Look what we caught in our trap....

[FortCluck]

I'm glad that you caught the critter that is causing problems. I'm sorry for your loss

 

[Mimi13]

We bought a trap yesterday at Tractor Supply after the hen coop got wiped out 2 nights ago (12 birds). There is a 2.5" gap over the door where the panel bends. This morning we found this. Looks to be an American mink? I was guessing racoons so boy was I surprised. Hard lesson learned. Every inch of coop needs hardware cloth on it.

View attachment 1965468

Looks like the beginnings of a mink stole to me.

 

[Mimi13]

Thank everyone. This is a coop we've had for 7 years. This was the first time I've lost anything inside a locked coop. It was heartbreaking. I really thought they were safe. This one is going sting awhile.

 

[Howard E]

A few educational opportunity questions for you.......

1. Prior to the mink attack, have you had any problems with rodents like rats or mice?

2. On the dead birds......how did you find them? Random scattered about or piled up in a neat row?

3. What visible damage was there to the birds? As in how were they killed?

4. What bait did you use?

5. That does not appear to be the standard havahart trap. If not, what brand was it? And size?

 

[TwentyOneChickens]

We bought a trap yesterday at Tractor Supply after the hen coop got wiped out 2 nights ago (12 birds). There is a 2.5" gap over the door where the panel bends. This morning we found this. Looks to be an American mink? I was guessing racoons so boy was I surprised. Hard lesson learned. Every inch of coop needs hardware cloth on it.

View attachment 1965468

Aaaa it’s so cuteee!

 

[Brady bunch]

I heard that those things are a major threat to chickens/ducks. Make extra sure that at night there is no leftover food.

 

[MrPaw]

Teary eyed. How sad to loose everything in one night.

 

[WthrLady]

The last words I said to our mink before the pull were, "Cute isn't going to save you."

Glad you got it.

 

[ChocolateMouse]

Skin it, tan it & post above your food bucket as a reminder to always be safe & never forget. Or at least put it's picture up with the names of your darlings.

Thisi is 100% terrible news & I am so sorry that you've had this happen!

This happened to me with a raccoon. I can't hunt down the coon, it was one of countless and no firearms allowed in my city. But I lost all 10 chickens in one night. Design flaw in the coop.

I found a bunch of fur stuck on a corner of the door he broke into stuck to a screw - very clearly raccoon. I sealed it into some packing tape and taped it with a few expletives on a piece of paper on my fridge. The paper had all the steps listed for a new coop, bigger and MUCH more secure with extra latches. That raccoon fur lived on my fridge for several months as a reminder of what I was working towards as I rebuilt my coop and flock.

Now I have a bigger, sturdier coop with multiple coon proof latches on each door. A month after it was done I finally got rid of the rebuilding list and the fur. It was a great motivational tool while I had it up and it was a bittersweet sense of a job well done to remove it.

 

[UThobbyfarmer]

A few educational opportunity questions for you.......

1. Prior to the mink attack, have you had any problems with rodents like rats or mice?

2. On the dead birds......how did you find them? Random scattered about or piled up in a neat row?

3. What visible damage was there to the birds? As in how were they killed?

4. What bait did you use?

5. That does not appear to be the standard havahart trap. If not, what brand was it? And size?

1. Yes, we do have mice around. We have a barn cat, lots of garter snakes and I put out bait once a year (underneath hay bales where nothing else can reach it). Seems to keep them in check.

2. There were in 2 piles of bodies. Most were back of the coop by the laying box. Two were by the front door. I didn't remember the being particularly neat but I was out of sorts during the clean up.

3. About half were missing their heads. Most of the damage seemed to be in the head and neck area.

4. We used legs and feet off the dead birds. I figured whatever it was liked chicken. I would have tried wet cat food tonight.

5. It's a Countyline trap. Came in a two pack for $32. A Medium 32 in. x 12 in. x 10 in. and small 24 in. x 7 in. x 7 in. These traps have poor reviews online. Mostly relating to the sensitivity of the trigger. We decided to take a chance on it but were prepared to do some tinkering to get it working properly if need be. Ours both worked great right out of the box.