Minnesota!

[Minniechickmama]

I always considered those things to be gophers too. Even if their name says otherwise.

I have 3,345,901 pocket gophers living here, I hate them..... I hate trapping them.


And I just remembered I left a jar of their feet in my beer fridge freezer, which I unplugged in Nov....They are gonna stink now....

( the township pays for their feet, they have a bounty on them)

Is that all? I bet we have 3,245,902 at least! By the looks of our property, maybe 9-0-3.

I have a bounty on some ($*$)*# weasels!

 

[Minniechickmama]

Actually, I am thinking about getting a new fake owl to put out in the pasture, then having a little speaker to play real owl sounds. Maybe that will deter the vermin! Then again, it may scare the bajeebers out of my chickens!

 

[duluthralphie]

Actually, I am thinking about getting a new fake owl to put out in the pasture, then having a little speaker to play real owl sounds. Maybe that will deter the vermin! Then again, it may scare the bajeebers out of my chickens!

OH NO!!

Sorry to hear you are still having trouble with weasels.

I have not had a "major" problem with weasels. However my Grandpa did when I was a kid. I remember him making a trap box for them. He made a small box 4x8 inches or so. sorry I did not measure it and Grandpa just threw the thing together.

He put a hole in the side of it about the size of a quarter or half dollar ( again sorry for the vagueness ) then drove a few nails into the box around the hole at an angle making a "funnel" of sharp points on the inside of the hole. The idea being the weasel could squeeze through the hole and the nails would dissuade him from coming back out.

He would put a small muskrat trap in the box, and chicken meat in the box and set the box out. ( the box was covered I think Grandpa hinged it, but he did not have duct tape and bungee cords....

I know he said the weasel or other small critter would go in the hole and be stuck in the box or kept there long enough to hit the pad on the trap. If you have ever tried trapping them in the open the problem is getting them to step on the pad.

I know this worked for Grandpa but I might have forgotten something, I know it was simple to make though.

 

[Bogtown Chick]

Sounds like you and Minnie need Holm's Badger for sure, Ralphie.

Those weasels are so sneaky. I had a juvenile one a few winters back....son took a crack at it with the .22 but I think we missed and we didn't see it again. I had noted blood on Roger's Leg one day but that's all the harm that saw from that thing. And he took down my mouse population too. Sounds like I was lucky for that matter.

Weasel Box plans I've seen sound like yours Ralphie. You explained it perfect BTW. Except in the plans that I saw there was a rat trap in the box with the raw/bloody meat as bait. And no mention of the "nail funnel." But I almost like that better than the rat trap.

 

[Bogtown Chick]

And I just remembered I left a jar of their feet in my beer fridge freezer, which I unplugged in Nov....They are gonna stink now....

( the township pays for their feet, they have a bounty on them)

I was also going to just thank you Ralphie for explaining your rotten critter parts in the parentheses below. LOL....

 

[coldupnorth]

If you have quality barn cats they will keep weasels at bay. Be careful that they are not chicken hunters. Those of you in the Northland like I am must be cautious of Fishers. Fishers love cats and not as playmates but as the main entrée on the dinner menu. One winter they wiped me out of 7 quality barn cats. I don't have the heart to get more in my situation.

I know our resident fisher/s have taken a toll on the area feral cat population. I've seen them on the chase and I don't think the cats have much chance.

The fisher also enjoyed decimating my big beautiful Orpingtons 2 years ago. Strong little buggers - it carried a couple 15 lbs birds over the 6 ft high fence and across 10 acres into Jay Cooke State Park. Do not really want to meet them up close.

I'm sorry that your barn cats were the target at your house.

 

[Bogtown Chick]

edited due to repeating exactly what Minnie said about Easter Eggers vs. Aracauna Labelling. I need to read first!

When I picked up my Easter Eggers, L & M had them labelled Aracauna! --some of the most difficult birds to attain from what I've read.

 

[Bogtown Chick]

Hi Foxy! Getting any new chicks this year for that beautiful greenhouse/coop set up of yours?

 

[rainin22]

We got our chicks from Windland in Princeton and they aren't vaccinated against mereks and are on an unmedicated feed so I was thinking I would buy some hatching eggs. Incubator's cost so much though! Does anyone know someone near me that could hatch some eggs for me?

Oh and also, I called a lady in Wisconsin who has salmon faverolles and she says that mereks should be done for every chick. I was doing some research online that said they introduced some chicks to vaccinated chicks and the unvaccinated ones ended up getting mereks because the virus was introduced through the vaccine. Is that a possibility? My chicks now seem very healthy and great, wouldn't want to endanger them with mereks =/

 

[FoxyChicken]

Hi Foxy! Getting any new chicks this year for that beautiful greenhouse/coop set up of yours?

I've got Minnie on alert to send me some eggs as soon as my big australorp goes broody! She's been showing all the signs the past few days but she's not totally committed yet. I'm like a kid waiting for Christmas!!