Squirrel-Proof a Pole Feeder Using a Stove Pipe
A very common squirrel baffle is one in the shape of a cylinder. It it used for bird feeders that mount on a pole. The squirrel can climb the pole, but when he reaches the squirrel baffle, he can’t get around it. Often the squirrel baffles are hollow so that all he can do is climb up inside it.
They are very inexpensive, but you can also make your own.
1. Put a post into the ground. Since squirrels can jump sideways 10-12 feet, make sure it is 12 feet away from the nearest deck railing, tree trunk, hammock stand, etc.
2. Go to your local home improvement store and buy a length of stove pipe with a cap. The pipe should be at least 8″ in diameter and at least 3 feet long.
3. Cut a hole in the cap that is slightly larger than your pole.
4. Screw the cap to the stove pipe with sheetmetal screws (self-tapping).
5. Hammer two nails into the side of your post on opposite sides at the height you want the top of the baffle to be. To keep squirrels from leaping to the top of your baffle, the nails should be at least 5 feet off the ground. Leave half of the nails protruding.
6. Put the pipe/cap over the post. The cap will rest on the protruding nails.
That’s it. You have a homemade cylindrical squirrel baffle.
Here’s a forum in which a member made one of these to keep racoons out of his bird feeders. (Since racoons can’t jump at all, the baffle top doesn’t need to be as high, but you may as well make it the right height to keep squirrels off as well.)
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Tips on Squirrel-Proofing with Pole Squirrel Baffles
I’ve had great success in squirrel-proofing my bird feeders by using pole squirrel baffles. A baffle is simply a block that the squirrel cannot get around.The most important thing in being successful with a squirrel baffle is to watch how the squirrels get onto your feeders. If the squirrel climbs down the wire of a hanging feeder, you need a dome baffle. If, on the other hand, the squirrel climbs up the pole holding a platform feeder, you need a lampshade or cylinder baffle. If you don’t know, you’ll end up getting the wrong baffle, and you’ll be disappointed at the results.
For squirrels that climb your pole, use a pole squirrel baffle like one of the following.
Lampshade Squirrel Baffle
We have platform bird feeders on poles, and we’ve used the lampshade squirrel baffle with great results. We’ve watched the squirrels start to climb up the poles, get to the lampshade baffle, and be, well, baffled! They try climb around it, but can’t. It works great! And you can get one fairly cheaply. Duncraft makes an fairly inexpensive lampshade squirrel baffle.
Cylindar Squirrel Baffle
We’ve also used a cylinder baffle with great results. The squirrel cannot climb around it. We did have one squirrel that was able to bypass it once, though. We knew because the lid of our feeder was off, but the squirrel was not able to recreate it. And we have a yard full of squirrels!With the cylinder squirrel baffle, however, you have to remove to feeder to install it. But since it has a smaller radius than the lampshade squirrel baffle, it is less prone to, ah, droppings (which wash off in the rain, so no big deal either way). Both Duncraft and The Bird Shed make a version of the cylinder squirrel baffle.
Opus Topflight Copper Triple Tube Feeder
Opus makes a triple-tube bird feeder that should be squilrrel-proof, and if not, extremely squilrrel-resistant.It has three seed tubes with a total of 10-pound capacity of seed. This is a larger capacity than a lot of other bird feeders. You can fill each of its three tubes with a different seed mixture so that it appeals to a wide variety of birds in one feeder. It even comes with a built-in funnel for filling the tubes.
Each of its three tubes has two feeding ports reinforced with copper. This makes the feeding ports impervious to squilrrels who chew.
It seems that each of the other features of this feeder have both pros and cons.
The Dome This feeder has a dome top that serves as a built-in squirrel baffle.
PRO: The dome is wide enough to foil squirrels.
CON: The baffle is copper-colored PLASTIC, not copper. Some people don’t care, but others have been fooled by the picture and purchased it, expecting a copper top. And since it is plastic, it is possible for the squirrel to chew it.
The Seed Trays At the bottom of each tube is a snap-in seed tray to catch seeds.
PRO: The trays are exceptionally large, which allows them to catch a fairly good amount of seeds, resulting in less waste.
CON: The size of the trays are big enough for morning doves to sit and snooze in.
CON: One person reported that the clips holding the trays on are not sturdy enough, and she broke them accidentally.
I will say that one of its best features is that it comes with a lifetime warranty, and apparently Opus really stands by their products.
Keep in mind that all tube feeders tend to have an issue with rain; the seeds at the bottom of the tubes get soggy and clumpy.
This feeder works best for squirrels that reach your bird feeders from the top; in other words, climb down the wire holding it. Since the average gray squirrel can jump 10 feet sideways and 4 feet straight up, make sure you hang it at least 10 feet away from the nearest tree trunk and at least 4 feet off the ground, or else your squirrel will jump onto it below the baffle or will jump up onto it and eat out of the seed trays.
Here’s where you can find it online:
The Bird Shed
Super Stop A Squirrel
One look at this bird feeder and you’ll know it’s no ordinary squirrel-proof bird feeder. This behemoth is called the Super Stop-A-Squirrel.
Actually, it is very similar to the Absolute squirrel-proof bird feeder.
Both feeders are made of heavy-duty powder-coated steel for durability. Both have a trapdoor action that closes off access to the bird seed based on the squirrel’s weight. Both are weight adjustable so that you can also set them to keep large birds from getting to the bird seed.
What sets the Super Stop-A-Squirrel apart is its sheer size. It holds a whopping 11 pounds of bird seed. (In all fairness, the Absolute holds 10 pounds).
One of the nice features of the Super Stop-A-Squirrel is that it has a big panel of plexiglass, so it’s really easy to see when you’re running low on bird seed.
The Absolute does have one small feature that this one doesn’t; perches on two sides. Also, the Absolute can be hung or pole mounted. The Super Stop-A-Squirrel can only be mounted on a post or tree.
Here’s where you can get it online: Yardiac
Squirrel Stopper System
This may be my favorite squirrel-proofing product. It’s called the Squirrel Stopper System.
Quite simply, it is just a pole with a baffle.
However, both of these elements are done extremely well.
The pole is very heavy-duty. It goes into the ground with an auger-style motion; you screw it in for extra stability. And the pole itself has two axles so you can hang four bird feeders total
The baffle looks like a very long cylindrical baffle, but it has an added twist. It actually moves. It has a patent-pending design that causes it to jiggle from side to side and up/down for added squirrel-proofness. (This is probably a bit of overkill. I think any cylinder baffle, especially one that long, is unclimbable without the movement.)
The main reason I like this product is that you can hang any type of feeder on it; not just squirrel-proof feeders. So if you already have quite a few hanging feeders, this is one way to get them out there without feeding more squirrels.
And the pole comes with a decorative bird on the top!
Here’s where you can get it online:
Duncraft
Squirrel Free Birding
Roller Feeder Squirrel-Proof Bird Feeder Review
The Roller Feeder is a very ingenious design for a squirrel-proof bird feeder. The outer shell spins under the weight of
the squirrel while the inner chamber stays stationery so that no seeds are spilled. The squirrel is dumped the ground every time.
And since there are no batteries to recharge and replace, this makes the roller feeder an excellent choice. It works very effectively with very little maintenance.
It has another advantage over some of the other squirrel-proof bird feeders such as the Droll Yankee Flipper: the weight calibration can be adjusted. This means that you can set it to keep out the heavier birds such as starlings.
As with the Droll Yankee Flipper, a mechanical action of any kind involves moving parts, which means a freezing rain may prevent the Roller Feeder from rolling.
However, for the most part, this feeder works exceptionally well.
If you do purchase the Roller Feeder, hang it where the squirrel cannot be injured when he falls. Over level ground should be fine.
Here are some online places to find it:
The Bird Shed
Yardiac
Duncraft
Squirrel Circus
Update:The man who created this ingenious apparatus, Jeff Miller, has stopped making these. If you’re fortunate enough to have one already, happy watching! If not… His business is for sale. Email him at jdmiller49 @ yahoo.com if you are interested.
This squirrel feeder is not just a squirrel feeder; it’s also a circus! The Squirrel Circus was first invented by a man in 2003 as a Christmas gift to his family. They had a lot of squirrels in their yard, and he realized that every backyard is filled with circus performers: they just need a stage and an audience.
He created the first squirrel circus out of a ping pong table that he found mysteriously destroyed in his basement. It was an instant hit, and now he manufactuers them and sells them online.
The Nuthouse—a small cage that you fill with peanuts.
The Tightrope—watch the squirrels walk across it to get the corn cob.
The Springboard—a corn cob dangler which uses a bungee cord.
The Balance Beam—watch the squirrel navigate across it.
The Trapeze—also utilizes a corn cob to entice a performance.
The Squirrel Circus is made out of kiln-dried cedar which is one of the more weather-resistant woods. It comes with free shipping and a money back guarantee if not satisfied.
And as with the other squirrel feeders mentioned on other pages, it serves as a diversion feeder, luring the squirrels away from your bird feeders.
Using Soda Bottles to Squirrel-Proof Your Hanging Feeder
There are creative ways to keep squirrels out of your bird feeders without purchasing a squirrel-proof bird feeder or squirrel baffle.Since the average gray squirrel can jump 3 to 4 feet straight up and can leap horizontally a whopping 10 to 12 feet, the first thing you need to do is find a place to suspend the feeder that is at least 5 feet off the ground and 12 feet away from the nearest tree trunk, deck railing, hammock stand, etc. If you have a large yard, a wire or fishing line strung between two tree trunks might do the trick.
Even though this may put your bird feeder out of launching range, a squirrel can still walk along the wire and climb down. That’s where the soda bottles come in. Poke a hole in the bottoms and thread the line through them, two bottles on each side of the feeder. When the squirrel tries to walk across them, they rotate, dumping him to the ground.
A friend of mine has had great success with this method:
Absolute Squirrel-Proof Bird Feeder
The Absolute squirrel-proof bird feeder is one of the original squirrel-proof bird feeders, and is a great design. It is all metal which prevents the squirrel from chewing through it. Its trapdoor design is weight-sensitive, so when the squilrrel puts his weight on the perch, the “door” shuts off access to the seed.
The weight sensitivity is adjustable, so you can set it to shut off seed for heavier birds such as crows and grackles, of you wish. And it is very rugged and solid. The lid comes off for easy filling. And it is all metal, so should last for years.
Here is an interesting piece of trivia: my birding friend (the same one who used soda bottles as a squirrel block) had a homemade version of this feeder. Her dad had made it for her more than 40 years ago. Too bad he didn’t market it!
Here’s where you can get it online:
Duncraft
The Bird Shed
Yardiac
Droll Yankee Flipper
The Droll Yankee Flipper is one of the best-known squirrel-proof bird feeders.
When a squirrel puts its weight on the perch, it activates a motor which rotates the perch, thereby flipping the squirrel off; hence the name Yankee Flipper.
The mechanism runs on a rechargeable NiCad battery and both the battery and charger are included.
Droll Yankee makes a couple of different feeders, and the Flipper is just one of them.
Some things to consider:
All batteries tend to perform poorly in cold weather, so the Droll Yankee Flipper may not perform as expected year-round.
The batteries also mean that the feeder won’t function while you are charging them for a few hours.
Any feeder that relies on movement is subject to the elements. For example, a freezing rain may prevent the Flipper from flipping.
> Tube feeders, such as the Droll Yankee Flipper, are not totally waterproof. The seeds at the bottom tend to get soggy during a rain.
The perch is calibrated specifically for a gray squirrel and cannot be adjusted. So it won’t work for a red squirrel or chipmunk.
With that said, here are some advantages of the Droll Yankee Flipper:
It is one of the most entertaining of the motorized squirrel-proof feeders. How often will the squirrel be thrown before giving up? (Your cat will enjoying watching it, too.)
The motorized action insures that the squirrel never lingers on the feeder long enough to try to chew through it.
It is very effective in keeping the squirrels off.
If you do purchase the Droll Yankee Flipper, hang it where the squirrel cannot be injured when he falls. Over level ground should be fine.
Here are some online places to find it:
The Bird Shed
Yardiac
