Early morning Mink battle *pictures* graphic

[Warped]

I just had a similar incident happen to me also last week.
I went out to feed and water my ducks and found 1 dead.
Later on that day,i went out to check on my 3 ducks that was left and found 2 more dead and a mink was eating the head off one of my females.

 

[gypsy2621]

we got him at 5m tonight rotten chicken killer.

Now we wait to see if the female comes around.
this one large Mink.

 

[Attack Chicken]

Beautiful fur! You should get it tanned. And good job!

 

[jhm47]

That's a big old male mink. Since they are solitary animals, and only "fraternize" during a short period at mating time, you likely won't see a female. Male mink are huge travelers. They cover many miles each day, and don't like to encroach on another males territory. Now, since this male has been removed, another young male will take his place over a period of time. Don't let your guard down.

 

[Badlatitude]

Congrats on the catch

 

[Cetawin]

Doubtful you will see a female...wrong time of year for them to be hanging out together.

Nice mink. Do you know how to tan that hide? Here is how if you have not disposed of it...skin that guy and take the brain out and set the brain aside.

Scrape all of the flesh and membrane off the backside of the hide (the part without the furs). Mix the brains with warm water and make a paste. Stretch the hide out tight on a board and nail it down, flesh side up, rub the brain paste into the flesh side and saturate it...then strart pulling and stretching the hide and working the brains into the hide...keep stretching it and pulling it until it dries out completely. You can do it over a couple of days. Then just hang it in a tree over a fire in the smoke and smoke it...that will preserve it for you.

For now freeze the brains and scraoe the flesh and membrane off the hide and it up and put it in a plastic bag and freeze it. You can tan it when it warms up.

 

[redhen]

well, hubby says thats what he saw that killed our hens a few weeks ago..so, i guess it wasnt a weasel then..it was a mink...what did you use for bait please? , thanks, Wendy

 

[dancingbear]

Minks and weasels are closely related, they look a lot alike. And they can squeeze through really small cracks, it difficult to make an coop proof against that family a predators. Not impossible, but certainly not the easiest thing to do.

So glad you caught this one! Good job!

As for skunks, I think they've omnivorous, aren't they? I've used sliced apples to trap raccoons, and possums, I bet it would work for skunks, too. So would peanut butter. Less likely to catch the family cat, that way. Most cats don't care for fruit or peanut butter. I have one that likes both, but she's a weird cat.

I prefer live traps, like yours, so if I do happen to catch one of my cats or even one of the chickens, in the daytime, I can just release it. I can always kill a predator after I catch it.

 

[colby318]

Holy dead mink, batman!

You've got yourself a nice stole you can wear proudly and say you EARNED it. I would stuff it and put it on top of the coop to keep the owls away!

 

[gypsy2621]

Quote:
Cetawin,
Thank You for the instructions and directions for tanning and smoking the hide. I will definately use it for my rabbits.
The Mink went to a trapper friend of ours.
Economy what it is and I have no use for a preditor stole after it took my best rooster away from me. and The Trapper can use the extra dollars it will bring him. He is such a decent guy he rarely charges us to get rid of racoons, and this sort of covers a little bit for him at least.
Wendy,
As for bait believe it or not mink and weasels are relatively food driven and stupid. they are so intent on getting food that they travel the outside walls of a coop untill they can find a gap barely big enough to slip through.
this is where you set a hav-a- hart trap, unbaited along the outer walls.They are so food orientated that they litterally run head first into the trap, triggering the pan and slamming the doors shut .
whats funny is they will then sit there and look at you like " how did that happen"

Easiest dispatch for a mink or weasel believe it or not is to crouch by the trap with a high powered air pistol against the cage, they have a natrual instinct to bite. the minute it bites the gun barrel pull the trigger.
pellet enters the mouth and goes directly to the brain stem severing it completely. quick painless and no ruined pelt.

In the 15 years we have lived here this is only the third mink we have had to dispatch. and every time it has been a large male.
I hope its a long time before I have to go through something like this again.
ETA: the coop has been better secured, I still cant believe the tiny crack he slipped through, those prehensial bodies are amazing.