Mink!? But my hen scared it off?

[bobbi-j]

Two or three days after I first saw it, I found it in some farm equipment and managed 2 shots with a pellet gun in its backside. It ran off and I didn't see it again.
Every night I have been locking the chickens up tight in a space that's too small, but at least it is safe. I am building a bigger safe space but that could still take a month or so to complete.
The mink came back this morning. It is hunting rats and running right past the baby chicks (ranging from 5 days old to 5 weeks). The chickens are not afraid and are actually curious about it. (And that freaks me out even more!)
My family wants me to leave it alone because it is only hunting rats. With the rate its killing them, the mink will have the rat population decimated by the end of the day. What an efficient hunter! I saw it run through the yard and by the time I threw my boots on and ran to the coop, it had already killed a large rat and was dragging it away.
Terrifyingly efficient.

Eventually it will run out of rats and those little chicken nuggets are going to be mighty tasty.

 

[Folly's place]

Meanwhile, work on your rat population too!
Mary

 

[roosterhavoc]

Get a 110 size body grip trap and set it in front of the baited cage with the door wired open so it can’t shut. Keep the the chickens away from the trap while it’s set.