I've got a bit of a bird problem—there are nests forming in the exhaust fan pipe of my second-floor bathroom, and it's quite a hassle since the installation of a cage seems too pricey. Luckily, I can access the pipe from the attic. Is there something I could use to block the birds while still allowing air to pass through, like maybe some spikes?
3 Answers
I know it sounds silly, but a friend of mine had this issue and he solved it temporarily by placing a rubber snake and a rat in his vent. It worked for a while, and even though we all laughed at him for trying it, he was the one laughing later! Just something cheap and easy to consider.
I had the same issue with my vent cover being super high up. I bought a 3" PVC pipe and planned to add a screen on it to fit into my 4" duct from the attic. Initially, I used some towels as a temporary block, but of course, the birds just pulled them out!
Instead of spikes, try using some hardware cloth. It's this metal screening with openings of about 1/4 to 3/8 inch. Just take off the vent tube from your attic, cut a circle from the hardware cloth that fits snugly, and push it into the exterior tube, but don’t push it too far—I’d keep it tight to block those birds. Trust me, it’ll work; I've done it myself, and it kept the birds out!
I did this exact same thing about 2 years ago...works like a charm. [Here's an example of hardware cloth!](https://www.homedepot.com/p/Everbilt-1-4-in-Mesh-x-2-ft-x-5-ft-23-Gauge-Galvanized-Steel-Hardware-Cloth-308231EB/205960850?MERCH=REC-_-plpsearch_multi-_-311791383-_-2-_-n/a-_-n/a-_-n/a-_-n/a-_-n/a)