Look what we caught in our trap....

[Mimi13]

That is definitely a mink. I'm here to attest that they will go on killing sprees and take everything in a building. In my case they didn't bother piling up the carcasses and caused no visible damage. They were just dead and nothing eaten.
My family has raised chickens here or within a mile of here at the old homestead since the 1870s. We never had an issue with or saw a mink.
About 6 years ago Walmart built a store about 3/4 of a mile from my house as the crow flies. In the process they cut about 80 acres of old growth forest along the creek. Within a couple weeks, the attacks started and I was trying to figure out how what I thought were raccoons were getting in. It soon became clear the culprit/s weren't raccoons. In less than a week I lost about $3,000 worth of birds. Each night they got into another building and killed everything inside. I installed a baby monitor in one of the remaining buildings and was awakened by carnage. I ran out and was able to stop it after it had only killed half the birds. That was when I realized they can get into an opening as large as an inch. There was a gap above the concrete floor at the base of the door. I fixed that and hadn't lost another bird for a couple weeks. But every other building was invaded over time. One had no opening over 1/2" but after losing every bird in that building I found a small gap where the bottom of the siding had pulled away from the sill plate.
That experience almost got me out of the chicken business.
To try to salvage the rare genetics I cut out eggs from some of the hen's and it took me a week to burn all the carcasses.
I've killed 3 mink but I'm not naïve enough to think they are no longer around.
Those losses set back my breeding program by many years.

That is unbelievable. Those varmints are obviously ruthless. I am so sorry.

This has made me give thought to my situation which I will post in a separate thread. Thank you.

ETA: link to my security concern. Securing Openings of a Tin Roof

 

[ChickenCanoe]

So sorry for your loss!
Good thing that you dispatched the mink or weasel, somebody has released a raccoon in my area and because it knows about traps now, i can't trap it anymore. It is lurking around at night, trying to break into my duck house and the storage shed with the food.
...

Once a raccoon is wise, there is no way to catch one in a box trap.
The only way to catch a wise one is either a duke style dog proof leg trap or a snare.
https://www.flemingoutdoors.com/dog-proof-raccoon-traps.html
https://www.flemingoutdoors.com/snares.html
One year I set 2 traps. A hav-a-hart type and a dog proof leg trap. Both 20' apart with the same bait. Never once did a raccoon enter the box trap but the foothold trap caught 9.

 

[roosterhavoc]

Once a raccoon is wise, there is no way to catch one in a box trap.
The only way to catch a wise one is either a duke style dog proof leg trap or a snare.
https://www.flemingoutdoors.com/dog-proof-raccoon-traps.html
https://www.flemingoutdoors.com/snares.html
One year I set 2 traps. A hav-a-hart type and a dog proof leg trap. Both 20' apart with the same bait. Never once did a raccoon enter the box trap but the leg trap caught 9.

Round and round we go. Foothold.

 

[ValerieJ]

That is definitely a mink. I'm here to attest that they will go on killing sprees and take everything in a building. In my case they didn't bother piling up the carcasses and caused no visible damage. They were just dead and nothing eaten.
My family has raised chickens here or within a mile of here at the old homestead since the 1870s. We never had an issue with or saw a mink.
About 6 years ago Walmart built a store about 3/4 of a mile from my house as the crow flies. In the process they cut about 80 acres of old growth forest along the creek. Within a couple weeks, the attacks started and I was trying to figure out how what I thought were raccoons were getting in. It soon became clear the culprit/s weren't raccoons. In less than a week I lost about $3,000 worth of birds. Each night they got into another building and killed everything inside. I installed a baby monitor in one of the remaining buildings and was awakened by carnage. I ran out and was able to stop it after it had only killed half the birds. That was when I realized they can get into an opening as large as an inch. There was a gap above the concrete floor at the base of the door. I fixed that and hadn't lost another bird for a couple weeks. But every other building was invaded over time. One had no opening over 1/2" but after losing every bird in that building I found a small gap where the bottom of the siding had pulled away from the sill plate.
That experience almost got me out of the chicken business.
To try to salvage the rare genetics I cut out eggs from some of the hen's and it took me a week to burn all the carcasses.
I've killed 3 mink but I'm not naïve enough to think they are no longer around.
Those losses set back my breeding program by many years.

Wow. That's just heartbreaking .

 

[ChickenCanoe]

Round and round we go. Foothold.

I get you. I just call them what the companies that sell them call them. I figure that is the best way for people to google them.

 

[roosterhavoc]

I get you. I just call them what the companies that sell them call them. I figure that is the best way for people to google them.

No. Foothold will bring up the same results. The traps are designed to catch behind the pad of the foot not the leg. If you’re catching legs you’re doing it wrong.
Leghold terminology just feeds into the AR nutjobs. I’m sure you know this.
Dog proof traps are foot encapsulating traps designed primarily for raccoons to prevent damage to the paw by the raccoon itself if the extremity goes numb.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

No. Foothold will bring up the same results. The traps are designed to catch behind the pad of the foot not the leg. If you’re catching legs you’re doing it wrong.
Leghold terminology just feeds into the AR nutjobs. I’m sure you know this.
Dog proof traps are foot encapsulating traps designed primarily for raccoons to prevent damage to the paw by the raccoon itself if the extremity goes numb.

I edited one of my posts to the new terminology in honor of you.

 

[roosterhavoc]

I edited one of my posts to the new terminology in honor of you.

You can pretend like it’s funny all you want but for the people in California that can barely protect what they have as it is have just lost the ability to trap. So just because it doesn’t affect you doesn’t mean it won’t affect someone else in other areas.
You may not really care but some people do.
You’ve said in the past that you teach people about trapping. I would think you would know better.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

You can pretend like it’s funny all you want but for the people in California that can barely protect what they have as it is have just lost the ability to trap. So just because it doesn’t affect you doesn’t mean it won’t affect someone else in other areas.
You may not really care but some people do.
You’ve said in the past that you teach people about trapping. I would think you would know better.

I'm sorry, I wasn't implying it was funny at all. I'm sorry you took it that way. Obviously I'm not familiar with the trapping politics where you live.
I can't believe you took my post as an attempt at humor. Please reread.

Regarding mink, there are strict regulations in MO for species, methods and seasons of trapping furbearers. But for protecting livestock, you can trap any time of year but the Dept. of Conservation wants to know what you trap, when and for what reason.

 

[Pigpye]

This conversation went awry. Trapping or no trapping there are still ways to protect your flock starting with the coop and set up.