Mink attack

[veronicasmom]

Went out this am to find a mink in the rabbit pen (which adjoins the duck pen), attacking my rabbit. He appears ok, but not sure. So now on a beautiful day everyone ducks and rabbits are locked in the shed. My husband is either going to trap or shoot it if he can, both would make me happy.
I am scared I will have to rehome everyone if I can't make it safe for them. They are in 6 foot high huge chainlink kennels. I don't know if they can be made predator proof enough. Plus, the ducks free range, I guess that won't happen any more. I am so sad, angry and upset. I know this creature is just trying to survive, but I am sick to think what could have happened to Jasper or my other rabbit, or the ducks. But keeping them locked up all day, every day is no life. I can't stop crying. I love them all so much.

 

[Kevin565]

I'm glad everyone's safe. As for the kennel you may be able to attach some hardware cloth to make it more protective.

 

[Amiga]

Oh, what a close call!

Give yourself a little time to settle down before making your final decision. It's good you're not leaving anything to chance right now.

When I found rodent burrowing evidence in the day pen I hit the ceiling. I've now done some research, made a few changes, and things seem to be stable and not so worrisome.

I already had the night shelter covered in hardware cloth (what's not plywood or 2"x4"). So far so good. And two strands of electric fence surrounds it as well.

But the day pen is only covered in 2"x3" coated wire with 2' of 1" coated chicken wire around the bottom part of the sides. That's enough for larger predators, but minks - shew. They can squeeze into tinier spaces. And this mink was in there in the daytime? I tend to think of predators like that as only nocturnal. So much for what I know.

Is there a wildlife service that might be of some help? I'm thinking they might be able to tell you more about mink and suggest deterrents.

Have you checked on the Predators and Pests Forum?

 

[veronicasmom]

Kevin, have to talk to hubby about the hardware cloth. We have A LOT of area to cover. We will see.

Amiga, I know it seems over reactive, and it might be, but this scared me so much. They are securely lockined in a shed at night, both ducks and rabbits (separate areas of course). But the ducks move to the barn in the winter and that cannot be completely closed up. We have two separate day areas for the ducks, one with the chain link panels and then another where they free range with a short fence. The latter one is impossible to predator proof. But your suggestion on deterrents is a good one, I will look into that. The smaller day pen for the ducks and the rabbit pen might be able to be predator proofed, but IDK if it can be done before winter. So, if it cannot be, then they are locked in unless I am there to watch. And how much can I do that in a cold Maine winter? So how fair is it to them to make them prisoners in the shed most of the day when they are used to running and playing. The ducks find puddles, bugs, grass, and do duck stuff. The rabbits can run, hop, climb, dig, sit in the sun. Now they will get to sit in a dark shed for 22 hours of the day.
Anyway, I am running my rabbit boy to the vet, he is still acting off from the attack. The poor ducks are locked up until they get out for a few minutes tonight.
Pray hubby can shoot the mink, but what are the chances he will see it this soon. He is bringing home a trap and talked to a professional trapper about how to entice the mink into it (dead squirrel, hopefully roadkill). But what if there are more than that mink. We get one trapped and then when my guard is down another shows up.
I hate this so much, 10 years and nothing like this ever happened. I guess we were lucky.

 

[Amiga]

I don't think you are overreacting at all. I suspect that you need time for the initial wave of adrenalin to subside, though. You are a very caring animal person. That comes with its burdens.

The mink situation is scary, indeed. I priced hardware cloth for the daypen and it floored me!!! I don't have $ for that. Should we ever get minks or weasels . . . wow.

But maybe you can get a smaller day pen area fortified, after all and add to that a bit each year. I may try that myself. Too bad there's not an inexpensive, organic product, "Weasel-B-Gon."

 

[Miss Lydia]

Quote:
How did the mink get into the rabbit pen? I know they can get through very small holes but did you find where it got in?

 

[ducksinarow]

I have a chain linked dog pen and I lined it with chicken wire, even this helps. A dog or cat in your yard is a great help also. I used to put my dog in the pen I have my ducks in after I put the ducks up for the night. Have you thought about trapping and relocating the mink to a woodland. I myself would not kill a wild animal. Live traps work great. Just a thought.

 

[veronicasmom]

Just a quick second to respond, have to go check my rabbit. He got two puncture wounds under his chin. Glad I took him to the vet sooner rather than later and with antibiotics and pain meds, he will be ok.
Miss Lydia, it might have gotten in thru the gate area. In order to have a gate, it is almost impossible to close the gap completely. So it was likely that, or it went over the 6 ft fence. I am not sure. I chased it out and it went up and over the fence panel, so maybe it came in that way.
IDK, but it was a very upsetting day. Animals are not happy, and neither am I.
Hubby is trying to calm me down and is off from work for the next 3 days, so he will be on mink patrol. He is a very good shot (police officer), so if he aims and shoots at it, it is gone. Fingers crossed he is successful.

 

[waterdog]

You are not over reacting at all mink are killing machines we lost 19 ducks in a single night to a mink. The only thing that stopped him was he had a duck that got stuck in the hole he got in so he couldn't get back in. We followed a feather trail to a nearby brush pile where he had hidden the ducks in. Neadless to say it only took a few jumps on the pile and a shot gun. We now have 20" of metal and a hot wire around all our pens.

 

[destinduck]

Out of all the predators smaller than a dog these sound like the most vicious and bloodthirsty serial killers there is. I went a foot down and two feet out with my wire pens when I built them out of 1in chicken wire. I have coons and possums mainly here. But I have heard many times that a coon or possum will eat right thru that and also heard about minks squeezing thru that small of an opening. Im glad we dont have them things here. I also have hotwire about 4 in off the ground (extremely cheap to do BTW) and around the top now because I lost birds a coupla years to a raccoon that figured out how to climb a tree next to a pen jump to a post and chew threw the top netting. These are some of my suggestions but I think waterdogs sight barrier is the best idea for your mink situation. Also I use live traps. With the right bait that may get em too. Good luck maybe hubbie will take him out quickly. Dang waterdog thats a Hard hit. I lost eight to that coon while I was out of town and of course he ate some of the more harder to replace expensive ones.