Squirrel eating chicks?

[Sadness Child]

I have a Dutch Bantam mother, she has 3 chicks, and they are in a barn in a brooder, there is a huge squirrel living in the same barn I am wondering if the squirrel will harm either the mother of the chicks.

 

[britesidefarm]

Squirrels can definitely be dangerous to chickens/chicks and can even kill a full grown hen. In tour case, I would keep your guys in a brooder with a lid, or away from the squirrel as possible.

 

[Sadness Child]

It has a very heavy plywood lid with some hardware cloth for some light, but when I move them out they will be in a chicken wire area, that a squirrel can defiantly get into.

 

[Al Gerhart]

Squirrels will kill and eat anything they can catch especially if they are nursing young and need protein. Fence them out if possible, get a treadle feeder that works for squirrels, do a forum search here on BYC for "squirrels and chickens". They eat eggs too and bring in all sorts of mites, fleas, and other disease vectors.

 

[RainbowHen]

I actually had a squirrel that stalked my chicks in their outdoor brooder. Thankfully I made sure it was rodent proof. Our yard is full of them. I finally eradicated the destructive chipmunks. The squirrels are next.

 

[Sadness Child]

Squirrels will kill and eat anything they can catch especially if they are nursing young and need protein. Fence them out if possible, get a treadle feeder that works for squirrels, do a forum search here on BYC for "squirrels and chickens". They eat eggs too and bring in all sorts of mites, fleas, and other disease vectors.

What is a Treadle Feeder?

 

[Al Gerhart]

Look over to the left please.

Do a forum search for treadle feeder, dozens if not hundreds of threads on them.

 

[Sadness Child]

My dad says they are to expensive.

 

[MROO]

My dad says they are to expensive.

Show this to your Dad ... If he likes to build stuff, he may just step up to the challenge. If he doesn't ... well, maybe it's time to learn how to DIY!
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/building-a-treadle-chicken-feeder.47900/

 

[Al Gerhart]

For sure, low budget project, mostly scrap wood if you go visit a cabinet shop dumpster on a weekend. Even a wood treadle feeder will work for awhile, heck one of our original wood feeders is still in operation in Van Buren Arkansas as of a few months ago. Keep em dry, that helps. Once your dad sees that they work and are saving him feed money he might come around. And you can buy the Chinese treadle feeders for under $50.00 including shipping. They aren't very good, we make a version of that style and ours is better but it is still a second rate but cheaper feeder, but they will be better than nothing.