Squirrels anyone?

[Egghead_Jr]

http://www.homedepot.com/p/JT-Eaton...pvNiUwmoAXB8CjgnwmFI_5HWoQ4zH9Hn_4aAiX88P8HAQ

The above link is for a rat bait box. I just found one quick but a better search will provide a larger hole than that triangle. I use them, and they not only keep the rat population down but squirrels will feed from them. Chickens, children and anything larger than a red squirrel are safe. The chunx bait poison isn't scattered around for other animals to pick up like with pellets. A good safe pest management system. But yeah, search around and find one with slightly bigger hole. Take food in at night and leave bait box in pen, even taking food in for period of day so squirrels would use the boxes would be ideal. Rats are everywhere and if you don't start with a management for them before you know it there will be 3, 4, 6 holes with estimates of a dozen rats per hole around your pen.

 

[enola]

He is not having problems with rats.

 

[Egghead_Jr]

This has a better sized entrance hole:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Rodent-Rat-...648?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item20e3a0e410

Tamper proof and chunx bait pest take only what fits in mouth so unlike pellets the poison doesn't end up moved around your yard by the pests. I'd pick up a squirrel or chipmunk from the yard now and then, they work for more than rats and mice. A must have for chicken owners.

 

[MeepBeep]

He is not having problems with rats.

For most practical purposes tree rats aka squirrels can be dealt with using the same measures used on for common rats...

 

[neverbdone]

Squirrels were eating me out of house and home. Tried everything. Dogs, rat poison, bubblegum, 22, smoked the holes, they were having more babies than my chickens and turkies put together. Got cat and problem solved in a couple days. Cats are definitely more humain than most of the other methods and much more effective. Oh yeah, I'm a lady and approve of this method.

 

[SemperChicken]

I had an issue with this for a little while before dispatching the squirrels. I first would take care of them with my pellet rifle (not some wimpy BB gun). I once was able to trap the squirrel in the run and I let my Toy Fox Terrier in and wreak havoc with the squirrel. She knows the chickens are family and she hates squirrels so she just went for the kill.

 

[SemperChicken]

This is when I picked up the rifle a little over a year ago.

And this is her retrieving a squirrel that I shot. Made for a decent lunch the next day.

 

[ukrkoz]

Well, I have another dilemma now.
I am done with my days off, so scaring squirrels away with BBs during the day is out of question.
And don't take me wrong - problem is, when squirrels get to food, they jump chickens and will NOT let them get to actually THEIR food. That's my main concern.
Good BB shot scares them away for most of the day, except that as of tomorrow, there is no one to do so.

Hence, I stepped out and bought a cage trap.
Grand. Now it needs to be baited and doors need to be set open for squirrels to get in, right? Well this brings to my dilemma.
What exactly do I bait it with?

Or, DO I USE PEANUT BUTTER SAFELY AS BAIT SO THAT CHICKENS DO NOT GO FOR IT ALSO? As otherwise, whatever is recommended as squirrel bait is also chicken food. And we have several small hens that will easily fit into the trap door.

Yes, I can possibly set trap outside the fence, thing is - then I have to chain it and such, as we have bums and joy ATV riders and simple dopers in the forest behind us. Trap WILL be stolen. We also have stray dogs and what not wondering there, so I'd rather have trap set on MY fence side. But then doors need to be left open and chickens can get in and so on....

Anyone has experience with peanut butter as bait?

 

[dpenning]

He is not having problems with rats.

Sure he is, they are just fancy rats with a marketing program called a tail!

 

[dekel18042]

If hurting the squirrels hurts your wife's sensibilities, you might try feeding them separately.. Set up a pan of squirrel food, a mixture of peanuts, sunflower seed and whole corn. Squirrels love this and may well leave the chicken food (what is it, layer feed or mash?) alone......or not.........