Graphic pic warning: A hard to catch ermine- GOT IT.

[NorthwoodsChick]

Its a mystery on how this weasel got into my run- or when. It killed one hen during the afternoon yesterday. I
locked the flock in the coop and they are safe at least. The ermine is under the coop and cannot escape because of the predator apron. Coop and run are attached. I set rat traps, sticky traps and a live trap in the run, baited them but it evades the traps. I ambushed it this afternoon and am pretty sure I hit it with a pellet gun but it went back under the coop and hasn’t come out. I have a live game cam in the run;
If I don’t see it by morning will it be relatively safe to let the flock back into the run?
Now the mystery..I have a 2 ft horizontal predator apron to the coop and run, and the ground is frozen so its unlikely it dug under.
Is it possible it scaled the side of run then somehow got onto the metal roof despite a 10 inch overhang? The metal roof ridges are not filled but I didn’t think anything could/would get up there and not slide off. The coop itself is a fiberglass building 7.5 ft tall, so no footholds for climbing to get into that roof. I’m perplexed- Obviously there’s a breach somewhere. The ermine can’t find a way out so that leads me to think it accessed via the roof. The pitch is 6-12.
Is that possible?

 

[NorthwoodsChick]

Ermine still alive in run. Has a wound at the shoulder but no mobility limitation, clearly.
Is there a poison that is effective on weasels?

 

[NorthwoodsChick]

I poisoned it with lead.

 

[Penpal]

Fly Bait. There are two kinds, get what you can. In a little saucer, 1/2 teaspoon fly bait with 1/8 cup of milk.

 

[itsasmallfarm]

please don't poison the weasel, you don't know what will get into the poison or what will eat the dead animal effected by said poison.

i would use weasel boxes with a rat trap.

 

[NorthwoodsChick]

please don't poison the weasel, you don't know what will get into the poison or what will eat the dead animal effected by said poison.

i would use weasel boxes with a rat trap.

Thanks for the reminder. I do know that poisons can impact anything that eats the dead animal. That would have to a desperation move, and I was nowhere near to that point.
My neighbor lost 6 Brahmas in a weekend to ermine. She hired someone to trap- not sure what they used but there were a couple dead ermine in the trap.
Anyway- thanks for the reply.

 

[itsasmallfarm]

Thanks for the reminder. I do know that poisons can impact anything that eats the dead animal. That would have to a desperation move, and I was nowhere near to that point.
My neighbor lost 6 Brahmas in a weekend to ermine. She hired someone to trap- not sure what they used but there were a couple dead ermine in the trap.
Anyway- thanks for the reply.

No problem, sorry to hear about the loss.

yes weasels are really bad, am a trapper who catches a few each winter (along with raccoons), i always try and tell people to use a method that should avoid un-wanted damage to wild life, us trappers get a bad rap from the anti crowd more then fishermen and even hunters.

 

[McChooky]

Glad to hear you took care of the problem! They're a nightmare in a coop!