- Oct 3, 2012
- 29
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- 24
My coop is full enclosed with 2x4 inch welded wire on the inside and out, with poultry netting on the bottom four feet or so. There are some places inside and out on the ground level where the netting is rusted away. The inside is an enclosed corner of our lean-to which has concrete floor. I lost a chicken and three ducks, four nights in a row. The initial chicken had been killed by something digging under the fence and carried the chicken off. I placed blocks along that side so it could not dig in there anymore. The next night my runner duck was killed and his head drug through a 2x4 inch place in the outside run where the netting was rusted. Only the head/neck was eaten but obviously it had been trying to take the entire carcass away. The predator had to have entered through the 2x4 inch hole somewhere. Nothing had dug under. The next night I lost my rouen duck on the interior of the coop, head eaten laying against the side of the pen but not pulled through. The fourth night I lost my male pekin duck, killed but nothing eaten on the interior of the pen. The female pekin was mauled on the base of her neck but has survived. A few of these nights they were locked inside and a few were not, so clearly its getting in a 2x4 inch hole on the inside and/or outside. I was certain I had a mink. Now it went 5 nights with nothing. Last night a hen was killed and tried to drag through the same hole as the runner duck, head and neck completely gone.
Some of my research seems to indicate that this could be a coon or a mink. If its a coon, I can probably secure the entire coop/run from it. If it is a mink, that is going to be much more difficult. Three or four nights in a row I set two live traps with chicken livers but did not catch anything. About two weeks before this started, I lost a pearl white hen in the coop, dead on the floor, headless. That next day, my FIL found a dead mink (killed by our feral farm dog likely) and I found a small possum living in a straw bale we were keeping right outside the interior coop (we killed it and removed the straw bale). I thought we were in the clear until these killing started. What am I dealing with? I am now leaning toward coon and I personally hope its a coon rather than a mink from what I have read!
Some of my research seems to indicate that this could be a coon or a mink. If its a coon, I can probably secure the entire coop/run from it. If it is a mink, that is going to be much more difficult. Three or four nights in a row I set two live traps with chicken livers but did not catch anything. About two weeks before this started, I lost a pearl white hen in the coop, dead on the floor, headless. That next day, my FIL found a dead mink (killed by our feral farm dog likely) and I found a small possum living in a straw bale we were keeping right outside the interior coop (we killed it and removed the straw bale). I thought we were in the clear until these killing started. What am I dealing with? I am now leaning toward coon and I personally hope its a coon rather than a mink from what I have read!