Squirrels & Feed

[RLBourgeois]

We have been experiencing issues with squirrels coming into our girls' run/coop to steal from their feed bin. My parents saw the squirrels in our wild bird feeders and told us we should put some crushed red pepper in as they apparently don't like the smell/taste and will leave the feeders alone. Has anyone tried this with their chicken feeders? I saw another thread on giving crushed red pepper to one's chickens to increase egg production if they stop laying, so I assume it is safe for the girls. But is it OK to use it daily or is there a limit to how often one should put the peppers in the feed? Thanks for any advice you can give!

 

[gander007]

If you put peppers in your chickens feed your egg's will taste like the peppers .....

 

[MeepBeep]

IMO if the squirrels (tree rats) are getting into you coop it's time to bust out the rat traps and rid yourself of the problem before it gets worse... They might appear all fluff and fun, but they can and do attack birds especially baby birds or eggs, they will clean you out of feed, and might even move into the coop and cause stress on the chickens...

 

[enola]

Cayenne pepper in the feed has no effect on the flavor of the eggs.

 

[Fancychooklady]

This is a bit naughty but I thought it was appropriate .

 

[RLBourgeois]

That's what I am worried about. They seem to be staying in the trees except to plunder the food though.

 

[RLBourgeois]

Thanks...I think I will give this a try before resorting to more drastic measures. Even if they do flavor my eggs a little, I usually add Tabasco anyway to my scrambled eggs...

 

[Fancychooklady]

Cayenne pepper in the feed has no effect on the flavor of the eggs.

Some people use it as a wormer too.

 

[Sylviaanne]

How much peppers to how much feed? To act as a wormer.
Is that a real squirrel? If it is, was that an accident?

 

[jonalisa]

Since I got chickens, I no longer keep a bird feeder - to avoid health issues.
However, recently I had 2 red squirrels get into my run 3 days in a row. First 2 days, I coaxed them out the run door with a broom. On the third day, they ran out the way they got in and so I was able to see how they got in and secure the small opening with hardware cloth. I also now remove all food from the run at dusk, so there is no incentive for animals to want in.

No squirrels since.

Isn't it easier to secure your run/coop than get into a war with squirrels?