Mink attack!

[Codys quail]

Hey, need some advice. A mink had a nice breakfast this morning in the quail pen! So I now have one injured quail and one bird that was smart enough to fly up onto the rafters of the quail pen. So, should I just leave these two alone in their new cage and hope the injured one recovers (with some extra loving) or should I separate them and maybe find another friend for the healthy one. (Unfortunately for the mink traps are being set this week). Thanks in advance for any help.

 

[Q QUAIL S]

I hope that you catch that mink that feasted on your birds. I advise that you keep the injured quail separate it until it's injury's have healed. I hope this helps!!!

 

[DK newbie]

Sick and injured birds are very often picked on by their flock mates because they might attract predators. Quail in particular can't resist the sight of blood and can keep pecking at it until the wounded bird dies. So I wouldn't dare keep them together unsupervised, even though they might benefit from each others company. Perhaps you can keep them in cages next to each other so they can interact without touching.

 

[Binki]

Yes visible injuries should be seperated, that said, I did have a pair of half scalped males (suddenly aggressive male in a batch of maturing males) that did heal together just fine, they actually started popcorning in their new cage, bloody heads and all, just happy and left each other's wounds alone, possibly because they were both injured though.

I hear mink can get in one inch holes. I would make sure the broken in quail coop is secure or it will just happen again with another mink eventually :O

 

[Codys quail]

Thanks for the advice. The uninsured bird is not letting the injured one near her so I might separate them just in case. (Fate has a way of working. A trapper got stuck in a field up the road and stopped to use the phone, he is bringing traps up to get the little bugger).

 

[Codys quail]

This mink actually dug tunnels underneath the pen and chewed his way in. Our pen is on the ground with gravel,plywood and a stall mat. We had our neighbors mink farm targeted by animal activist. They left about 800 mink loose a couple years ago and we have been having troubles since. We were told that the mink would not survive the winters here, They lied. Time to make a pen inside the barn somewhere with the larger animals.

 

[Q QUAIL S]

You might try hardware cloth or chicken wire underneath that might stop the mink from getting in. I don't think that the mink will chew thru that. I hope that you catch that the menacing beast!!!

 

[Codys quail]

Thanks I will check into that.

 

[Binki]

Yes hardware cloth 1/2 inch or smaller will stop *anything?* other than a bear I guess? hehe!

I use 1/4 inch so I don't have to worry about mice or even hornets

Chicken wire however is just for housing chickens and not predator proof at all - raccoons can stick their paws through, mink, rats and mice can fit through and I've read of Hawks flying right through it and still making a kill then unable to find its way back out :O

I even read that roosters can cut through it to fight each other so it's not even chicken proof

 

[Codys quail]

Thanks. I will have to,find some. Guess it's gonna be a busy spring. Traps are being set to make sure there is only one. The pen is attached to the barn and we are expanding this spring so I will use the hardware cloth and try again