mink wiped out half my flock in 1 night

[Michael Apple]

no coons in my area never ever seen a coon im not even sure if coons are in ireland but thanks anyway im quiete sure its a mink couse there are alot around my river area never seen them that far away from a river but i suppose its not to far but theres loads around the river the only way is catch them and kill them or release them far away they would just keep comming back other wise but thanks anyway thanks muttsfan aswell

I don't know what the regulations are for leg hold traps in your area, but you can always bait a cage trap and shoot them. In my state, it is illegal to transport/catch & release predator animals. They populate quickly and need to be controlled when they become a problem. Catch and release often puts the problem somewhere on somebody else. Secure that coop and yard the best you can, and good luck. I hope you don't lose anymore birds to varmints.

 

[jammyjammy2112]

I don't know what the regulations are for leg hold traps in your area, but you can always bait a cage trap and shoot them. In my state, it is illegal to transport/catch & release predator animals. They populate quickly and need to be controlled when they become a problem. Catch and release often puts the problem somewhere on somebody else. Secure that coop and yard the best you can, and good luck. I hope you don't lose anymore birds to varmints.

we have bated the traps with sardines and if they get ought we will give it to a friend he can do as he wants hah ( i dont think theyll be hungry for a while)

 

[WhiteLeghorn2]

no coons in my area never ever seen a coon im not even sure if coons are in ireland but thanks anyway im quiete sure its a mink couse there are alot around my river area never seen them that far away from a river but i suppose its not to far but theres loads around the river the only way is catch them and kill them or release them far away they would just keep comming back other wise but thanks anyway thanks muttsfan aswell

Ok, that makes sense. There is definitely no minks here in Maryland lol. I didn't realize you didn't live in the USA, that's why I was questioning the fact that you saw a mink. Good luck, and I hope you don't get anymore predators.

 

[PlaidBattleAxe]

I'm sorry about your loss! I don't even have any chickens of my own yet, and I'm already dreading the mink in my area (hence how I found your post). I have a friend that lost her entire flock (somewhere close to 20 birds) in an entire night due to an attack. Ruthless, esp for the amount of killing and not eating. I've seen them on my woodline, and I've watched one run down a rabbit (had I not watched the take-down, I wouldn't have believed it). I've got coyotes, feral cats, hawks, raccoons and mink. I'm thinking I'm going to have to build my coop like Fort Knox! My sympathies, and good luck in remedying your problem!

 

[The Yakima Kid]

no coons in my area never ever seen a coon im not even sure if coons are in ireland but thanks anyway im quiete sure its a mink couse there are alot around my river area never seen them that far away from a river but i suppose its not to far but theres loads around the river the only way is catch them and kill them or release them far away they would just keep comming back other wise but thanks anyway thanks muttsfan aswell

How far are you from the river?

If you trap and relocate them, others will move in to replace them. Time to mink proof the chicken house.

 

[Miss Lydia]

I'm sorry about your loss! I don't even have any chickens of my own yet, and I'm already dreading the mink in my area (hence how I found your post). I have a friend that lost her entire flock (somewhere close to 20 birds) in an entire night due to an attack. Ruthless, esp for the amount of killing and not eating. I've seen them on my woodline, and I've watched one run down a rabbit (had I not watched the take-down, I wouldn't have believed it). I've got coyotes, feral cats, hawks, raccoons and mink. I'm thinking I'm going to have to build my coop like Fort Knox! My sympathies, and good luck in remedying your problem!

your on the right track about building fort knox just about the only way to protect them.. and

 

[KnechtelRanch]

We recently lost a few chickens to a mink as well. The first one was lost apparently in broad daylight while they were roaming our back yard, and the rest later that night. I happened to bear near enough that I heard the loud noises coming from the coop (that I thought had been sufficiently closed up). I grabbed a pry bar and ran to the coop, opened the large door that we use for cleaning, etc. and the thing was staring me right in the face. It turned and squeezed through a small crack in the ramp door (it hadn't closed all the way), so I ran around to the pen, but it was already gone. It had gotten three more. I got a live trap and baited it with fresh raw beef and put it in the pen (since that's how it got in and out). After a week of trap setting, I had no luck. The guy I bought the trap from said that minks are nasty because they're really vicious for their size and they are often smart enough to avoid traps. The best advice he could give me was to use raw meat - the fresher and bloodier the better (ideally, using the chicken heads - if any were left). I had no luck with the trap, but haven't seen any recent evidence of it coming around (tracks, etc.) - maybe all that urine I spread around the fence line and foliage has been deterring it, or maybe it got eaten or run over or something - who knows? I'm just glad there's been no recent attacks.

 

[jammyjammy2112]

We recently lost a few chickens to a mink as well. The first one was lost apparently in broad daylight while they were roaming our back yard, and the rest later that night. I happened to bear near enough that I heard the loud noises coming from the coop (that I thought had been sufficiently closed up). I grabbed a pry bar and ran to the coop, opened the large door that we use for cleaning, etc. and the thing was staring me right in the face. It turned and squeezed through a small crack in the ramp door (it hadn't closed all the way), so I ran around to the pen, but it was already gone. It had gotten three more. I got a live trap and baited it with fresh raw beef and put it in the pen (since that's how it got in and out). After a week of trap setting, I had no luck. The guy I bought the trap from said that minks are nasty because they're really vicious for their size and they are often smart enough to avoid traps. The best advice he could give me was to use raw meat - the fresher and bloodier the better (ideally, using the chicken heads - if any were left). I had no luck with the trap, but haven't seen any recent evidence of it coming around (tracks, etc.) - maybe all that urine I spread around the fence line and foliage has been deterring it, or maybe it got eaten or run over or something - who knows? I'm just glad there's been no recent attacks.

join the club another mink victom minks arnt even naturally suppose to be in ireland introduced iligally i put a hole chicken in a trap hehe but i have 3 traps 1 old style trap that if it topples over the gate opens thats the one i put the chicken in and i went the next morning the trap as upside down and the chicken was gone and iv 1 trap that cant be opened from the inside hehe and the other trap is broken he is proble very wary of the cage now that he nose its something bad

How far are you from the river?

If you trap and relocate them, others will move in to replace them. Time to mink proof the chicken house.

He came about a time when there was lots of flooding and rain im about 4 miles on road and 3 miles cross country from a river i can see the river becouse im high up how can i mink proof my coop i heard they can fit trew anything my chicks where in a seperate coop nd he most have got in a rat hole or something.

I'm sorry about your loss! I don't even have any chickens of my own yet, and I'm already dreading the mink in my area (hence how I found your post). I have a friend that lost her entire flock (somewhere close to 20 birds) in an entire night due to an attack. Ruthless, esp for the amount of killing and not eating. I've seen them on my woodline, and I've watched one run down a rabbit (had I not watched the take-down, I wouldn't have believed it). I've got coyotes, feral cats, hawks, raccoons and mink. I'm thinking I'm going to have to build my coop like Fort Knox! My sympathies, and good luck in remedying your problem!

wow you most preditor your coop to the max the mink was back last night becouse there where 2 bodies that i didnt no where in the coop moved around and crammed in new places i put the trap next to the body and put fresh sardines very very good smelling sardines so he cant resist i wanna let my chickens be free again

 

[The Yakima Kid]

People use heavy gauge hardware cloth for the run, and if you keep them shut in the house at night, put a light in at night and look for light leaks, Reinforce every light leak with hardware cloth. Hardware cloth is heavy gauge woven or welded wire, you want a tight spacing of no more than 5-10 mm. A mink can easily fit through a hole 25 mm in diameter. You want the spacing tight enough that it gives up and doesn't continue to seek a way in. You need to make sure it can't come in from underneath as well.

Mink make an excellent lining for gloves.

 

[jammyjammy2112]

i will use the hardware cloth idea and i will put 3 low electric wires all around