Homemade double-decker squirrel-proof bird feeder

Here is an idea for a squirrel-proof feeder that has worked for me for 8 years now. My DH made it from scraps. It's just a metal pole, plywood and a piece of aluminum tacked to the bottom platform. What I have added since this picture is a thick piece of rope tacked around the edges so the seed doesn't spill off as easily.
The birds love it being double-decker and so open. I've already seen it wing-to-wing birds on both levels.

There is one little problem with it though. Occasionally a deer will try to stand to get seed off of it and sometimes the aluminum gets dented in on one side. When this happens the squirrels can reach up around the dent and pull themselves up. But I just bang out the dent and then they can't reach up.

That's great! My grandfather made birdfeeders, and he sure would have appreciated your design with the built-in baffle!

Wow that's a COOL bird feeder!

DiO--

Great pic of your cardinals, too. Maybe you should patent that feeder design--haven't seen it anywhere on any of the the bird shopping sites! t.

Simple design, looks easy to make, and effective against squirrels!

Excellent!

Really?? Y'all think so? Come to think of it I don't think I've seen a feeder like this anywhere either. Now you've got my brain a'churnin.

At the same time my DH made the double-decker feeder, he also made me this platform tree feeder. It's just a crescent-shaped piece of plywood, cut to hug the tree. He hammered in three 4" nails on each side and in the middle, leaving about 2" of nail sticking out to rest the platform on. The woodpeckers love it. They don't even have to get off of the tree to get seed from it, but they can sit on it if they want to. It's not squirrel-proof and in fact will a lot of times fall to the ground if a squirrel tries to get on it. And it should have a rim around the edge so seed doesn't fall off so easily, but I don't get too excited if seed falls to the ground because that seed never goes to waste, feeding the ground birds and squirrels (if squirrels can eat from the ground they don't try to get up on it). This one platform has lasted 8 years now. You can't get much cheaper than that !
Here's a pic of it with a Red-bellied WP feeding his fledging from it.

Diohio, I think it's a great idea for a feeder, Especially the wide baffle part for the squirrels But, I see it in the picture as the second level being a lot smaller then the first? Birds tend to poop as they eat and with the top level being smaller, It means the poop would be going into the bottom level of food, Which is not really a good thing for the birds eating on the bottom, Not critizing your feeder, It's just something that caught my eye as I was looking at the pic.

Iris, good eye! I bet some simple modification could solve that problem though....just make the top deck overhang the bottom deck by using a larger disc. It might also have to be raised a bit to make a comfortable landing space for the birds on the bottom deck. But I still think this is a fabulous idea with the baffle!! :-)

-Julie

Very good point Iris. I brush the feeder off daily and yes, I can say that occasionally there will be poop on actually, EITHER level. But VERY rarely I find any poop at all. I think that risk comes with any platform feeder. They don't just sit at the edges to eat. Their hind ends can be pointed in any direction on both levels (so poop I find could be coming from birds on the bottom level too). I doubt that they know not to poop where they eat........or do they? Or maybe it's because there are so many birds here that they don't stay on it long enough to poop? A lot of them grab their seed and fly to a tree to eat it. Whatever the case, I don't find poop a problem on it.
Another nice thing about the feeder is it's very easy to clean with just a bucket of water or a hose.
(pic shows bird-butts in any direction)

Now you have my brain working. Looking at this last picture, I can see that if you increase the length of the area between platform levels and make the top level larger than the bottom, like Julie mentioned, it would not only keep birds on the top level from pooping down on the bottom level but it would also serve as an umbrella, keeping the bottom level drier.
It still wouldn't keep birds from pooping on their own level. But like I mentioned, I don't find poop often.
I've been wanting a second feeder so I think I'll have my DH make it this new way.
Thanks !

If ya do, make sure to post photos so the rest of us can steal the ideas and make our own :-)

-Julie

Diohio, I like the feeder design a lot, I was just concerned about the top, I think the modification that you and Julie were talking about would work better. I was trying to help here not critisize though it may have seemed that way.
Sometimes I make things that I think would be such a good idea in certain situations, Then I'll have someone point out an improvement, And I'll always welcome that because sometimes others see things that we dont or that we dont catch right off.

Di, after some thought, I wonder if you couldn't make a folded edge on the top of the aluminum (so it's not sharp) and then nail it on standing about an inch or so above the plywood... that would keep the bird seed from falling off...

Good thought, Darius. It might benefit from a few drain holes in the platform or around the aluminum edge, to allow seed to dry off. I'd like to make something like this using screening instead of plywood, or maybe a plywood ring with sections cut out and covered with screening.

GW, if it is very fine screening it should hold seed. Hmmm, now I'm wondering about a "spoke" pattern (wood or metal) for support, 1/4" hardware cloth over that, and then some fine screen or even landscape fabric to keep the seed from falling through. That would solve any water problem from rain and snow.

I appreciate it Iris. That's how we all learn.
All of you have excellent ideas for a new and improved double-decker squirrel-proof feeder ! Several minds put together are much better than one (although I can't complain much since my DH did throw this feeder together from scraps laying around, and without much thought put into it at all. )

Geat things come of collaboration! :D How about this....A discarded bicycle wheel with screening over it. That would support the screening and would be hidden by the aluminum flashing attached to its rim. An added plus would be its ability to spin on an axis, allowing for easy cleaning.

This message was edited Dec 8, 2004 1:11 AM

GW, you could do it for both decks actually. I wheel from a child's bicycle for the lower deck and one from a small-sized adult bycicyle for the top deck. The top deck would be disguised too since it would be covered with the screening. And a "lip" could be attached to both decks to keep seeds from falling off as easily. I think this is turning into a small version of the Calgary Tower (http://www.calgarytower.com/) LOL

-Julie

Hah -- yes, it is! I'm envisioning any squirrels which do breach its baffle being hurled into space by a remote-control motor...This could be good, people!

Fwwwwwwing! Like that Droll Yankee feeder, the Yankee Flipper!
http://www.yankeeflipper.com/droll/specs.cfm

This message was edited Dec 8, 2004 3:15 AM

GW did you watch that video? I nearly peed my pants I was laughing so hard! especially when the poor but apparently stupid squirrel kept getting himself flung right into and through the bush. Hysterical! Anyone needing a good laugh should watch that video!

Thanks for the link....the giggle was very appreciated!

-Julie

GW, that's kinda what I was thinking when I said "spoke pattern" as I have 2 wheels from old bikes (saved for some wind-driven yard art). The wheel with the gears might slope too much from the center outward, but a lip would still keep the seed on it.

Oh that is too funny ! Thanks for the morning laugh.
The bike wheels are a good idea, but how would you tack on the aluminum baffle?
And with that baffle on there you really wouldn't need any spinning action (from the remote) although if it was designed to spin freely on its own, it could help to keep the deer from standing and getting seed from it. I wouldn't buy that Yankee Flipper. I'd be afraid all of the action would have the birds petrified for days. And also what if a large bird were to land on it, like a crow or a pileated WP.
And now I just thought of one more problem that might arise from screening of any kind.......possums and raccoons. If a possum were to climb the pole and could see and smell the seed through the screen, he'd chew his way through the screening. I've had a possum actually bend a strong metal suet cage ! So maybe plywood with tiny drainage holes drilled in would be better.

DiOhio, Yep, I bet you're right. But it could also end up being perforated stainless steel sheeting - would withstand the weather better than wood....unless it's treated wood...which also isn't great as the chemicals used to treat the wood could leech out to the birdseed when it gets wet. The baffle could be tacked onto a plywood ring (or any type of wood). Then the perforated sheeting could be tacked on top of the ring. If it's pliable steel at all, it could be bent upwards to create the seed saving lip. I like the spinning action against deer though. It would happen seldom enough that the birds wouldn't be permanently freaked out about it. And I think they'd be more scared away by the deer and may not even notice the spinning of the feeder.

I honestly can't WAIT to see what your DH comes up with next! Regardless of which ideas of ours he takes and which he leaves, I'm sure this brain storming is going to result in one really cool feeder next time! :-)

-Julie

This message was edited Dec 8, 2004 3:03 PM

Good point about the squirrels/possums chewing through the screening...

Could attach the aluminum baffle with sheet metal screws through the wheel rim, though...

I was thinking that about the sheet metal screws, too. I didn't think about the screening being chewed - you're right!

Maybe a wood non chewable baffle at the bottom and two screen bottom feeders at the top?

No wood is really non-chewable to a squirrel.

If its slathered with hot pepper oil, they might be deterred. It doesn't bother the birds, but the squirrels sure hate it.

I understand about the baffle being held on by sheet metal screws now. I just couldn't see past that rubber tire at first.
And yes, the screen should work ok for the top platform. The squirrels, possums and coons haven't even tried to chew through that plywood in 8 years. In fact they chewed on the corner of my house and not that feeder ! But if you have some real chewers in your yard I'll bet the hot pepper oil would work great.

The perforated stainless steel idea........how would that be to little bird feet if it got wet and frozen? And now it's getting a little expensive, unless you have some extra pieces laying around. But I'd be afraid of the metal and bird feet sticking to it in freezing weather. Couldn't that happen.........or not?

I forgot to mention one other thing I've done with this feeder and that is to smear peanutbutter on the pipe inbetween the upper and lower platforms. The birds really like that.

I must have missed the preforated stainless steel idea... I'd resist that too, esp. in freezing weather.

Yes I see what you mean. Didn't think about that....since I've gotten used to not having freezing weather here. I'm not so sure it's a problem though looking at the first photo that began this thread. You can see that the ground is covered in snow and the birds are perched at the edge of the lower deck with their feet touching the metal baffle. Doesn't seem to cause any difficulties.

I did want to say that the wooden baffle idea might defeat the purpose of the baffle in the first place. Namely that the squirrels can dig their claws into to the wood to climb up and around. With a metal baffle there is nothing for the claws to grab onto.

-Julie

This is a great thread with lots of great ideas...hehehe, another honey do project will soon be in the works!

Thats a cool feeder! Our squirells can climb the pole but they cant get into the bird seed, I think my favorite bird to see on our feeder are the Peckers, both downy and the larger ones.

Here's another feeder that my brother made (God rest his soul) about 3 years ago, it's a constant attraction to Peckers,nut hatches and I think the other bird ... or shall I say 'pest' likes it too --- I think they are Starlings (robbers!). I fill the holes in the log with a mixture of lard,cornmeal,peanut butter and birdseed. Its in a great spot, my DH is home bound so he is able to watch the birds in fromt of our picture window, and I really enjoy watching on Sunday mornings while reading the paper. Jill

opps ----- heres the pic

Thanks everyone. Now I have more great squirrel proof ideas.
GW, thanks for the link. That was really funny.

Mary