Squirrel problem

[madison528]

Any advice or tips to help get rid of squirrels that keep trying to eat the chicken feed. Our feed is enclosed in a bin but they keep coming into the run and eating out of the feeders to the point I’m just paying to feed squirrels I don’t know how to get rid of them besides waiting out there all day and shooting them with a BB gun haha which we’ve have hit one but it came back and my chickens ignore them and don’t care that they’re eating their food. I’m not sure if we need to get traps? But any advice would be so helpful thank you!!!

 

[nuthatched]

Maybe a treadle feeder?

 

[Captain13]

You can spray peppermint oil (mix it with water) around the run and it will usually repel squirrels. I have to use it here on my tractor or they eat up the wiring harnesses. They don’t like peppermint oil. Treadle feeders should work as well.

 

[Al Gerhart]

Most treadle feeders won't stop a squirrel because if it is a guillotine style like the Chinese made Grandpa feeder and the many Grandpa clones on the market the lid can simply be pushed up by even tiny ground squirrels.

IF you have full sized birds we have a dual spring treadle feeder that will stop a squirrel as long as you keep the springs set stiff enough to prevent him from pushing the door open. The springs act directly upon the door, not the treadle bar, so the wire link won't flex and let the tree rat get to the feed.

If you have a bunch of squirrels it is harder to stop them but single squirrels, no problem.

 

[mowin]

The only way is to make your run predator proof. 1/2" HC all over. If they can't get in, they can't eat any food.

 

[Mick214]

We noticed that we weren’t getting as many eggs from our girls in the past week. The other night I was checking on our chickens and I discovered a squirrel in the nesting box! So, I figured the squirrel was causing my girls to freak out and that’s they stopped laying eggs.

Needless to say, I went on high alert. I put out a trap next to the run and made ready with my .410 shotgun.

This morning we saw the squirrel outside the run. The tree rat made a dash for cover, but a .410 round amidships put a quick and just end to his chicken terrorizing days.

I will leave the trap set just in case there are more of those pesky interlopers about. My lovely bride is picking up a Costco sized jar of red pepper flakes today, so we can add that as a squirrel deterrent as well.

 

[Mick214]

Update: The girls (We have six chickens) seem back to normal now. We got five eggs yesterday….