Maine

[Hiltonizer]

did my best at some CSI tinkering on the yote picture...

 

[lazy gardener]

I see him. can you show me your skunk?

I'm making progress integrating Goliath (BE cockerel) into the flock. I was outside admiring him today. That boy is absolutely drop dead gorgeous. The way the sun glints off those red feathers is amazing. Jack is a pretty boy, but he's got nothing on Goliath in the looks department. I need to get some pics of Goliath soon. I let him go to bed in the coop tonight. Hopeful that he doesn't get into too much trouble before the coop gets opened up in the morning.

 

[lazy gardener]

I saw your skunk!

 

[Hiltonizer]

I saw your skunk!

Unfortunately, so have the dogs a few times recently... and I relocated one this summer that I trapped. Last nights camera show'd the fox again, and their porcupine friend.

Just ordered a dog-proof raccoon trap today (traps their arm when they reach in for bait). Should hopefully thin out that population with that. I noticed small k-9 prints on the roof of one of my tractors today too, probably from that clever fox trying to get in via the feed drop.

Love fall, good weather, fresh apples, and puts all the predators into high-gear.

 

[lazy gardener]

Can you share a link to your coon trap please?

 

[CoopChick719]

@CoopChick719 , can you stuff hardware cloth into any openings before you put the birds back, or are there too many areas to squeeze into?
We never saw our male mink after the one time he came back looking for the female that we killed. The coop is much more sealed up now, but the hens are out all day, and the mink came around mostly in the daytime.[/QUOTE]

I have 2 chain-link dog kennels (10x10 & 6x8) that have hardwire 2 ft. up all sides. Unfortunately there are still big gaps that a weasel/mink could fit through.

 

[lazy gardener]

I found a drowned baby rat today. So, it's official. I got rats.

 

[CoopChick719]

Wanna borrow my weasel? Just kidding sorry!!

 

[CoopChick719]

Keep that bucket of water out & lure them in!!

 

[lazy gardener]

I spent the night cogitating about that very option. Looks like they've been burrowing in the green house beds. Not good. But, what is good about the situation, if one can find any good in the presence of a rat... is that I've not yet planted the green house, and it is closed off, so that any traps, bait, water buckets will not be accessible to dog or chickens. So, game on.

@superchemicalgirl , what in your opinion is the SAFEST rat poison to use. Should my dog or a chicken find a poisoned rat, I don't want to cause any secondary poisoning. Also, looking for tips from any of you about how best to put out poison without it leaving the initial site. I don't want it transported back to burrows and tunnels where it could then be found by a non target animal.