Very creative. I use a hose clamp on my pole to hold the baffle. If you ever start with a new round pole, a nice reasonable baffle is made out of 6-8” pvc pipe. I traced the inside diameter onto a 1” thick piece of scrap oak. Then I had an old aluminum road sign. Cut a larger round piece out of the sign, screwed that to the wood circle with metal roof screws with built in washers, then put that down in the pipe and ran screws through the pipe into the wood. It’s been over a year and it stopped the squirrels and mainly the raccoons, they we’re climbing past a small squirrel baffle and raiding my feeder every night. So far so good, the challenge is finding this 2’ section of pipe, Home Depot quit carrying it. Need to find where they are installing water lines or some piping and ask for scraps they cut off. Thanks
I have also made birdfeeder poles out of swingset poles. I have three. For the baffles, one has a trashcan from dollar tree, one has a bucket from dollar tree, and one has a stove pipe. With the bucket and the trashcan I had to cut the lip off the cans so that the squirrels can’t hang onto it. The baffles are all hanging from 2 inch angle brackets that are screwed into the pole and then screwed into the baffle. They work wonderfully. I use a bulb drill to drill a hole in the ground for the pole, and then level the pole perpendicular to the ground with scrap pieces of wood etc. that I pound in. The feeders Are fastened to floor flanges. The top of the swingset poles are tapered and an inch and a half PVC coupling glued perfectly with construction adhesive. Then you can buy a slip fitting to glue into the coupling with the thread size for the pipe nipple and floor flange, typically a 3/4 inch nipple and pipe flange. In the space above the bucket baffle I also put my suet feeder; screwed into the pole.
This is so nice. I just put up 2 new bird feeders on a pole like yours. I had no clue the squirrels could go up so easily! Your tutorial is perfect! Thank you
Just to let everyone know, That duct at the "Orange Box" store is only 30ga, you can cut metal that thin with a pair of Trauma Scissors or even a kitchen scissors if you do not have tin snips (I am a retired Sheet Metal Worker)...
@@chang.stanley I was a sheet metal worker for 38 years, I was only pointing out that 30ga metal is very thin and scissors could be used (if needed) or even "Trauma Scissors" which would be better in a pinch. A lot of people will use snips to cut wire or hardware cloth which will destroy the edge of a pair of snips and that is what I think a lot of folks may have hidden in the back of an old tool box... Just offering an option for some
This totally works! Built one for our feeder - it's been months - no squirrels - cheap fix. Paid for itself quickly with less bird food used. A red squirrel tried 17 times in a row to go up the post - and failed - it was hysterical!
Pretty dang smart... it does look very nice too. I’ve not had any trouble with squirrels all summer, but some new babies came along and were eating what the birds dropped, and you’re right the squirrels were getting plenty. After a few days of enjoying watching the little squirts eat, I came out one morning and a bigger squirrel was on top of the feeder swinging back and forth, eating and knocking out a bunch of food. So, thanks for the info, I’ll be making a baffle tomorrow.
I just bought a double shepherds hook for a wonderful $12 price at our local store. I’m going to do something similar but I will probably buy the cap and cut it and then patch over the cut with some straight pieces of steel that I bolt the two sides back together with. Instead of the tie wrap, I will use 2 inch angle brackets. My shepherds pole is round and solid steel and I will tape them to the pole with electric tape then bolt them to the cap. I might also put a tie wrap or two on the electric tape holding the brackets. Bolting the brackets holds the stove pipe straight and in the center. Also, on one that I already built with a Half pipe, one squirrel was able to wrap around the 8 inch diameter stove pipe and still climb up to the feeder, so I shortened the stove pipe so it couldn’t jump onto it.
Your baffle looks store bought-great job! I have a store bought baffle like yours,but it is only about 14" tall. Good for small,red squirrels,but the big grays would grasp the skinny feeder pole with their hind paws,and hop right over the baffle. I hung a 14" length of 2" PVC pipe (left over from a plumbing project) below the baffle,and the big squirrels can't get any purchase for jumping over the baffle anymore. First day I put it up,I swear one squirrel tried for a good hour to beat it,but was stumped.
Thanks and good job on your project to keep those tree rides off of the feeder! I always do these videos so that people can copy or at least spark an idea
Easier way to use the same basic stove pipe. Don't need an end cap. Just cut down about 3" from the top of the stove pipe every 2- 2 1/2" inches all the way around, to make tabs all the way around. Put pipe over pole with an inside stopper already in place. Bend the tabs in and down towards the pole so that they hold the pipe in place. If it is too loose, you can always put a screw through a couple of the tabs where they overlap at the pole to prevent any chance of the bent in tabs bending back out. or
My trouble was raccoons going up a 6’ 1/2” pipe. Solved by coating it with red sticky grease and cyanine pepper. They just compete on the ground with the deer now. 👍🏼
I made one of these a couple years ago and used the bottom 1-2 inches of a #10 can as a cap. Fits inside the 6" pipe nicely and gives enough of the can side to screw the pipe to. I like the black color, though-I need to paint mine.
Great video , and bravo. yes squirrels need to eat . I spread out food around so they all eat. Ill definitely use ur ideas. Thanks great video. For sure!
Just saw this today ! This type of setup actually works quite well ! . . I've been using this method for a few weeks now ! but instead of air duct, I recycled my coffee cans ( I was saving for my rocket stove project) the cans seem to be wide enough to do the job. They are 10cm (4") across, which seems to be wide enough! . . So far, the little fluffy tails haven't been able to get their little legs around to climb up ! Hahaha! and no one has tried to chew through the light gauge tin as yet! . . In any case, I will never run out of coffee cans since my wife & I go through a can of instant coffee every 2 months - CHEERS to the "feathered friends" !
Thanks for sharing. The goldfinches in the backyard were hollering murder as a bullying squirrel took over the feeder. I went out yelling and throwing stones, but decided I needed something more permanent
This is awesome! One of my feeding stations are so high up a ladder is needed to fill the feeders. The other one is just pure squirrel bait. I even have stations just for squirrels but they go through their food so fast that the bird feeders are just like desert after the main course. I will definitely be trying this next spring. I do not mind the squirrels, obviously they are entertaining. It is the Blue Jays that keep me up at night thinking up ways to keep them from obliterating a whole weeks worth of bird seed in 4 hours. They come to my yard and invite all their homies and then scream at ME!!!
It is funny what you say about blue Jays. I've seen The feeders with smaller openings to discourage larger birds like the blue Jays. The Cardinals in my area are also voracious feeders and sometimes my feeder will be depleted in 2 days. Best of luck and this continues to work for me and I hope it helps you.
@@LadybugAdventures Oh trust me, I did purchase the Droll Yankee caged feeder and it is one of the best things I have ever gotten for my wild birds. Tons of yellow finch, titmice, chickadees. The downy woodpeckers have no trouble feeding from it but no Blue Jays and no Grackle ;) I highly recommend this but it was kinda expensive. I also got a domed feeder, the kind you can adjust the height of the top so larger birds can't land on it. Blue Jays and Grackles have a hard time but do manage to grab a few mouthfuls. Just got a nice upside down suet feeder for all my woodpeckers, looks like it is gonna work great. Cheers!
I may have missed something but what has prevented squirrels from climbing up the outside of the baffle as the 2nd squirrel in the video did? Was it by placing the baffle higher up the pole?
Nice simple fix. When my squirrels can't get to the feeder, they jump into it to knock all the seed on the ground. I have sunflowers growing everywhere!
Excellent! I will not pay $22 for a squirrel baffle (and I need two of them). I was looking for the perfect design to DIY one and this is perfection! Thank you... Making these tomorrow.
I've got no baffle on mine. I simply grease the pole that the feeder sits on and watch the squirrels slipping and sliding in vain. Provides us with lots of laughs too 😂
Yes greasing works but for 1-2 days or till it rains. It doesn't last past few days and who has the time to grease it every other day. The baffle works way better in my opinion
@@jyotikijyoti my grease stays on only had to do it the once. You're probably using a wooden pole and the the grease soaks in. Mine is plastic works great 😁
@@tonyubr I don't know why you are so hung up on grease and keep promoting grease when you should know it is VERY HARMFUL for birds and animals. I tried it just once in the very beginning and I saw a woodpecker slide down my pole and was so aghast. My intention is to deter squirrels, not to harm any bird or animal and the baffle that Ladybug Adventure's video suggests works very well combined with tulle. So stop promoting grease for goodness's sake!!!!
@@tonyubr yes, the $1.00 jar of Vaseline is the best squirrel baffle ever. Any other method and they'll never stop trying to defeat it. They try the Vaseline thing once and they're done with it. My feeders are on poles from top rails of chain link fence...1 1/4" dia X 8'. I re-apply it so seldom I don't even remember the last time I did it. And I only put it on a small section, not the whole pole. The best solution ever!
I did something similar, but used a 2" x 6" piece of scrap wood and cut a 6" round piece to fit into the pipe. I had to cut a 1/2" notch out to go around the pole though, and then duct taped the notch back to make it fit more securely. I then drilled several holes around the top of the pipe and screwed the pipe to the wood. I explain it more in detail on a video on my channel, but I'm just offering one more way that works to help solve this impossible problem. Squirrels are relentless in their attempts to get to the feeder, and they have given up on mine. They no longer even attempt to go up the pole. I have trained my squirrels - LOL.
Great minds think alike! Watch your video and things looks so similar. Looks good in my opinion and just like you most of my squirrels have given up even trying to go up the pole.
Lovely video. It is amusing that, in fact, squirrel proof bird feeders are plainly quite easy to construct. In marked contrast to the impression given by many other videos!
if you want to make a piece of vent tubing have a closed end, a simpler way is to cut length wise down from the end with tin snips, make 4 or 6 or 8 cuts, then bend the cut metal down & in to the center. it will close the end up nicely, and easily without any adding of pieces. you can drill in the middle where the cut flaps meet & drive a screw in to hold it closed, or rivet it
I used to hate having grey squirrels at my feeders but then I realized that without the feeders, there would be no focal point in my yard to put my traps and I would be placing them randomly around the yard and hoping the rodents just happened to stumble upon them by luck. The type of trap you use is the most critical consideration when trapping grey squirrels. The best way to defend a bird feeder from grey squirrels is the Havahart # 1083 EZ-set 1-door trap. And you can also use these traps to defend your tomato garden from these destructive rodents. I have used the Havahart EZ-set # 1083 to dispose of 360 grey squirrels since June 2014 but most of them were caught in the most recent 3 years AFTER I began using the 1083. The 1-door EZ-set traps save me time in 3 different ways: 1) They are MUCH easier and faster to set. You can set them in 10 seconds. 2) they are also much easier to bait because you just put the bait behind the trigger plate, instead of trying to balance the bait on top of the trigger plate. 3) I don't have any false alarms any more because the 1083 is NEVER set off by small birds. It takes a 1 pound animal to set off the 1083 and almost all grey squirrels weigh at least 1 pound. That is important if you are not home to keep checking your traps. You will never catch a squirrel, if the trap is closed for hours with a small bird inside. I used to use a 1030 for squirrels but since I bought 2 of the EZ set traps I stopped using the older model traps. I NEVER waste the carcass of these rodents. I take them to the exact same location in a nearby wooded area and allow scavengers like possum to recover them. When you do this, you are contributing to the biodiversity in your area. Win-Win Home Depot and Lowes do not stock the Havahart 1083 but I was able to get them online for about $35 via Amazon WRZ Chester County, PA 2020-08-04
That's a lot of good information! It is really good to know which trap is more effective and why. That's why I love very constructive and informative comments like yours! I'll check it out for myself as well.
Your generation is a bunch of pussies, sorry, but you are. I've been cutting tin for eons not needing protective gloves and have never been to the ER or had any serious injury. Just be careful, it isn't difficult.
I also made my squirrel baffle like yours from scratch using 20" Aluminum roll roofing flashing. I cut the flashing to make an approx 7" diameter pipe, which I overlapped and riveted together. The flashing is pretty cheap. And I cut a round piece of PT wood to make the top plate, which doubles as a feeding platform. I covered the bottom side of the wood top plate with 1/4" hardware cloth to keep the squirrels from crawling up inside the pipe and chewing through the wood plate- which they will do. The pipe screws into the wood top plate. Instead of a zip tie, I used a metal hose clamp with L brackets to make a sturdy place for the baffle to hang from. I made my first one of these 12 years ago, and have made others for friends and family, no squirrel has ever got past it. But, as you said squirrels can jump up to 12 feet from nearby fences and trees, and that's happened, so I moved the pole away from those launching points. Squirrels can also jump up to 6 feet off the ground, so the top plate should be close to 6 feet off the ground. There are lots of squirrel baffles being sold, this one really works, and it's simple, attractive, and poses no hazard to kids in the yard.
If you use a 7' foot 4'" diameter (or maybe it's 6"-the biggest PVC drain pipe Walmart has) and hang the shepherd's hooks from the inside of the PVC pipe at the top, the diameter is too much for them to wrap their arms and get a grip. Occasionally one squirrel will learn to use velocity to run up and leap. Then you simply coat the pipe with lamp oil and they slide right off. Eventually the elastic will fail, as cool as this is with the smaller pipe inside. My solution eliminates squirrels from my feeders. The big pipe is placed with 36" fence posts (the kind you string chicken wire from) inside to hold it vertical.
The whole concept here is that a squirrel only has a certain wingspan with his front legs out to the side. I like the Idea of greasing the Pole with Vaseline.
I've tried that. It does work for a short time. After the first few slips they wipe it off and eventually they make it up. You have to keep reapplying and that isn't something that I'm willing to do.
I am thinking of taking a plastic garbage can cover, drilling a hole in the middle, and slicing a line into it in order to make it onto the pole. I can probably fasten it to the pole with hose clamps underneath it and screwing the slice in it it back together. My pole has that stake on the bottom too, so I cannot get anything over it easily. Thanx for posting
Being of Scottish heritage have deep pockets but short arms, used an 8' piece of 3/4" conduit, a shelf bracket for a feeder arm, some screws, a piece of 1/2" hole screening and other materials from my odds and ends supplies. I did need to splurge for a 6"x24" piece of ducting. A couple of gear hose clamps from that same odds and ends place held this all in place. Nary a hungry rodent for several years. At our new home my dear wife bought a new hanger with that @#$% anti rotate gadget - oh well, we can't win 'em all the time
This is an impressive design. I'll build it tomorrow. We've been training our squirrels in successive "challenge climbs" - so far they've been trained into super monsters.
@@LadybugAdventures Yes I went with the plastic bucket on top of the non-working cone baffle, plus Vaseline on the pole - and I had to move the pole as the squirrels were dive-bombing off the roof - hilarious. So finally we have no squirrels on the feeder for the past two weeks. thanks
My son and I made one of your squirrel baffles a year ago and now are going to make another for a new pole I got. Thank you for sharing your bright ideas!!!
Followed your instructions and it has worked perfectly. I haven’t even seen a squirrel make an attempt. It’s like they know it’s impossible. Thank you. I can actually enjoy the squirrels now that they aren’t stealing all my birdseed.
Humans have been trying to outsmart critters with much smaller brains since the beginning. So far humans only accomplishments are the mouse trap and fishing lure.
I have a .25 pellet rifle for them. Thin the herd in hunting season. Funny how there are no tree rat nests on my 1.5 acres in my neighborhood... Now this year I am going to get that nice buck and a doe to fill my freezers! Edit Theses tree rats taste very good! So do the rabbits!
The second "baffle" is called a adjustable damper, real men cut the weld to remove the "dog leg" ground spike and then weld it back on. Acually your way works just fine for you .
We live out in the forest and are constantly battling these critters. Thanks, I will try this. I'm afraid some of these guys will just jump up to the feeders from the ground.
It's a constant battle but you will win as long as you don't put it too close to the branches of the trees or fences and have a pole that lifts it high enough from the ground.
Excellent, thank you. Can you device something to stop coaltits from squirrelling the sunflower hearts away please? They are non stop here in the UK and bird feed has just got really expensive.
Great video and clear instructions.. (the music could be toned down a bit) but this is a great idea.. who knew how far a squirrel could jump? Will this work for raccoons as well? They are my worst enemy right now.. so flippin smart agile and cute but what monsters they are at the feeders.
Very creative. I use a hose clamp on my pole to hold the baffle. If you ever start with a new round pole, a nice reasonable baffle is made out of 6-8” pvc pipe. I traced the inside diameter onto a 1” thick piece of scrap oak. Then I had an old aluminum road sign. Cut a larger round piece out of the sign, screwed that to the wood circle with metal roof screws with built in washers, then put that down in the pipe and ran screws through the pipe into the wood. It’s been over a year and it stopped the squirrels and mainly the raccoons, they we’re climbing past a small squirrel baffle and raiding my feeder every night. So far so good, the challenge is finding this 2’ section of pipe, Home Depot quit carrying it. Need to find where they are installing water lines or some piping and ask for scraps they cut off. Thanks
I have also made birdfeeder poles out of swingset poles. I have three. For the baffles, one has a trashcan from dollar tree, one has a bucket from dollar tree, and one has a stove pipe. With the bucket and the trashcan I had to cut the lip off the cans so that the squirrels can’t hang onto it. The baffles are all hanging from 2 inch angle brackets that are screwed into the pole and then screwed into the baffle. They work wonderfully. I use a bulb drill to drill a hole in the ground for the pole, and then level the pole perpendicular to the ground with scrap pieces of wood etc. that I pound in. The feeders Are fastened to floor flanges. The top of the swingset poles are tapered and an inch and a half PVC coupling glued perfectly with construction adhesive. Then you can buy a slip fitting to glue into the coupling with the thread size for the pipe nipple and floor flange, typically a 3/4 inch nipple and pipe flange. In the space above the bucket baffle I also put my suet feeder; screwed into the pole.
This is so nice. I just put up 2 new bird feeders on a pole like yours. I had no clue the squirrels could go up so easily! Your tutorial is perfect! Thank you
Just to let everyone know, That duct at the "Orange Box" store is only 30ga, you can cut metal that thin with a pair of Trauma Scissors or even a kitchen scissors if you do not have tin snips (I am a retired Sheet Metal Worker)...
If you wanna keep those scissors sharp, best use tin snips lol
@@chang.stanley I was a sheet metal worker for 38 years, I was only pointing out that 30ga metal is very thin and scissors could be used (if needed) or even "Trauma Scissors" which would be better in a pinch. A lot of people will use snips to cut wire or hardware cloth which will destroy the edge of a pair of snips and that is what I think a lot of folks may have hidden in the back of an old tool box... Just offering an option for some
@@chang.stanley clearly speaking for those who may not have tin snips in their tool boxes.. and hes 100% right
@@richardfowler3254SMWIA local 38 here.. hope your enjoying your retirement
@@vdubskiee5356 I've been loving it !! Thanks brother Tinner !!
This totally works! Built one for our feeder - it's been months - no squirrels - cheap fix. Paid for itself quickly with less bird food used. A red squirrel tried 17 times in a row to go up the post - and failed - it was hysterical!
Yes!!! Glad to hear it worked for you!
Pretty dang smart... it does look very nice too. I’ve not had any trouble with squirrels all summer, but some new babies came along and were eating what the birds dropped, and you’re right the squirrels were getting plenty. After a few days of enjoying watching the little squirts eat, I came out one morning and a bigger squirrel was on top of the feeder swinging back and forth, eating and knocking out a bunch of food. So, thanks for the info, I’ll be making a baffle tomorrow.
I just bought a double shepherds hook for a wonderful $12 price at our local store. I’m going to do something similar but I will probably buy the cap and cut it and then patch over the cut with some straight pieces of steel that I bolt the two sides back together with. Instead of the tie wrap, I will use 2 inch angle brackets. My shepherds pole is round and solid steel and I will tape them to the pole with electric tape then bolt them to the cap. I might also put a tie wrap or two on the electric tape holding the brackets. Bolting the brackets holds the stove pipe straight and in the center. Also, on one that I already built with a Half pipe, one squirrel was able to wrap around the 8 inch diameter stove pipe and still climb up to the feeder, so I shortened the stove pipe so it couldn’t jump onto it.
Your baffle looks store bought-great job! I have a store bought baffle like yours,but it is only about 14" tall. Good for small,red squirrels,but the big grays would grasp the skinny feeder pole with their hind paws,and hop right over the baffle. I hung a 14" length of 2" PVC pipe (left over from a plumbing project) below the baffle,and the big squirrels can't get any purchase for jumping over the baffle anymore. First day I put it up,I swear one squirrel tried for a good hour to beat it,but was stumped.
Thanks and good job on your project to keep those tree rides off of the feeder! I always do these videos so that people can copy or at least spark an idea
Easier way to use the same basic stove pipe. Don't need an end cap. Just cut down about 3" from the top of the stove pipe every 2- 2 1/2" inches all the way around, to make tabs all the way around. Put pipe over pole with an inside stopper already in place. Bend the tabs in and down towards the pole so that they hold the pipe in place. If it is too loose, you can always put a screw through a couple of the tabs where they overlap at the pole to prevent any chance of the bent in tabs bending back out.
or
My trouble was raccoons going up a 6’ 1/2” pipe. Solved by coating it with red sticky grease and cyanine pepper. They just compete on the ground with the deer now. 👍🏼
We have tons of raccoons. Luckily none of them have challenged my baffle.
I made one of these a couple years ago and used the bottom 1-2 inches of a #10 can as a cap. Fits inside the 6" pipe nicely and gives enough of the can side to screw the pipe to. I like the black color, though-I need to paint mine.
Awesome
Great video , and bravo. yes squirrels need to eat . I spread out food around so they all eat. Ill definitely use ur ideas. Thanks great video. For sure!
Thanks, I made this with 6" pipe and it works perfectly. I used a cap and had no problem cutting it so it could wrap around. Under $10.
That's great!!!
Just saw this today ! This type of setup actually works quite well ! . . I've been using this method for a few weeks now ! but instead of air duct, I recycled my coffee cans ( I was saving for my rocket stove project) the cans seem to be wide enough to do the job. They are 10cm (4") across, which seems to be wide enough! . . So far, the little fluffy tails haven't been able to get their little legs around to climb up ! Hahaha! and no one has tried to chew through the light gauge tin as yet! . . In any case, I will never run out of coffee cans since my wife & I go through a can of instant coffee every 2 months - CHEERS to the "feathered friends" !
That's great. Good use of other materials.
@@LadybugAdventures indeed, but instant coffee? yikes
I still like the catapult rigs. Now, that's entertainment. Thanks for the video L-Bug
Thanks for sharing. The goldfinches in the backyard were hollering murder as a bullying squirrel took over the feeder. I went out yelling and throwing stones, but decided I needed something more permanent
Haha.i had the same experience!
One more step before painting. Sand or file the edges of all the cuts. Unless you don't mind if kids or squirrels cut their tiny fingers.
Good point! The tin snips make the edges a little dull but rounding the edges is always a good thing.
I don't have Squirrel and bird feeders neither. But it is fun to watch human to compete with those smart squirrels. Smart guy!
Nature always wins in the end!
This is awesome! One of my feeding stations are so high up a ladder is needed to fill the feeders. The other one is just pure squirrel bait. I even have stations just for squirrels but they go through their food so fast that the bird feeders are just like desert after the main course. I will definitely be trying this next spring. I do not mind the squirrels, obviously they are entertaining. It is the Blue Jays that keep me up at night thinking up ways to keep them from obliterating a whole weeks worth of bird seed in 4 hours. They come to my yard and invite all their homies and then scream at ME!!!
It is funny what you say about blue Jays. I've seen The feeders with smaller openings to discourage larger birds like the blue Jays. The Cardinals in my area are also voracious feeders and sometimes my feeder will be depleted in 2 days. Best of luck and this continues to work for me and I hope it helps you.
@@LadybugAdventures Oh trust me, I did purchase the Droll Yankee caged feeder and it is one of the best things I have ever gotten for my wild birds. Tons of yellow finch, titmice, chickadees. The downy woodpeckers have no trouble feeding from it but no Blue Jays and no Grackle ;) I highly recommend this but it was kinda expensive. I also got a domed feeder, the kind you can adjust the height of the top so larger birds can't land on it. Blue Jays and Grackles have a hard time but do manage to grab a few mouthfuls. Just got a nice upside down suet feeder for all my woodpeckers, looks like it is gonna work great. Cheers!
The funniest thing I ever seen was the slinky - kept me in stitches
Thank you! Exactly what I was looking for. Now I have to find my tin snips. 🙄
One of the best tools I've ever spent money on have been my tin snips! I love those things
squirrels can jump 8'-10' horizontally. The swing set near your feeder was the avenue they used to access the food.
I may have missed something but what has prevented squirrels from climbing up the outside of the baffle as the 2nd squirrel in the video did? Was it by placing the baffle higher up the pole?
Nice simple fix. When my squirrels can't get to the feeder, they jump into it to knock all the seed on the ground. I have sunflowers growing everywhere!
I’m constantly in a battle with the squirrels. Thanks for sharing your design. Wish me luck!
Good luck!!!
Excellent! I will not pay $22 for a squirrel baffle (and I need two of them). I was looking for the perfect design to DIY one and this is perfection! Thank you... Making these tomorrow.
Awesome!
I've got no baffle on mine. I simply grease the pole that the feeder sits on and watch the squirrels slipping and sliding in vain. Provides us with lots of laughs too 😂
Yes greasing works but for 1-2 days or till it rains. It doesn't last past few days and who has the time to grease it every other day. The baffle works way better in my opinion
@@thisisdeafening9933 I don't grease, don't worry
@@jyotikijyoti my grease stays on only had to do it the once. You're probably using a wooden pole and the the grease soaks in. Mine is plastic works great 😁
@@tonyubr I don't know why you are so hung up on grease and keep promoting grease when you should know it is VERY HARMFUL for birds and animals. I tried it just once in the very beginning and I saw a woodpecker slide down my pole and was so aghast. My intention is to deter squirrels, not to harm any bird or animal and the baffle that Ladybug Adventure's video suggests works very well combined with tulle. So stop promoting grease for goodness's sake!!!!
@@tonyubr yes, the $1.00 jar of Vaseline is the best squirrel baffle ever. Any other method and they'll never stop trying to defeat it. They try the Vaseline thing once and they're done with it. My feeders are on poles from top rails of chain link fence...1 1/4" dia X 8'. I re-apply it so seldom I don't even remember the last time I did it. And I only put it on a small section, not the whole pole. The best solution ever!
I did something similar, but used a 2" x 6" piece of scrap wood and cut a 6" round piece to fit into the pipe. I had to cut a 1/2" notch out to go around the pole though, and then duct taped the notch back to make it fit more securely. I then drilled several holes around the top of the pipe and screwed the pipe to the wood. I explain it more in detail on a video on my channel, but I'm just offering one more way that works to help solve this impossible problem. Squirrels are relentless in their attempts to get to the feeder, and they have given up on mine. They no longer even attempt to go up the pole. I have trained my squirrels - LOL.
Great minds think alike! Watch your video and things looks so similar. Looks good in my opinion and just like you most of my squirrels have given up even trying to go up the pole.
Thanks for the tip. Was able to use 5” x 60” pipe and made 2 for $10. Working well👍🏼
Great to hear!
well done. much respect
Plus you get your grounds picked up for free too:) worth every penny
Nice work
Lovely video. It is amusing that, in fact, squirrel proof bird feeders are plainly quite easy to construct. In marked contrast to the impression given by many other videos!
Thank you!
if you want to make a piece of vent tubing have a closed end, a simpler way is to cut length wise down from the end with tin snips, make 4 or 6 or 8 cuts, then bend the cut metal down & in to the center. it will close the end up nicely, and easily without any adding of pieces. you can drill in the middle where the cut flaps meet & drive a screw in to hold it closed, or rivet it
I did something similar before but your idea is brilliant
I know this isn’t a recent post, but it’s absolutely awesome!🎉. I’ll be building two very soon.
@@ChrisBrown-sn9hg Thank you! It still works to this day!
I used to hate having grey squirrels at my feeders but then I realized that without the feeders,
there would be no focal point in my yard to put my traps and I would be placing them randomly
around the yard and hoping the rodents just happened to stumble upon them by luck.
The type of trap you use is the most critical consideration when trapping grey squirrels.
The best way to defend a bird feeder from grey squirrels is the Havahart # 1083
EZ-set 1-door trap. And you can also use these traps to defend your tomato garden
from these destructive rodents. I have used the Havahart EZ-set # 1083 to dispose
of 360 grey squirrels since June 2014 but most of them were caught in the most
recent 3 years AFTER I began using the 1083.
The 1-door EZ-set traps save me time in 3 different ways:
1) They are MUCH easier and faster to set. You can set them in 10 seconds.
2) they are also much easier to bait because you just put the bait behind the
trigger plate, instead of trying to balance the bait on top of the trigger plate.
3) I don't have any false alarms any more because the 1083 is NEVER set off
by small birds. It takes a 1 pound animal to set off the 1083 and almost all
grey squirrels weigh at least 1 pound. That is important if you are not home
to keep checking your traps. You will never catch a squirrel, if the trap is closed
for hours with a small bird inside.
I used to use a 1030 for squirrels but since I bought 2 of the EZ set traps
I stopped using the older model traps.
I NEVER waste the carcass of these rodents. I take them to the exact same location
in a nearby wooded area and allow scavengers like possum to recover them.
When you do this, you are contributing to the biodiversity in your area. Win-Win
Home Depot and Lowes do not stock the Havahart 1083 but I was able to get them
online for about $35 via Amazon
WRZ
Chester County, PA 2020-08-04
That's a lot of good information! It is really good to know which trap is more effective and why. That's why I love very constructive and informative comments like yours! I'll check it out for myself as well.
Beautiful product! I love it!
Thank you!!!
"Wear protective gloves as the metal can be razor sharp."
*Shows himself cutting the metal without protective gloves*
Haha
Your generation is a bunch of pussies, sorry, but you are. I've been cutting tin for eons not needing protective gloves and have never been to the ER or had any serious injury. Just be careful, it isn't difficult.
thanks for the diy baffle update, hope you got a new bird feeder lol
Just made a new one! Video coming soon!
I also made my squirrel baffle like yours from scratch using 20" Aluminum roll roofing flashing. I cut the flashing to make an approx 7" diameter pipe, which I overlapped and riveted together. The flashing is pretty cheap. And I cut a round piece of PT wood to make the top plate, which doubles as a feeding platform. I covered the bottom side of the wood top plate with 1/4" hardware cloth to keep the squirrels from crawling up inside the pipe and chewing through the wood plate- which they will do. The pipe screws into the wood top plate. Instead of a zip tie, I used a metal hose clamp with L brackets to make a sturdy place for the baffle to hang from. I made my first one of these 12 years ago, and have made others for friends and family, no squirrel has ever got past it. But, as you said squirrels can jump up to 12 feet from nearby fences and trees, and that's happened, so I moved the pole away from those launching points. Squirrels can also jump up to 6 feet off the ground, so the top plate should be close to 6 feet off the ground. There are lots of squirrel baffles being sold, this one really works, and it's simple, attractive, and poses no hazard to kids in the yard.
Sounds super solid! Great job.
Job well done. If I were retired military. I would salute you!
If you use a 7' foot 4'" diameter (or maybe it's 6"-the biggest PVC drain pipe Walmart has) and hang the shepherd's hooks from the inside of the PVC pipe at the top, the diameter is too much for them to wrap their arms and get a grip. Occasionally one squirrel will learn to use velocity to run up and leap. Then you simply coat the pipe with lamp oil and they slide right off. Eventually the elastic will fail, as cool as this is with the smaller pipe inside. My solution eliminates squirrels from my feeders.
The big pipe is placed with 36" fence posts (the kind you string chicken wire from) inside to hold it vertical.
The Squirrel “I’m cute and fluffy too! Why discriminate because I can’t fly?”
The problem is they do not share and scare all the birds away.
The whole concept here is that a squirrel only has a certain wingspan with his front legs out to the side. I like the Idea of greasing the Pole with Vaseline.
I've tried that. It does work for a short time. After the first few slips they wipe it off and eventually they make it up. You have to keep reapplying and that isn't something that I'm willing to do.
Well done! Planning to try it out. Thanks for the very clear instructions. 😊
I am thinking of taking a plastic garbage can cover, drilling a hole in the middle, and slicing a line into it in order to make it onto the pole. I can probably fasten it to the pole with hose clamps underneath it and screwing the slice in it it back together. My pole has that stake on the bottom too, so I cannot get anything over it easily. Thanx for posting
Yeah that could work!
Excellent post. I really need to make one of these. Thank you so much for sharing.
An upside down 5 gallon plastic bucket works perfect
Cool. Yeah that's plenty wide!
I built your baffle and it worked like a charm. Thank you.
Great to hear!
I don’t have a squirrel issue,however I do have a mole problem. I think your invention will work and I will try it. Thanks
I use these baffles. Found out the hard way that paper wasps will build a nest inside. Had to close off the bottom. I used styrofoam.
Thank you. I'm going to home Depot today! I'm so tired of the squirrels getting in my bird feeder!
Wrap around your pole...no slip on. LOL
Being of Scottish heritage have deep pockets but short arms, used an 8' piece of 3/4" conduit, a shelf bracket for a feeder arm, some screws, a piece of 1/2" hole screening and other materials from my odds and ends supplies. I did need to splurge for a 6"x24" piece of ducting. A couple of gear hose clamps from that same odds and ends place held this all in place. Nary a hungry rodent for several years. At our new home my dear wife bought a new hanger with that @#$% anti rotate gadget - oh well, we can't win 'em all the time
Grease works good too !!!
That wouldn't even slow my squirrels down ...
Try it. It really works
Great Job!!
It got personal 😂🤣
Made something similar today following your pattern... Thanks!!
Awesome, that's great to hear. I'm going to be uploading a new design fairly soon.
This is an impressive design. I'll build it tomorrow. We've been training our squirrels in successive "challenge climbs" - so far they've been trained into super monsters.
Haha, good luck. Super squirrels should pose a good challenge!
@@LadybugAdventures Yes I went with the plastic bucket on top of the non-working cone baffle, plus Vaseline on the pole - and I had to move the pole as the squirrels were dive-bombing off the roof - hilarious. So finally we have no squirrels on the feeder for the past two weeks. thanks
My son and I made one of your squirrel baffles a year ago and now are going to make another for a new pole I got. Thank you for sharing your bright ideas!!!
Wow. Really glad to hear that. Thank you and I'm glad it worked for you and your family! I have a bright idea every 2 to 3 years!
Aww squirrel hungry needs to eat like other animals. I'd feed him as well as the bords
Great design!! Thanks for sharing
Great idea. Gonna try it this summer.
The real mystery is why are the squirrel's getting human's to make these devices in the first place? What are they up to?
Conspiracy!!!
Makes for a good Scooby Snack now and then. 😉🐿🍴😆
Followed your instructions and it has worked perfectly. I haven’t even seen a squirrel make an attempt. It’s like they know it’s impossible. Thank you. I can actually enjoy the squirrels now that they aren’t stealing all my birdseed.
Awesome!
Looks good.
I would use a hose clamp where you are using the zip tie plastic will deteriorate & hose will last for a long time
That was actually my original plan! I just got lazy.
@@LadybugAdventures I do that a lot, keep up the good work!!
It works😎
Genius! Can't wait to make mine.
those pieces of metal on the cut edges that are left are called "fishhooks"
Ahh. Makes sense!
Humans have been trying to outsmart critters with much smaller brains since the beginning. So far humans only accomplishments are the mouse trap and fishing lure.
Great tutorial! Just what I needed!
Thank you. It's still going strong for me with no issues from my local squirrels
I have a .25 pellet rifle for them. Thin the herd in hunting season. Funny how there are no tree rat nests on my 1.5 acres in my neighborhood... Now this year I am going to get that nice buck and a doe to fill my freezers!
Edit
Theses tree rats taste very good! So do the rabbits!
Just what I was looking for. Thank you!!
Great to hear!
Thanks bro. I love it!!!
Good, helpful video!
Very smart invention!👌🏾
Very good I Will trie, from Québec Canada
This style has been out a very long time, I've had mine for over 10 years. Mine's made of 1/8" thick steel.
The second "baffle" is called a adjustable damper, real men cut the weld to remove the "dog leg" ground spike and then weld it back on. Acually your way works just fine for you .
Ah, I was hoping a real man would tell me how to do things properly!
@@LadybugAdventures 😂😂😂
You are my hero!
Hilarious! Thank you
I'm guessing your an engineer ! Love it and I'm gonna try in ! Thank you !
Good luck with your build! I'm just a wannabe engineer.
We live out in the forest and are constantly battling these critters. Thanks, I will try this. I'm afraid some of these guys will just jump up to the feeders from the ground.
It's a constant battle but you will win as long as you don't put it too close to the branches of the trees or fences and have a pole that lifts it high enough from the ground.
A even better design 👍
Very good video clear and precise great ideal. Thanks You.
I really appreciate it! Thank you.
Great job!!! Outstanding idea!!
Thank you so much
This baffle idea works very wel! Clear directions.I tried to add my photo of my feeder with your baffle idea but that did not work.
That's great! You can email me a pic at ladybuggieseww@gmail.com. love to see it and I might show it in a future video if that's okay.
I am trying aluminum foil around Shepher's hook. Will know soon if it works.
Excellent, thank you. Can you device something to stop coaltits from squirrelling the sunflower hearts away please? They are non stop here in the UK and bird feed has just got really expensive.
Great job. I eliminated about 8 of them, but there are so many this looks like a better option.
I'll give it a shot. Thanks!
Looks great
👍👍. Hey, Dad, 😂😂😂😂😂
0:34.. paaauuussseee!!
Just flex off the support on the bottom of the pole, thread your components onto the pole and affix the support.
Good idea. It's welded on really well. It's not a cheap pole. I'd have to use a grinder and it's just not worth it.
The evil Skrill
Great video and clear instructions.. (the music could be toned down a bit) but this is a great idea.. who knew how far a squirrel could jump? Will this work for raccoons as well? They are my worst enemy right now.. so flippin smart agile and cute but what monsters they are at the feeders.
Definitely raccoon proof for these 3-4 years
Why didn't y6ou just move your original pole so that the squirrel coud not leap on to it?