Squirrels: Are they simply rats with higher PR? Be suggested that this isn’t protected studying materials for squirrel lovers, and even squirrel apologists. For my part, squirrels are worse than rats—smarter, extra devious, extra harmful. I’ve had them nest in my chimney, chew holes in my eaves to get into my partitions, and destroy a number of chicken feeders. I even had one chew by means of a whole 4-by-2 pergola rafter to get at a suet block.
With the recognition of sensible chicken feeders, it’s much more essential to study methods to maintain them out of your yard, lest they flip your funding right into a pile of chewed-up plastic bits. To make issues worse, in case you reside on the West Coast like I do, you are more likely to be coping with the Japanese grey squirrel, which is a nonnative, invasive species that competes for assets with native species like Western grey squirrels. What’s a yard chicken fanatic to do?
Fortunate for you, I have been feeding birds for nearly 25 years throughout three completely different states, and have been testing sensible feeders for the previous yr, preventing near-daily battles with these furry neighborhood foes. I’ve tried all of it and came upon what works—and what would not—so you possibly can maintain your sanity intact.
For extra birdy enterprise, take a look at our guides to the Finest Sensible Chicken Feeders, the Finest Binoculars, and the Finest Presents for Chicken Lovers.
The Golden (5-7-9) Rule
First off, there’s a tried-and-true technique of foiling squirrels, and it is each free and innocent. Specialists check with it because the 5-7-9 Rule: Hold your feeder at the least 5 ft off the bottom, 7 ft away from buildings like homes, timber, or fences; and 9 ft away from something overhead that they may soar from, reminiscent of a tree department or roof. This often means placing your feeder on a pole with a baffle (I take advantage of the set above), or hanging it from a tall shepherd’s hook.
Should you’re available in the market for a chicken feeder, particularly a wise feeder, it is crucial that it have the choice to hold or be pole-mounted, as a result of in case you can solely mount it on a fence or a tree, you are basically rolling out the welcome mat for squirrels. (All of the sensible feeders I like to recommend, together with Birdfy and Chicken Buddy, embrace pole mounts.) If you wish to go the additional mile, you can even grease your pole with Crisco, which does not final lengthy however is nice for an entertaining day or two.
Word that in case your sensible feeder would not have an connected photo voltaic panel to cost the battery, you doubtless will not be capable of mount it on the pole with the feeder with out some jury-rigging, so I like to recommend going for a mannequin with a built-in photo voltaic roof or no photo voltaic panel in any respect.
