Will a chicken attack a squirrel?

[bogwitch]

My fives hens are scared of everything, yet I swear whenever a grey squirrel is anywhere near their run they run/fly over to where it is at as if they wanted to get it, like they do with flying insects. Am I imagining this? Has anyone ever seen a chicken or a group of chickens take out a squirrel? My run is only about 12 feet long, but if a squirrel is running along the outside they all chase after it in a group, and when the squirrel sees them, it immediately runs further away.

 

[Ole and Lena]

Mine are very good mousers and have tried to catch ground squirrels but aren't quick enough. They go down the hole too fast. Don't see many squirrels here, but they chase the neighbor's ankle biter and our cat. They really hate blackbirds in the yard.

 

[7L Farm]

Mine don't.

 

[moetrout]

There's a very funny story somewhere here I read last year about a squirrel that got too close and was chased. The squirrel thought he was safe 3 or 4 feet up on the side of a tree but was knocked off his perch by the chicken that had chased him. I think it got away, but very funny story. So I would say yes and if yours are anything like mine they will eat it if they get to it.

 

[Wisher1000]

Whenever I throw out some scratch and the chickens are busy pecking and scratching, the squirrels start gathering in the woods. There is one squirrel that will ease up to the chickens and then do a crazy squirrel dance (you know, like when they are in the road and can't decide which way to run, run in a tight circle, jump, change direction, jump, tail whipping furiously the whole time) and scare the bajeebies out of the chickens. Then it starts eating the grain and the other tree rats move in. Eventually, the guineas run the squirrels off and the birds come back for leftovers. I've seen a rabbit try the same thing.