Killer squirrels

[kcan2]

I've had great success keeping all forms of rodents out with a combination of hardware cloth and pavers up against the perimeter of the chicken's run. Pavers were laid on top of the hardware cloth and then anchored with plastic landscape pegs. You can kind of see them lining the ground in the left of this picture.



We had plenty of mice and chipmunks getting into the pole barn, but never in the chicken's area!

 

[ackie]

We rehabbed a few squirrels this year so these observations are from keeping them IN not OUT. Given the right motivation (or boredom), they can chew through plastic and wood. Ours managed to bite through a bread tie with the metal center. 1/2 inch mesh seemed to work though. And they are smarter than you think about sneaking through openings. One opened the wire door on their enclosure by pushing it up, I guess. Good luck!

 

[Shezadandy]

I had the opposite interaction - a broody hen ripped a squirrel up. I heard the commotion and came out to find her chasing it all over the place and ripping chunks of flesh. In its frenzy, it couldn't find its exit. Where we are now we've got chipmunks, squirrels- some very fancy looking - all over the place, but no problems.

 

[rayrose]

Squirrels will eat chicken eggs. They don't just go after the food.

 

[cmom]

Are you sure (positive) it was a squirrel that injured your bird? Just curious. We have plenty of squirrels here too but they have never messed with the birds. I did have one squirrel get into a pens and then couldn't find a way out so I showed it the gate and got it out. I would put up a camera if you didn't actually see it just to see what or if the squirrel is messing with your birds. Good luck...

 

[Dephora]

Dang, never heard of a squirrel doing that. It is also usually pretty easy to tell how they get it, especially if they are eating the chicken feed, they get so fat they look like they have diabetes, not hard to catch them off guard and watch them run to their little hole and struggle to get through again. Usually a ground squirrel tunnel.

But a camera in the run will insure that you have answers in the future if it happens again.