The attack of the squirrels HELP!

[Agz6534]

I have been having this problem whare my 10 chickens go through about 100 pounds of food a week, I have discovers that every day there are these 8 squirrels that binge eat all my food I have tried only putting a little bit of food out there but thene the chickens don’t eat this is a big conundrum . Does any one have any ideas on solving my problem

 

[PhillyDelcoChix]

Is the food being put out out in the open or in a run?

 

[Boonie Stomper]

Add capsaicin (chickens are unaffected by the "hot" in peppers that mammals feel).

 

[Agz6534]

Is the food being put out out in the open or in a run?

I leave it out in the yard

 

[PhillyDelcoChix]

I leave it out in the yard

Yeah that’s a toughie. We used to add red pepper flakes to our bird feeders, but the damn squirrels would just dump it all and pull out the pieces that were unaffected. And we spent so much on the damn flakes!!!
Can you put their feed into an enclosed area that they can get in and out of, like an enclosed run? They can eat when they want and roam when the want. Might deter squirrels...
Then again...they are greedy little bastards.

 

[ChocolateMouse]

Spray the feed lightly with a VERY strong hot sauce, or straight cayenne powder mixed in a little oil for a couple weeks and only feed out what they will eat in one day. Birds can't taste/feel the chemical that burns but squirrels can.
Make an auto feeder designed for chickens to reach their tiny heads and long necks into.
Feed only in the coop.

 

[TomZilla43]

Wowsa 100 lbs a wk?!?! Yeah you have to find some kind of solution that's too crazy. Do your chooks free range most of the time? I feel like we need a little more info on your coop/set-up to really be able to help.....

 

[Boonie Stomper]

Instead of flakes, try spraying the feed with a hot pepper spray. This could be cheap or expensive depending on what you use. There are prepackaged additives, or simply cayenne powder or make your own spray to mist the feed with.
I'm going to grow Carolina Reaper peppers this year, so may be using that to make my own spray, if they grow well.
For adding cayenne powder, it should help if it sticks to the feed. Mix well. With a light oil mist first on the day's feed, such as for non stick cooking, it should be easy to make a dusting of hotness stick to the food.
Also deters other rodents from eating it.

 

[Boonie Stomper]

Oh, btw, squirrel stew may be an option... You could even feed that to the chickens!

 

[Geena]

I had the same problem several years ago. They are ridiculously easy to trap in a havahart. I got several each day and three days later, problem solved. You can easily dispatch them with a high powered pellet gun while in the trap.
As Boonie mentioned, some people eat them. I happen to know someone who does, so win - win, I got rid of my problem, he got a dozen squirrels to eat.