Bird Proof - Squirrel Feeder

Most back yard feeders focus on trying to keep squirrels away from the birdseed. I had the opposite problem. Every time that I would put peanuts out for the squirrels, the birds would quickly carry them all away. So I built this bird proof squirrel feeder.

It was built from a 1x6 piece of wood (about 30 inches total), a wide mouth 2 quart jar, and two small metal hinges.

I cut a hole that the bottom of the jar would fit into near the end of the wood. I used the jar and a pencil to make a pattern for the hole. The hole was then cut out with a jigsaw. A curved wood file was used on the edges of the hole until the bottom of the jar would fit.

This piece was then cut off at 6 inches, and used as a template to center the next hole which would be cut for the top of the jar. Once that hole was cut, it was also cut off at a six inch length. Finally a third six inch piece of wood was cut to be used at the base, and an eleven inch piece was cut to be used for the back of the feeder.

The solid six inch base and the piece with the large hole were glued together to form the bottom of the feeder.

I pre-drilled five nail holes on the eleven inch piece that is used for the back. The bottom three nails will go into the solid piece. The top two nails will go into the piece with the large hole, and as such were placed close to the edge.

The base was glued and nailed to the back of the feeder.

I wanted the top of the feeder to be hinged, so the jar could easily be removed for cleaning. I attached the hinges to the top piece of wood first, and then let the wood rest on top of the jar while I attached the hinges to the back.

Here is the finished feeder. At this point it could be stained, varnished or painted. It can also just sit on the ground or be mounted upright on a fencepost.

Add some peanuts, and it is ready to go.

It didn’t take long for our first customer to arrive. It’s also fun to watch them through the glass jar.