How to Make a Raccoon Guard for Bird Feeder Poles

Raccoon baffles help protect feeders and birdhouses.

Raccoons are excellent scavengers and delight in a free meal of bird seed, bird eggs or baby birds. Baffles help to prevent the raccoons from gaining access to these backyard delicacies. Raccoon baffles are typically made from PVC or stovepipe, and the reviews on each are mixed. The decision between the two is largely personal preference. More work and time goes into building a stovepipe baffle, while materials tend to cost more for PVC baffles.

Things You'll Need

• 4- to 8-inch-diameter PVC pipe, 24 to 30 inches long
• PVC cap (same diameter as the pipe you have chosen)
• Drill
• Short screws
• Hose clamp
• OR
• 8 inch stovepipe, 24 inches long
• Tin snips
• 9 inch circle of hardware cloth (wire mesh)

Instructions

Building and Installing the PVC Baffle

1. Remove the feeder or birdhouse from the top of the pole.

2. Drill a hole in the PVC cap approximately 1/8 inch larger than your mounting pole.

3. Screw the cap onto one end of the PVC pipe. The screws should not be long enough to touch the pole when installed.

4. Attach the hose clamp to the mounting pole approximately 3 inches below the birdhouse or feeder. Ensure the clamp is tight around the pole.

5. Slide the capped PVC pipe over the pole and let it hang on the hose clamp. The PVC baffle should wobble freely upon the clamp.

6. Reinstall the feeder or birdhouse on top of the pole.

Building and Installing the Stovepipe Baffle

1. Cut a small hole in the center of your hardware cloth. This hole should be approximately 1/8 inch larger in diameter than the mounting pole.

2. Fold 1 inch of the edge of the hardware cloth down and place securely inside the stovepipe.

3. Cut three tabs along the edge of the top of the stovepipe above the hardware cloth. Fold the tabs down tightly to secure the hardware cloth.

4. Place the hose clamp tightly on the mounting pole approximately 3 inches from the birdhouse or feeder.

5. Slip the baffle over the pole and rest on the clamp.

Tips & Warnings

• PVC can be painted with paints designed for plastic. You can apply a rust-preventative or enamel to the stovepipe baffle, as rust will allow some predators to more easily climb the baffle. Installing two 7-inch-long iron straps to the mounting pipe may allow for a more stable stovepipe baffle.

• Paper wasps may inhabit the inside of your baffle. Use caution.

References

• Sialis: Baffles
• North American Bluebird Society: Predator Control