Squirrels

[Egghead_Jr]

Chickens and rabid zombie squirrels are natural enemies but seem to do fine if raised togetehr as pups.

10 pump pellet gun or single pump springer/gas shock pellet gun. It makes for a fun afternoon of carnage. A person here at my home, to remain anonymous, finds joy in over filling no less than eight bird feeders. Half of those are in areas where squirrels can get to them. Once you think there are six to eight hanging there are actually closer to thirty. I know this as I took an afternoon when home alone to crank up the wood stove and bait a plowed area other side of driveway. One by one they kept coming as I opened the kitchen window to take them out. Took out a little over twenty that day and wouldn't you know could still count about 2 to 4 the next day...

I'm prepared and waiting for another afternoon alone this winter. It's an annual to semi annual hobby anymore.

 

[docteurshepherd]

Nope, ours have plenty and plenty of walnuts to care for anything else it seems. I've never even seen one bother a bird feeder in all the years we've lived here. We're on pretty peaceful terms so I resorted to shooting them with a camera instead of my .22, here's a picture I took the other day Aren't they cute?

 

[OmnipotentOrpington]

We have squirrels EVERYWHERE. And they are NOT afraid of humans. We always have at least 2 squirrels in our yard all day. They don't bother the chickens, and they mostly hang out in trees, but they do attract eagles and hawks, of which we have an abundance of around here. We don't have any means of killing/trapping them, especially since we live in a residential area, so we do our best to always be watching the chickens when we let them out to free range.

We had an incident a couple months ago in which a large barred owl flew down to get some squirrel. Coincidentally, that's just when I had let the chickens out. Luckily I was able to get everybody out okay. It's just made me all the more cautious around letting them out. If I've seen an eagle, owl, or any bird of prey around any time during the day, I make sure not to let the chickens out.

Those darn squirrels attract SO MANY PREDATORS.

 

[mcdze]

i never had a problem with them until recently other than them chewing at the coop alittle which didnt bother me too much, wasnt a reason to go to war i just reinforced the chewed areas with scrap tin ... but lately since i free range and the coop is open during the day they 'claimed' the coop and food and would chase my hens out heading in to eat lay .. needless to say that was unacceptable and ive popped 10 or so in the past several weeks ... i dont mind them other than that .. if they want to eat fine .. if i witness one being aggresive theyre buzzard food ...

 

[bhawk-23]

I use to LOVE those adorable fluffy creatures!!! I would feed them, give them water and just watch them through the window. They were just so.dang.adorable

Yeah, now I have my own yard with fruit trees and bushes and a garden. I hate those suckers now

I did not harvest a damn thing last year because of them!! And THIS was to be our first year yielding any fruit on those trees!!

Now, I wait for a gathering of those, plump from eating MY chicken's treats, squirrels, call the dog to the door, quietly open it up and send him chasing those suckers! He has gotten really close a few times, like grabbed a tail, but today I heard a squeal. Still got away but he is getting wiser to their escape routes. Someday he'll snatch one and have himself a yummy squirrel meal.

 

[589205]

They're only cute when they're young. Then they grow up & become total pests. They gnaw on all the trees, steal fruit & harvests, dig holes all over the freakin' yard as well as in the trees & they run around thinking they own the damn place when in reality, they don't. I just stained my wood privacy fence late last summer hoping that it would help keep them from chewing on the top pickets & posts but they're STILL doing it.

so yeah, they're definitely no friends of mine!
They have a way of making life a living hell the same way that rats do. The only difference is a long furry tail & ridiculous chittering.

 

[589205]

Not to forget to mention, they cause serious damage to trees. If you think other predators are bad then you'd probably have second thoughts if you saw how many squirrels were in my yard.

 

[589205]

Nope, ours have plenty and plenty of walnuts to care for anything else it seems. I've never even seen one bother a bird feeder in all the years we've lived here. We're on pretty peaceful terms so I resorted to shooting them with a camera instead of my .22, here's a picture I took the other day Aren't they cute?

View attachment 2487558

Lucky! Nah to cuteness tho, no offense.

 

[589205]

Chickens and rabid zombie squirrels are natural enemies but seem to do fine if raised togetehr as pups.

10 pump pellet gun or single pump springer/gas shock pellet gun. It makes for a fun afternoon of carnage. A person here at my home, to remain anonymous, finds joy in over filling no less than eight bird feeders. Half of those are in areas where squirrels can get to them. Once you think there are six to eight hanging there are actually closer to thirty. I know this as I took an afternoon when home alone to crank up the wood stove and bait a plowed area other side of driveway. One by one they kept coming as I opened the kitchen window to take them out. Took out a little over twenty that day and wouldn't you know could still count about 2 to 4 the next day...

I'm prepared and waiting for another afternoon alone this winter. It's an annual to semi annual hobby anymore.

I know what you mean. Just when you think you got em all, another group always seems to move in.

 

[589205]

This is the problem I have with squirrels. I have waged war on them for years and have almost none nesting on my property but every morning and evening they flock to my place wreaking havoc on my fruit trees. I get very little fruit from peache, pear, apples trees (thankfully They haven't developed a taste for citrus or I would be doomed). They will start "tasting" the fruit when about 1" size. Taking one bite and dropping it on the ground. By the time the fruit is ripe there is very little left on the tree. About the only time I have ever gotten a decent crop is when I have gone to war with them in the fall. And might I add, providing a tasty meal or three of squirrel dumplings or fried squirrel Now that i am retired I may be able to get a handle on the thievery!

I'm so !
Especially when they mess up everything I work so hard for that I try keeping nice & well maintained. I love the wild rabbits we have here...WAY more than the squirrels & you bet when it comes down to it I would much rather have rabbit stew than squirrel stew so I'm all for trying to bring the wild rabbit population back up & kick the squirrel population down!