Experience using caye ne pepper in food to deter squirrels?

[Boise-girls]

Has anyone used cayenne pepper to keep squirrels from eating the chickens' food? I like to leave the hens' pen door open while they're free-ranging so they can come back in to eat, and the squirrels are chowing down!
If you have or do use it, how much do you use? Do you sprinkle it on top or mix it in? Thanks for any advice!

 

[sawmane1]

I am not sure about the exact dosage, but it does take quite a lot and you will want to mix it in. Also, you may want to consider keeping your squirrels in cages instead of free ranging them!

 

[Red-Stars-in-RI]

I would also say pepper would not work. It may actually encourage them. My mother-in-law has rats as pets. She would let them play in her bathroom and she tried putting capsaicin on the trim to deter chewing. They licked up all the capsaicin and looked for more. I would imagine squirrels might do the same thing.

Rats have more advanced culinary tastes than squirrels. I learned that from this documentary:

 

[Banana01]

Doubtful it is nothing more than a gimmick squirrels will figure out quickly how to still eat around it.

 

[HumbleAmerican]

I use a squirrelenator live trap. Catches multiples.

Digger/ground squirrels get buried. Grey squirrels get put next to the potatoes then smothered in gravy.

 

[Banana01]

Reading some articles on google, it seems as though the capascin is what deters them, and seems to have a good chance of working as a deterrent. I read 1 tbsp powder per 10 pound bag of seed is enough.

It also seems that water will wash it away, so the mash may not work as much as just a powder.

You could also try other pepper varieties like haberno, maybe make a spray bottle of liquid and spray it on the food? The consensus seems to be it kind of works on bird feeders.

 

[BlindLemonChicken]

Well you could always use the squirrels for target practice.

 

[Red-Stars-in-RI]

Hmm…surprising that the squirrels ate the peppered food. Did you go heavy on the pepper?

I wonder if there’s a different type of feeder you could try…something hanging, maybe?

 

[McChooky]

Doubtful it is nothing more than a gimmick squirrels will figure out quickly how to still eat around it.

The stuff burns like fire if you only get a little on your lip. I don't know exactly how they'd be able to avoid getting powder on them if its mixed in the feed.It gets all over everything!

 

[McChooky]

It won't hurt the birds but it will set squirrels on fire . Spread the powder on the ground around runs and coops to prevent diggers. https://www.walterreeves.com/food-gardening/squirrels-repelling-with-hot-pepper/