I have strong feelings about "mink farm(er)s"

[Not-so Slick Chicken]

I have a lot of emotions right now.

I happened to be outside when I heard the brand new momma duck getting attacked (it's daylight btw)

I'll spare the details.
Eventually that mink was dispatched.

Most of her brand new ducklings (hatched today) survived.
The duck isn't looking good.

I shouldn't have left.

When I went back out to check on them, not long after, ALL the ducklings were... you know.
The duck is in really bad shape.
(Details omitted, happened to be able to get that *second mink dispatched as well.)

Anybody reading this...
If you live in an area where mink farmers MIGHT move in... I don't know if you can, but try to put things in place in advance to stop that from happening.

The people here TRIED. Really hard.
But once they move in.... you're pretty much screwed.

 

[BlindLemonChicken]

That’s awful!! How are they escaping the farm? Seems you should be able to get compensation somehow.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

Absolutely! The mink should be securely contained! Definitely take pictorial evidence to the mink ranch to prove what happened and seek damages. If they decline, press charges. Document EVERYTHING. Good luck.

Sorry for typos, got in a hurry.

 

[JacinLarkwell]

Their enclosures should be secure enough to prevent escape. Even ignoring the potential predator problem, if their minks are escaping, they're losing breeding and fur stock which also hurts their pockets

 

[Not-so Slick Chicken]

I'm not sure how much info is available online about this stuff

And I'm not sure how the rules change in different areas (even just hours away, the mink farm rules are different)

But here's my understanding and experience of how it works here

- the mink aren't tagged, in any way (you "can't prove" who it belongs to)
- yes, they know their animals escape, trespass, and kill
- yes they don't want to lose money on their mink
- they don't take back their own mink in case it could spread diseases to the rest of the mink
(*don't ask me how that means they just watch as their mink escape their property, instead of just killing it themselves)
- their mink farm is designed to keep others OUT, not to keep mink in (as evidenced by us having this happen repeatedly.)

SUPPOSEDLY, these mink usually escape when they are moving them to different cages, like if it's breeding season or they're separating the babies from the mom.
I'm not privy to their schedule. It's not like they inform us "oh yeah hey, our mink escaped so be on the lookout"

(*btw they're usually young/baby mink that we catch killing our animals. But there have been larger ones, as well)

Oh. And any "compensation" is a slap in the face.
Think pennies and dollars. Doesn't matter how if they've cost you thousands in costs, and all the heartache

 

[BigBlueHen53]

In that case, it sounds like it's incumbent on you to keep your chickens safe. I'd be setting traps all over the place and have me a "critter-getter" pistol to dispatch anything I caught.

 

[Not-so Slick Chicken]

*compensation comment - no we haven't ever taken compensation. I'm giving an example of what they might say.
If they admit fault, you might have a case. They're never going to admit fault.

 

[Not-so Slick Chicken]

In that case, it sounds like it's incumbent on you to keep your chickens safe. I'd be setting traps all over the place and have me a "critter-getter" pistol to dispatch anything I caught.

I'm aware.
We do what we can.

It costs money to mink-proof an area. It's nothing like predator proofing for skunk and raccoons (which we do fine with)

 

[BoundlessLove]

Free ranging is no longer an option.
Also, fence in your coop and run, duck hut, etc.
and invest in a couple of LGD puppies to keep in the fence and raise with your animals
to protect them. They can be trained.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

Humph. I have three dogs in the house and not one of them said boo about the opossum in the back porch last week. Guard dogs indeed. I guess they didn't think the trash needed protection.