I think I saw a weasel

[dixygirl]

When I put my chicks up i saw some reddish brown thing like a long tubular rat scamper across the ground. It was outside of my welded wire fencing but i fear that it could squeeze in and wreak havoc. The chicks sleep inside of a cement block building. But there are vent holes that are covered with vent grates. It could possibly push the grates out and weasel on in making their home a cement tomb. Alternately, if i let them out to their pen tomorrow he could squeeze through the wire and have a destructive feast.

I imagine i need something like large rat traps. I can also get some rat poison I imagine. Any other suggestions?

 

[LilRalphieRoosmama]

Yes, that sounds like a weasel or a mink. I think that's what got one of my hens last week. It was able to squeeze through a chain link fence to get my hen. I wonder if a Have-a-heart trap would catch it, but I don't know what to bait it with (can't use poison because of my dogs).

Sure hope they don't get yours, or come back for the rest of mine.

 

[spook]

Trap. That is basicly the only thing. They can get in anywhere, its one of those things that we cannot have complete control over unless you use hardware cloth.
Preditors are everywhere, if it isn't the weasle, it would be a cat, fisher, dog, hawk, owl, osprey, coyote...and the list goes on. Do your best at keeping them safe and try to get some sleep tonight, then look at the ways you can up security.

 

[LilRalphieRoosmama]

What would you bait it with to catch a weasel?

 

[GmacD]

pretty sure it would be a mink, minks killed all my ducklings from this year. if it is a martin try not to kill it(martins are endangered look for a picture on google images) either way a live trap is best.

 

[dixygirl]

Well I just set my live trap with a fragrant piece of roasted chicken as bait. If it is chicken he wants, chicken he will get.

Hopefully it is only a little bunny rabbit and i can turn it loose.
I may have to keep them in their coop for a while until it leaves. No fresh air for my birdies

PS I set the trap about 15 feet from their coop because that's the area where i spotted the critter. Do you think it is a bad idea to have delicious smelling bait so close to my coop?

 

[dacjohns]

Martens and fishers do not occur south of the Mason-Dixon line.

 

[nnbreeder]

Canned cat food works good for critters like that.

 

[LilRalphieRoosmama]

Good luck Dixygirl! Hope you get it!!!!

 

[dixygirl]

Thanks all. I don't know what's wrong with this darn trap. Everytime i set it i come out in the morning to find the food stolen, the trap door slammed shut and the cage EMPTY!

I have wired up the back door so now i no there is no where for them to get out. What do i have around here... Houdini predators or something?

They are going in getting the food and getting out of the cage even though the door slams shut! Maybe the tension is set too high so it doesn't shut untill after they are out and bump up against it. I need to make the trigger more sensitive maybe.

Anyways, I haven't spotted him around today. Maybe having to struggle to get out of the trap scared him away.