Squirrels in the coop?

[jahphotogal]

My coop has a gap in the door large enough for a squirrel to get in. I know I have to fix that to protect them from raccoons and whatever, but can the squirrels harm them? They seem to want the scratch (but not the regular chicken food.)

 

[Marty1876]

Squirrels can still bring in pests or disease from wild birds, as they traverse the same areas, and it undoubtedly contacts wild bird poo. Heavy gage wire that shuts off the area when the door is shut (maybe attached to the bottom of the door) may do the trick.

 

[JimyCrakKorn]

I walked up on a squirrel inside the pen. Man did he go nuts trying to find his way out! Bounced all over while the little ones were also in there. He bounced over and on a couple of the girls, not going after them just looking for a way out. I let him freak for a minute, would have let it go on longer but was afraid the babies would have gotten hurt. I opened the door and in a few seconds he saw his chance and hit the door and was gone. I see them in the trees but no way he's coming back.

I don't see them as a direct threat. They just go after the feed. But my thinking is the only animal I will allow inside my pen are my girls. Period.

Watch for coons! If a squirrel can get in, so can they!

 

[Enchanted Sunrise Farms]

We had a problem with a couple of grey squirrels getting into our pens to go after the chicken food. i'm not sure they would go after the chickens, unless the chickens challenged them. But i had bantams and they were terrified of the squirrels which were about twice their size. i trapped them, one at a time, and i was going to shoot them. But they looked so cute i drove them about 20 minutes away to a nice park and let them go.