birds as certain ingredients – such as chocolate – is poisonous to them.
Only purchase natural, unsalted Macadamias from the health food store.
Birds have to bite macadamia nuts in half because they’re too big to swallow whole, but you can speed their progress by breaking the nuts for them.
Non of that is possible of course unless you first de-shell the Macadamia nuts.
Present these delicious, rich in fiber nuts out in the open in the yard, as used in a bird feeder can restrict certain species.