Mink killed my flock

[Horse Nerd]

I have had so much fun with my new birds. 40 cornish, 20 different egg layers and 2 geese. This morning I went to the coop to feed and it was silent. Every bird was laying there dead. All killed with a bit just below the head. We called Game Fish and Parks and they came out, took pictures and examined the bite marks and said it was a mink. He gave us the ok to trap and is sending out someone to set a live trap in the morning. I am so so sad.

My kids are crushed. They were more like pets to us. Does anyone have any advice other than closing up any space that we saw that it might have gotten through? Are there any other tricks to keeping mink away from the building? I want to get more birds but not until I am sure we have either caught the bugger or figured out how he got in there in the first place.

 

[Achickenwrangler#1]

Rule of thumb,if you can stick a hotdog through the hole, your coop is not secure, snakes, weasels,mink and rats can get in there. Mink like weasels often kill for sport. It's odd you lost so many at once, I lost a couple Easter eggers that way, one was a ginger.boo hiss. Now I know better.
You can't catch all the critters in the forest, 'once you have a secure coop/run you won't loose so many, I still free range, and i loose a few here and there (the chickens voted and said they'd take their chances for the daytime freedom) but this is only just spring and have. ...27 new hatched.

 

[Vickilynn45]

Just wanted to say how sorry I am- how devastating

 

[Kevin565]

I don't know how to help prevent this but I am so sorry for your loss

 

[Charm1704]

I know how you feel...and I am sorry that happened...I lost My best Marans Roos to a Possum...just killed them for sport....I spent a couple of hundred dollars and beefed up their house.....he can't get back in now.....~Charm1704

 

[shober]

First I want to say how sorry I am for your loss! Thats just devastating. There is a predator light that Murray McMurray sells in their catalog. It has a red light that goes on and off and makes animals feel that something is there looking at them. I have been told that it works quite well. I live in the city and only have racooons and possums to worry about and my coop is built so they can't get in. Good luck!

 

[Pasadenachicken]

To the OP- that is so terrible. It must have been awful to see, especially since they were killed for sport. Sorry for your loss.

Shober- I am near you in Pasadena, was wondering if your predator light was working for you? We have hordes of squirrels, skunks and who knows what else here. Do you use more than one? I'm also thinking of adding hardware cloth to everything but wonder if others in the area use 1/4in or go crazy and use the 1/8 in?

We are getting our chickens soon, I don't want to risk them, I'd rather over do than lose a bunch in a predator attack. I think it would be hard for me to handle.

Thanks!

 

[chicknduck]

So sorry for you.

 

[prettychicks]

I have had so much fun with my new birds. 40 cornish, 20 different egg layers and 2 geese. This morning I went to the coop to feed and it was silent. Every bird was laying there dead. All killed with a bit just below the head. We called Game Fish and Parks and they came out, took pictures and examined the bite marks and said it was a mink. He gave us the ok to trap and is sending out someone to set a live trap in the morning. I am so so sad.

My kids are crushed. They were more like pets to us. Does anyone have any advice other than closing up any space that we saw that it might have gotten through? Are there any other tricks to keeping mink away from the building? I want to get more birds but not until I am sure we have either caught the bugger or figured out how he got in there in the first place.

First off, I am so sorry you lost your entire flock. That is so disheartening. My mom had trouble with coons and night predators getting into her garden. She bought some contraption that flashes a red light and supposedly it wards off nocturnal animals because they feel they are being watched. She paid about 20 dollars for it. A working dog sometimes helps but not if it can't get in there to help. Can't say enough about hardware cloth "rabbit wire". It helps keep snakes out so I would think it would work for a mink as well. My birds are locked up like Fort Knox at night. Mostly snake problems but we have many predators here. Again, really sorry for your loss.

 

[ChinoChix]

Wow, that is really sad I'm so sorry for your loss.
I had instructed my handiman to use hardware cloth but he showed up with chicken wire and built what I'm thinking is a safe outside enclosure (they are locked in a tack shed at night and their run is attached to it) but after reading this, I am going to the hardware store today for hardware cloth to reinforce the bottom section which he did bury about 10 inches into the ground. I had no idea a hole "bigger than a hotdog" was a problem.
We have coyote here in AZ and a double fenced yard, but I'm not going to chance it. I would be heartbroken. One of my dogs did get a peep that wandered out thru a tiny hole that I have since reinforced and it was horrible to watch...I can't imagine losing a whole flock like that.
Thank you for sharing your story so that we newbies can learn....