Have you ever heard Ray Stevens’ song about the squirrel in the church? That’s how I felt yesterday.
The 13 little chickens were all standing on the ramp, looking inside the coop . . like “we need help”. I ignored them for a while but then decided to go see what was going on. I opened the coop door and there was a squirrel in there eating the chickens’ food. Almost at the exact minute I saw him, he made a flying leap out the door . . the door I had just opened and was standing in front of! We jumped so close past my head that I felt the breeze from him passing by. Thank goodness there was no one within hearing distance because I screamed and it might have included a word that a lady should not be saying, and thank goodness . . I did not have to go to the bathroom at that instant!
A few minutes later, I was in the house and looked out and there he was at the watering container inside the chickens’ run area.
I took the photos from the porch and didn’t try to get up close to him til I’d already gotten the pictures I wanted but once he saw me, he went straight through the netting at the top. It’s obvious he does this often. I’ll start filling a water container outside the fence and see if he will drink out there and stay out of the chickens’ water. I don’t know what kind of diseases squirrels may have and I don’t want them passing anything along to the chickens.
Considering how much wildlife we see around here, we don’t see a lot of squirrels and I’d be real happy if this one doesn’t scare the heck out of me again.
Sue S says
Oh gosh, this just made me laugh today.. one because I know that what one squirrel knows, pretty soon ALL of them will know. We have bird feeder and they’re supposed to be squirrel resistant but soon they figure it out and we move on to another kind. And secondly because my brother has such thing about squirrels — he could go on for hours about what he’d do to them if he could catch them! Poor chicks, not knowing what to do about the intrude! Poor Judy, I jumped right along with you as I read this.
Karin Vail says
he looks like a good target for practice. I’m sorry, but I think squirrels are just rats with fluffy tails! YUCK.
Sherry V. says
Texas is sure causing you to do a LOT of screaming lately! LOL First the solar panel issue, now the squirrel. . . . wonder what adventure you will have next.
My life is so boring that I am glad to hear all of your adventures!
glen in louisiana says
I have an ongoing war with the squirrels here. I have every squirrel proof feeder in existance and they eat from all of them.
SarahB says
A BB gun will change his mind about going in there and won’t kill him (unless you want too) AND its good target practice. But I’m with Karin, I think they are pretty nasty little creatures. Not as bad in the country but rats with fluffy tails is a perfect description of a city squirrel!
Joyce says
That made me laugh! I work at an University, and you never know when a squirrel is going to pop out of a trash can on campus. They eat so much, they’re rather slow…but it still startling!
Marsha B says
Quite a few years ago, when I lived in a northern suburb of Chicago, we had a horrible squirrel problem for several years in a row. They were everywhere and in their hunt to find food, they chewed holes through the tops of all the plastic garbage cans in the neighborhood. Whenever I took garbage out to the cans I had to bang on the side of the can before trying to open it. They would jump out of the holes and scare me and the kids. It only lasted a couple of years, then they stopped doing it. Must have just had a big boom in the population for a while and they were really hard up for food.
Vickie VanDyken says
LOL!!! I feel your pain 🙂 Here squirrels are everywhere. What really gets me are the darn Possums. They can be mean and they get as large as well they are really big….Living in the country is great but we have to share it. At least he doesn’t eat the chickens 🙂
Thanks for the story and the pictures!
Sharon says
Don’t they eat the eggs? I had a problem with them trying to get into a bluebird house. I thought they were going after the eggs.
Love that song by Ray Stevens! I laugh every time I hear it.
Rebecca in SoCal says
And here I am thinking the chickens should be a defense force of their own! If they’d gang up on the squirrel, it wouldn’t stand a chance. Oh, well.
I don’t know about water outside; there’s still food inside, and you surely don’t want to be feeding the critter. Please keep us informed!
Mary C in WA says
Those darn squirrels are quick. They freak my DD#2 out at picnics. I’m glad you held yourself and only one bad word came out of your mouth. Thank heaven for no close neighbors to hear it.
Carolyn says
OMG I would have USED the BR right there ! Sorry they are just fuzzy tailed rats!
Janet says
What about your new goats? How did Milking101 go?
Dawn says
we had squirrels where I lived prior. They would eat all the birdseed out of the feeders. that is until my sister and I got those long water guns and squirted the heck out of him. he ran and we had fun…..knowing we didnt “hurt” him but I think he got the message.
Sherrill says
Vince may need to get the gun out and sit on the porch waiting for the darned squirrels to come within range. I’ve thought of that myself here but too close to neighbors. Maybe hafta start trapping and taking them WAAYY far away!
Sherrill says
Oh yeah, meant to say I LOVED that Ray Stevens’ song. What a picture that paints when you listen to it!! FUN-NEE!!
Theresa says
I wonder if that’s why nature made some roosters so mean– to deal with the squirrels? After looking for advice about this on google, the only things that I think might work are traps and pellet guns.
CindyM says
OMG, I hate squirrels! To me, they are just rats with fluffy tails. When we lived in Texas, the squirrels would get just low enough on the branches on the trees in our backyard to tease the dogs. Now we have squirrels who run along the privacy fences between the houses in our neighborhood, carrying their prizes they still from people’s gardens… several times I’ve seen them with a tomato that you wonder how they got it in their mouth… running along the fence lines. My mom, God rest her soul, thought they were cute and had one of those squirrel feeders with the ear of corn on it outside her kitchen window so she could watch them. *sigh*
Donna Williams says
I needed a laugh, and you gave me one. I have to say we refer to squirrels as tree rats, and we have so so many of them – the darned things eat everything. Every time the fruit on any tree will be ripe tomorrow, the darned things come eat every. single. fruit. There’s no getting rid of them. They laugh (no, really, they do) at the bb gun, and double dog dare the dog to try to get them. So I do not like them one little bit. Hope your solution works, and thanks again for the laugh.
Rhonda says
LOL….those pesky squirrels are bothersome…..a BB gun/air gun might work…..so my brother use to say. I usually spray them with the water hose….time consuming but fun at times.
carol craven says
He has found his gold mine