Tell me about minks

[ladyearth]

(Night vision is turning out to be an awesome investment). you said.......explain please you mean goggles etc? thanks

Well I doubled up security around the coop yesterday to protect from digging and funnel him into my traps. I also cleared out the brush from the corner of the yard where we saw him by the fence, so he will be more exposed if he comes around. (Night vision is turning out to be an awesome investment).

Right now I feel like my efforts to catch him have been a bit schizo. I've got lights and stuff setup to keep him away, as well as traps to draw him in. But now that I'm confident about my nighttime security, I think need to shift gears, get rid of the deterrents, and bait him in all the way.

The best part is that I know where he is coming from, the path he is taking to the coop, as well as the time of night he is likely to return. I'm pretty certain I saw him last night, but my dog opened the door and when I tried to push her back in she knocked over a metal bucket LOL, and I didn't see it again.

 

[Toddrick]

[COLOR=333333](Night vision is turning out to be an awesome investment). you said.......explain please you mean  goggles etc? thanks[/COLOR]

I have an NV monocular. Not a fancy one, but not a cheap one either. I bought a 1x, non magnified, so I could move while looking through it without disorientation. SEAL teams use a similar monocular (or two monoculars/goggles) mounted to a helmet, but I don't have a helmet...although now I kinda wish I did.

With my IR flashlight I can see over 100yds with no moonlight. The animals eyes reflect the IR light the same as a visible flashlight, which makes them easy to spot. A good IR light is about as important as the tube I think.

 

[Egriggs12]

I had a mink kill 20+ chickens. They don't even eat them just tear the heads off and massacre yor whole coop. I wouldn't take any chances

 

[ladyearth]

why do minks do that??? doesnt make sense.. is it for the blood???
keep on wearing fur yall. I dont understand why God lets poor chickens suffer with mites, lic, bad predators,,,, people abuse....

 

[GitaBooks]

I study animal behavior and its true, mink attacking that way doesn't seem to make sense (seems like they are just being evil) however, if you look more closely at how they live in the wild, it makes more sense. Mink are small and have a fast metabolism, so if they don't eat often, they will die, particularly during the winter. They must catch as much as possible or they will starve in just a few days. Their prey drive is by far stronger than their food drive, they will chase what runs even if they already have something to eat (something seen in mink trained to hunt). The more they catch, the more likely they are to live.
Studies show that mink are less likely to surplus kill, which the stoat is infamous for, and usually just attacks one fowl. Poultry aren't even the preferred prey, it makes up only 1% of the diet. They prefer small mammals such as muskrats and rabbits, voles, wild birds and fish.
Weasels will sometimes cache surplus kills as well so they can come back and eat them later. While it expends a lot of energy to hunt so many animals, it is worth the effort to them.

I hope this explains the behavior better.

 

[wakeydave]

Hi I'm new to this site I'm from the uk and I came across this site as today I had a mink dig its way into my run and take my only rooster.my partner said she heard commotion from our side and all the hens were up high and the rooster who was only young stayed and tried to see off the mink so 100% respect to him.however obviously he was killed but the mink could not get him back through the hole so decided to just lap his blood up. On hearing this I did some research and found that they don't particularly eat the bird they only want the blood this is why they kill many by removing the head but don't eat them so it seems like mindless killing. I didn't get chance to catch him but as I am a builder I soon made my run impenetrable now. And I understand if they do find an easy source of food they are stubborn and will return so best to put an end to him.i however have a river at the bottom of my garden so that's why I fortified my run rather than kill it as there will just be one after another to replace the one I killed

 

[Bridebeliever]

Yes, definitely the best offense is a good defense! We can't kill every predator that would go after our chickens but we do have to fortify their castles!