We had a weseal digging......started away from the barn....dug tunnel coming up under the barn.......then into the chicken run. At night, he would crawl through the tunnel...come up under the barn, into the run & go through the chicken door into the roosting area. Killed several of my chicks. Devestating loss. We set a trap in the roosting area (after relocating the chicks to another area completely), so when he would enter the roosting area, the door would shut after him....confining him to the roosting room. Well, he set the trap of early in the evening....like 9pm or so. BUT.....he was able to figure out how to slide out of the door and he escaped. That very same night.....about 45 minutes after we think he triggered the trap......we sat outside. On the deck, about 300ft from the coop/run. My fiance had his rifle ready. Took a flashlight and kept light on hole he was coming up through (into the run). SURE ENOUGH.....he returned......only to receive a bullet to the face. HE's no longer with us.....
BUT............I didn't relocate the chicks to the area right away. Wanted to make sure the weseal didn't have friends. Sure enough, the tunnel is being used again. I know this for a fact, as I have covered up the holes only to find them dug out once again. The hunt continues..............
Our experience with the weseal was he would get into the roosting area and bite the chicks on the neck. That's the only mark we could find. No mutulation at all. And, as the nights went on, the killing got worse. Started with two 2 month old Jap chicks (totally disappeared, which is why we didn't suspect a predator right away).....then I lost about 4 chicks (1 completely gone..disappeared...3 w/bite marks).........then, the worst night.....6 dead and 2 missing.
I wish you the best. We continue our hunt for weseals and now foxes. Our furtherest coop has been attacked by a "fox family".
BUT............I didn't relocate the chicks to the area right away. Wanted to make sure the weseal didn't have friends. Sure enough, the tunnel is being used again. I know this for a fact, as I have covered up the holes only to find them dug out once again. The hunt continues..............
Our experience with the weseal was he would get into the roosting area and bite the chicks on the neck. That's the only mark we could find. No mutulation at all. And, as the nights went on, the killing got worse. Started with two 2 month old Jap chicks (totally disappeared, which is why we didn't suspect a predator right away).....then I lost about 4 chicks (1 completely gone..disappeared...3 w/bite marks).........then, the worst night.....6 dead and 2 missing.
I wish you the best. We continue our hunt for weseals and now foxes. Our furtherest coop has been attacked by a "fox family".
