pixiedouglas
Songster
I found a spot at the back of my coop/run that looked a little like something tried to dig under it. Our run is attached to the coop so the screen runs right up to the edge of the back, but the back and side where nest boxes are is outside of the run while the entrance and other side are inside the run. The coop is raised and under it is screened in as well so the chickens can go under it for shade. We filled in the hole and haven't seen it disturbed again.
We've had gophers which DH has been trapping pretty successfully, but this morning he found some tunnel looking things that for lack of a better description look like bugs bunny was in our backyard all night! The tunnels are too small for our gopher traps so we don't think it's gophers. What else would dig up tunnels right beneath the ground like that?
I know some rodents will go after chickens especially young chickens. I've got 3 four week olds that are in the run (in their own pen) during the day and in the garage at night. Then I've got 13 more ten to 14 week olds in the run and in the coop at night. I was planning this weekend to start putting the younger girls in a pen in the coop at night.
What would dig tunnels like this voles? moles? We're in central coastal CA, I was trying to search online for what else we might have locally that could do that. Which rodents will attack young chickens besides rats? I don't think we've got weasels around here, but do they even dig tunnels?
The tunnels are mostly around our garden, so maybe it's not even interested in the chickens, but I do let the girls into the run at dawn and some of them stay out till nearly dark so if it was active then I don't know... I might just be creeped out by the stories I've read about rats eating chicken toes and weasels slaughtering whole flocks of young pullets.
Anyone ever seen a miniature bugs bunny in their backyard?
We've had gophers which DH has been trapping pretty successfully, but this morning he found some tunnel looking things that for lack of a better description look like bugs bunny was in our backyard all night! The tunnels are too small for our gopher traps so we don't think it's gophers. What else would dig up tunnels right beneath the ground like that?
I know some rodents will go after chickens especially young chickens. I've got 3 four week olds that are in the run (in their own pen) during the day and in the garage at night. Then I've got 13 more ten to 14 week olds in the run and in the coop at night. I was planning this weekend to start putting the younger girls in a pen in the coop at night.
What would dig tunnels like this voles? moles? We're in central coastal CA, I was trying to search online for what else we might have locally that could do that. Which rodents will attack young chickens besides rats? I don't think we've got weasels around here, but do they even dig tunnels?
The tunnels are mostly around our garden, so maybe it's not even interested in the chickens, but I do let the girls into the run at dawn and some of them stay out till nearly dark so if it was active then I don't know... I might just be creeped out by the stories I've read about rats eating chicken toes and weasels slaughtering whole flocks of young pullets.
Anyone ever seen a miniature bugs bunny in their backyard?
