Squirrel killers?

[123RedBeard]

Can you say "Squirrel Stew"?

Fat, juicy, grain fattened squirrel ... Yum!

Problem solved!

 

[gawildlife]

I prefer squirrel dumplings, much better than chicken.

 

[jhd9201]

Lol too funny. BB gun?

 

[gawildlife]

Pellet rifle.

 

[ivan3]

Suggestions on how to do that? And how would I know if they are fliers, besides being nocturnal? They jump from tree to tree.

Keeping Greys at bay? A good outdoor cat is helpful: Failing that, snares constructed of steel guitar strings and placed along pathways to coop (if you have any bird feeders in the trees the snares work great), a good quality pellet rifle can work wonders. We are under & surrounded by several acres of White Oak & Shag Bark Hickory - the Greys are vermin (the REC guys always make the same joke about "stew" when they finally arrive to restore our power owing to a Grey crossing the road on the power line and cooking itself off while blowing the "fuse" on the transformer), here. We have no neighbors nearby so I prefer a scoped .22 rifle to harvest the "tree rats". The Greys never have bothered with the chicken or turkey feed (lots of bird feeders/suet cakes on trees). We are big fans of the Southern Nocturnal Flying Squirrels (Greys will eat their pups). The Nocturnals might invade one's attic if there is an entrance available but they are no threat or worry to chooks:

 

[gawildlife]

Careful with the fliers. It's a rare occurrence but their fleas can carry the rickettsia germ that causes sylvatic typhus. I've actually been called in to work with the CDC on a site where two fell ill, one nearly died. The biggest danger is failure to properly diagnose as typhus is such a rare presentation in the US without known travel to the third world. This was the case with the first one who became sick and nearly died before receiving doxycycline.

 

[gawildlife]

While I'm not a doctor I do try to stay current on the zoonotic diseases (ones that can jump species especially to humans) that I might be exposed to in my line of work. The rodents are particularly nasty capable of being reservoirs for things like hanta, plague, typhus among many. Not only rodents either the raccoon can carry several such as rabies or both canine and feline distemper that can spread to our pets. Even opossums and cats in limited parts of the country can spread murine typhus through the cat flea.
Just thought I'd throw this out there to urge caution when handling vermin. Wear proper protective equipment and if you must handle it is better to handle dead and cold as fleas leave a cold carcass. Also be sure to keep all pets current on shots. If you handle rabies vector species on a regular basis you might even consider a pre exposure vaccination.

 

[ivan3]

Careful with the fliers. It's a rare occurrence but their fleas can carry the rickettsia germ that causes sylvatic typhus. I've actually been called in to work with the CDC on a site where two fell ill, one nearly died. The biggest danger is failure to properly diagnose as typhus is such a rare presentation in the US without known travel to the third world. This was the case with the first one who became sick and nearly died before receiving doxycycline.

Not a problem as we'd no more catch/handle them than we we would the bats that appear when I stretch up sheets with spot lights behind them so as to collect up moths and such for the poultry (gets busy in June when the poults arrive - hand feeding is important to imprinting). Out on the back deck at night, when we're lucky, the Barred Owl vs. Flying Squirrel show gets underway. The Flyers, though gliding, can avoid Owl talons with no little aplomb.

However, yes, it never hurts to be aware of disease vectors catching a ride; always wear gloves when handling and wash hands after any contact with vermin..

 

[gawildlife]

If one ever does end up sick from some unknown malady and you have recently handled wildlife be very sure to let the medical professionals know. It may not have anything to do with it but better safe than sorry. I know I keep my doctor advised.

 

[JadedPhoenix]

Will this guy be an issue? Didn't know if squirrels would kill 6mo old pullets??

I've seen squirrels bite the heads off of songbirds before so I'm won't say that he absolutely isn't a threat to your pullets but as the others have stated, he is more than likely looking to swipe some feed.