Squirrels

[TwoCrows]

Yep....shoot the dang things. I have never been one to enjoy killing anything and for years, before I kept chickens, I fed the wild birds. Still do. These furry tailed rats must have eaten tons of bird seed over the years and I just tried to outsmart them with squirrel proof feeders, baffles, etc...

Well after I started keeping chickens, the squirrels decided that if they couldn't raid the wild bird feeders, they would raid the chicken feeders! So, in keeping with my compassionate ways, I used poultry netting over the chicken yard in attempt to keep these rats out of the feed. It did not work. Well, this was the end of my compassion.

I baited up trays of chicken feed, their food of choice, all over the yard. (chickens kept penned up). Got the 22 rifle in hand and watched and waited. In a few days, I had blasted 5 squirrels to kingdom come! And like anther poster said here previously, I thought I would feel badly. But I actually felt good about it. My girls were being terrorized by these crazed rats and it was finally over.

To this day, when I see a bushy tailed rat getting too familiar with this yard, the gun comes out, gets in the sights and whammo! Dead rats. And I am a girl!!

 

[Mr Cowboy]

The best solution for egg eating squirrels is a Camo .177 Air Rifle. If you're a democrat, then a squirrel trap near the nest might be a good option for you. you can catch it and release it somewhere so it can bread and eat someone else's eggs. You know, pass the problem off to the next generation.

 

[Mr Cowboy]

The best solution for egg eating squirrels is a Camo .177 Air Rifle. If you're a democrat, then a squirrel trap near the nest might be a good option for you. you can catch it and release it somewhere so it can bread and eat someone else's eggs. You know, pass the problem off to the next generation.

 

[Txchicky]

I didn't know squirrels would eat eggs. Another darn predator to keep an eye on. Ugh!!

 

[McChicken81]

I had a squirrel issue, got an air riffel and between that and my dog I think I got ridd of them. Rats seem to be smarter though. I
Licked frozen peanut butter off the trap without setting it off.

 

[MzPlacedHippie]

Ugg! Today I found an egg under the raised coop! My girls would never lay on the ground, they're so spoiled. Think someone interrupted one of these nasty boogers. My daughter's dog is laying down on the job & now they have a taste for eggs! I hate it, but it might be time to cut the nephews loose with the .22!

 

[chickengeorgeto]

Breaded and fried hind-quarters are hard to beat! The only difficult part is that squirrels are just about the hardest thing on the plant to skin.

Couldnt agree more!

It doesn't have to be that way. Try this trick.

 

[AnnieSantiago]

A very effective, and fun, trap can be made by filling a 5-gallon bucket about half full of water, sprinkling sunflower seed on top to cover the water, (they float) and setting a few boards leading up to the top of the bucket like ramps. Greedy little b*****d jumps in to chow down on seeds......how long to you figure he can tread water? ANSWER: Not long enough. I once had a family of red squirrels living in a shed and I used this rig on them. It killed all three in one afternoon; there they were all lined up face down in the water. I "recycled" them as bait in my weasel boxes. This works wonderfully on chipmunks and field mice as well.

I hope this works because I'm growing a mighty hate of squirrels. They terrorize my chooks and are taking a bite out of each and every apple on my plants. I hate those little buggers. I set up one of these traps today. I hope it works!

 

[autumn123]

Three words: Get a dog! Yes, they do like eggs, but are not as likely to get into the coop. They hate squirrels, and it's mutual. We have had MUCH fewer problems with varmits in general with the dog. Predators smell them, and decide to look elsewhere I guess. We don't let our hens free-range, and the coop and nests are 90% safe from predators. The only problem we have had was snakes getting in and getting the eggs in the spring. We either shoot them, or if we can catch them with a net, we take them across the highway to a pond. But overall, we have had few problems with predators. Redtail hawks are common here (Texas) but the hens are not visible at all from the sky, so no problems there.

 

[Cutandfit]

I had a problem with squirrels chewing up the wiring harnesses on my vehicles. I zip-tied a piece of foam rubber to the area under my vehicle where they were doing the damage and every few weeks I get under there with a little spray bottle of fox urine I got at the hunting shop and soak it up. Keeps them away from my vehicle. May not be the most practical thing around a chicken coop though...