Feeling like a total idiot

[Malquid]

I feel like a total idiot. After posting last night about successfulI outdoor brooding Iwoke up this morning to a massacre in my guinea keet brooder. Apparently 1\2 inch HWC is not small enough to keep out weasel hands. It's so small! There were two dead in the brooder with heads and limbs missing. Another was missing one leg and wing and was stuck in the HWC alive. I obviously put it out of its misery. It has been a whirlwind of emotion. The weasels must have stood on a plastic tote I have underneath storing wood chips. Then did their dirty work. I feel so guilty. BEWARE OF WEASELS. I got too comfy and they rocked my worlkd. I added plastic tiles to the bottom of the broode r and removed the tote. Hopefully that can keep them out. They killed my only pied keet and 2\3 lavender. Hard hard lesson.

Bummer sorry that happened. Weasels massacre a flock. They kill for sport. I am suprised they made it thru 1/2”. Are you sure there is no other way to get in? The general rule of thumb is the size of a quarter or 7/8” the gold standard for weasel roofing is 1/2” mesh.

 

[Tre3hugger]

Ok then. Just watch out.

No doubt!! I will forever remember this experience. And be on guard til these babes grow.

 

[Tre3hugger]

Bummer sorry that happened. Weasels massacre a flock. They kill for sport. I am suprised they made it thru 1/2”. Are you sure there is no other way to get in? The general rule of thumb is the size of a quarter or 7/8” the gold standard for weasel roofing is 1/2” mesh.

I trapped a raccoon near the brooder last night. Must have been his tiny hands and teeth reaching in from below. Still could have been a weasel I guess but yeah, I didnt think they could go through half inch. Now I am tihnking ti was the raccoon I caight.

 

[Malquid]

You have to catch it. It will continue to come back until all your birds are dead. Trust me. Bait a box trap or foot trap with chicken livers from the store. Make the trap look like a dark tunnel.

This ^
Trust what Yep says. They will be back till the chickens are dead. Don’t ask me how I know this.

 

[Malquid]

I trapped a raccoon near the brooder last night. Must have been his tiny hands and teeth reaching in from below. Still could have been a weasel I guess but yeah, I didnt think they could go through half inch. Now I am tihnking ti was the raccoon I caight.

It could be but normal raccoon behavior is to grab only one and haul it off to the family. Then the cone back every third day. It will take them roughly a few weeks to go through a flock of 10.
Are you saying maybe a raccoon is doing this by sticking his paw thru 1/2” mesh?

 

[Tre3hugger]

The alleged murderer.

 

[Tre3hugger]

It could be but normal raccoon behavior is to grab only one and haul it off to the family. Then the cone back every third day. It will take them roughly a few weeks to go through a flock of 10.
Are you saying maybe a raccoon is doing this by sticking his paw thru 1/2” mesh?

That was my thoughts afetr I caught the raccoon. The intial thought was weasel. These were 10 day olds keets, tiny, so it would take a couple to make a meal. 3 were maimed, missing parts. I have not ruled out weasel, the only thing I know for sure is I caught a raccoon under the brooder last night. Whether this was the assailant the night before, there is no way to know.

 

[ChocolateMouse]

Hope he picks the wrong direction to go - raccoons can have a foraging radius of 10 miles and can travel 18 in a day.

And they are a menace too, and they keep coming back over and over. Realistically the only way to get rid of a coon problem is to build something strong enough to exclude them.

My chicken coop has chains on the nest boxes, a bar on the pop door, hinged latches with carabeeners on them top and bottom, and a rooster that will fight them to the death (saw him try once) and they STILL try to get in at night.

I'm really sorry for your loss.

 

[Yep I Talk To Chickens]

I had a coon problem it was a faimly of 5.i had to trap and shoot. So don't be surprised if there are more cokns in the area. My friend has caught 18 so far. And yes she traped and killed them and used foot traps.

 

[Tre3hugger]

I am not against killing the next ones if any that I get. Do you guys know of any way to use the raccoon so it's not just a waste? Worst case scenario there is always the compost pile.