Customer Reviews

Heritage Farms 7533 Absolute Squirrel Proof Wild Bird Feeder

5 star:		(35)
4 star:		(12)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

I own four of these; I am buying four more to use in the country. I've given eight of them as gifts. Simply put, THEY WORK. The squirrels have to go through such contortions to get to the food that they really are not a big problem anymore. You do have to take care in your placement, or the squirrels will hang onto a nearby fence or branch and feast away, but once placed properly, you'll frustrate them!

I made sure to place it away from trees and platforms from which squirrels can jump from. I placed it near a small apple tree with branches that droop from too much weight. I have two gray squirrels and two red squirrels. I saw one gray squirrel put two feet on the feeding bar and the other two feet on the feeding station. It was able to feed for a long time. I haven't seen any other squirrels do it again. I don't know how the squirrel got there. I used a metal bird feeder pole, so the squirrel didn't climb. Overall I really like the feeder. It holds so much seed that I don't have to fill it too often. I have cardinals, chickadees, blue jays, downy woodpecker, hairy woodpecker, tufted titmouse, and various sparrows and finches.

This is a nice bird feeder, but it is anything but squirrel proof! The squirrels quickly learned how to bypass the perch by hanging from the top of the feeder and leaning over to get the goodies. They also learned that jumping off the feeder allows it to swing, spilling the seed onto the ground. It holds a good amount of seed and it does look nice in the garden. Obviously the manufacturer never met the squirrels in my neighborhood! Still waiting for a better "mousetrap"! The birds seem to enjoy it and they let me know when the feeder needs a refill!

Because there is no raised edge on the feeding tray, cupsful of seeds get spilled onto the ground. We have no squirrels to glean the spills but perhaps are attracting rats.

In this feeder's favor, we like adjusting the perch to exclude heavier birds, and the unit is certainly easy to fill and clean.

I have two of the squirrel prrof feeders .Our squirrels are so smart they not only can hold the bird foot rest up so it will not shut with one foot and grab the seeds with the other foot.The also can open the cover and eat the seeds inside.I had to wire the top down but they still manage to get the seeds at the foot rest.

All we can do is smile it makes our day

This bird feeder has a large capacity for seed and the balance is easily adjusted so that heavy squirrels cannot access the seed. However, the wooden perch is is big mistake! After two weeks of use, the squirrels have already eaten nearly through the bar. Also, I feel that the metal is not as heavy in weight as the similar feeder we had for almost twenty years. I am afraid that this feeder will give out too soon - the old one was truly squirrel proof until the metal finally rusted and the squirrels ate through it. My rating should be between three and four stars.

This is the second time I have purchased this bird feeder. The first one was left behind when I moved. Needing a new feeder at my new home I searched the home supply companies. There are Look-alike models, but a closer exam showed them to be cheaply built. So I ordered my favorite from Amazon. It wasn't cheap. But it is built like a tank and the engineering details are awesome. In a world where so many things are built for a short lifespan, it's a joy to find something that will probably outlive me.

I bought one of these and soon bought a second. It comes with a pole mount, but I am using the provided hanging bracket. I did not install the R pins initially and the squirrels managed to spread the hanger. Thought I should read the instructions :-) Next squirrels disassembled the patio stand it hung from... Doesn't work if laying on ground. Unit survived both falls with minimal damage. After wiring it to the end of a tree bracket so the squirrels could not lift it 3-4" and pull it back to the trunk, it is truly squirrel proof. One squirrel did learn to swing on the counterweight to shake out a few seeds and eat them on the ground. However, he tired of it after a couple days with little rewards. It made little difference in the seed level.

I bought a second one and installed it outside my office window, there are trees too close for a squirrel stopper pole to be completely effective. The squirrels try it nearly every day, but go leave empty handed. I did use a floppy baffle on the pole to make it more challenging for the squirrels to access the feeder, but they try it most every day.

These feeders have a very large capacity, and I have topped mine off twice in a couple months (black sunflower in one and nuts and fruit in another). The squirrels emptied the feeder in a day when it fell to the ground. They work pretty well.

Squirrels have try chewing, pulling, leaning over from top, and leave frustrated. One learned how to disassemble the patio pole screws, another runs up a Wildbirds Unlimited pole, banks off the squirrel baffle, twists 180 degrees, grabs two opposite side feeding holes in a Yankee Whipper, stuffs his cheeks from the hole between, drops off and climbs to a perch to feast. (Could be stopped by extending pole, but I figure the squirrel deserves something for that feat!) In summary, we have more than a dozen talented grey squirrels in the neighborhood and this product keeps the seed for the birds. Highly recommended product!

Wow, this was disappointing. First, the squirrels kept simply pulling the perch off--easily done since it fits very poorly. I kept trying to find a way to make it stay on, but had no luck. They also managed to jostle the thing around enough that three of the four screws holding the feeder on the post worked their way out. At that point, a couple of squirrels climbed on the roof of the feeder, causing it to flip sideways and actually bend the platform on the top of the pole, leaving the feeder hanging sideways. Note that we live in a city with a fenced in yard--it's not like a bear came and mauled the feeder--the only animals that can get into our yard are squirrels and birds.

You cant beat this model for duribility and simplicity. Built to last. It also keeps the squirrels away. I first bought an absolute feeder from Heritage Farms 18 years ago in a brown model. Over the years it never failed to work. I had to replace the wooden perch twice in those years but the metal house, the pivot, and the paint lasted. Looking out my window one day I thought it was time for a change and I decided to replace my feeder. I started looking at many different types, makes and models and ended back with the Absolute. (Not much of a life changing experience is it?) My only complaint is that it now comes in only green and I preferred the older clamp that would work on a pole of various diameters. This model only mounts on its own pole which is not tall enough for my back yard. I ended mounting it on a wooden bracket off of my deck rail but it required some modification to get it to work properly. You can also hang it but mounting a feeder is the way to go. It now looks great and I know I'll get another 15 to 20 years out of this one. Amazon was $20 cheaper than my favorite hardware store was selling it for. I gave my older one to my mom.