Minnesota!

[ejb3810]

There are a lot of posts in a couple pages with some problems identified. As a self proclaimed expert in many areas, I can offer solutions.
Sorry about the losses to the weasel Minnie. What you really need is a cat that will patrol your property at night and dispatch with that little _______.
As few as a half dozen good guineas can do the job to ticks on 6 1/2 acres.
I am afraid that my experience would indicate that one must deal with their own bear issues and bears. I have been waiting for 4 years for a call back from the Mn DNR after making multiple calls to them.

 

[coldupnorth]

Oh Minnie - I am so sorry that the stinkin' weasel is back. My sister lost most of her flock to one. Interesting thing about it was it was very color selective - it only killed the red chickens and left everything else alone. Strange feisty and wasteful little creatures!

 

[Minniechickmama]

Thanks everyone! I appreciate the thoughts and concerns. I dreamt of weasels for half the night! Not what I want to wake up from. But funny thing, one of them in my dream, got its head snapped off by a trap but the body ran back into the hole. Seriously though, I am just sick over this.

Ed, I have two cats that used to patrol the chicken yard. However, the momma just had a litter of babies in the granary, so she isn't coming out but to eat. The other is her tramp of a tom who I was supposed to take to the vet this morning to have his "special surgery" done, but I couldn't get him picked up or put into the cage or carrier to get him there this morning. He is out sleazing around the county most of the time these days, and he is still pretty young and playful, even though he took care of quite a few mice for me over the winter.

Did anyone get frost last night? I suppose the ground is to a point of being too warm for much to settle, but it sure got chilly yesterday and last night!!! I don't think that I will be setting in my tomatoes and peppers any time soon either with the ground now as wet as it is, but more importantly, have you all looked at the forecast??? This isn't APRIL!!!!!

 

[AmericanKraut]

oh this is awful.  I'm so sorry and I wish I had some helpful advice but I don't.


have you heard about that Minnesota born device called predator guard?  It has come way down in price.  It is basically a lit red bulb which supposedly deters all kinds of predators who stay away thinking they are seeing another predator.  I always wondered if red xmas lights could accomplish the same thing.  

Or,...electric wire  on the fence?

I can't imagine trying to make a coop weasel safe.  Gives me the willies everytime I read about yours because I know a weasel could easily get into my coops.

I never thought of Christmas lights. I've heard of the predator light box, I think made in Princeton or maybe Zimmerman? But Christmas lights are a great idea! Some strings you can unscrew bulbs and the rest stay on, maybe you could have "eyes" on all four sides. I think the box company suggests getting four.

 

[gofeedthegirls]

Thanks everyone!  I appreciate the thoughts and concerns.  I dreamt of weasels for half the night!  Not what I want to wake up from.  But funny thing, one of them in my dream, got its head snapped off by a trap but the body ran back into the hole.  Seriously though, I am just sick over this. 

Ed, I have two cats that used to patrol the chicken yard.  However, the momma just had a litter of babies in the granary, so she isn't coming out but to eat.  The other is her tramp of a tom who I was supposed to take to the vet this morning to have his "special surgery" done, but I couldn't get him picked up or put into the cage or carrier to get him there this morning.  He is out sleazing around the county most of the time these days, and he is still pretty young and playful, even though he took care of quite a few mice for me over the winter.  


Did anyone get frost last night?  I suppose the ground is to a point of being too warm for much to settle, but it sure got chilly yesterday and last night!!!  I don't think that I will be setting in my tomatoes and peppers any time soon either with the ground now as wet as it is, but more importantly, have you all looked at the forecast???  This isn't APRIL!!!!!


​

Minnie, are you against the lethal trapping of the weasles? If not, I would suggest using a gopher trap in the nooks you believe they are entering from. Ive used them before to help with stripped gophers getting into one of my sheds.

 

[Minniechickmama]

Minnie, are you against the lethal trapping of the weasles? If not, I would suggest using a gopher trap in the nooks you believe they are entering from. Ive used them before to help with stripped gophers getting into one of my sheds.

I am not at all against ripping their cute little heads clean from their bodies. The traps I made should work, but it just hasn't gone to them. I have a lot of birds, so where it will go next isn't easily predicted. It had only hit one tractor before, this time it went to a different one. They follow rodents like mice and rats. When it came around earlier this spring, it must have followed the pair of rats I had trapped and killed. Then the tractors started up in the fields and I figured that it must have decided to stay down by the pond in the field, where I thought it was coming from. However, I got to thinking last night while I was mowing, it could be coming from the NE corner of our property that is kind of a wetland spot, which is on the opposite side of our property. I had dug down a foot and out two feet around my entire breeder building and around the outdoor runs to prevent rodents from going under my big breeder coop, but they somehow managed to get in anyway and have chewed holes in the floor and walls enough to get in and out, but only mice that I can tell.

Anyway, if I catch that little $%^&*(*&^%$#$%^&*(*&^%$#$%^&*(, you guys will hear all about it. I won't be letting the traps go without fresh bait for a while. I am also looking for an owl that has the lights in it for eyes and hoots every now and then to put in the pasture. Maybe that will make them think twice too.

 

[Bogtown Chick]

Well I just about slipped on my tookus on the deck this morning...Some nice ice coating everything this morning. Still...it was bright and beautiful out. Hopefully the temp will come around. Roger tearing out of the coop & territorial this morning. So I must be getting some eggs again today! Woot.

Minnie: I'm sorry about the dang weasel. I imagine you could go about broke making enough weasel traps to cover your pens. Dang thing. If I didn't live so far away I'd stay up with you one night with a pot of coffee and some .22s. They are just so devastating.

 

[Rhetts]

Oh Minnie!! What terrible news about the weasel! I hope you are able to get it soon!! Just devastating!

We had small piles of snow in the dark shady covered areas this morning. But the sun was shining so brightly I have hopes it will warm up soon. As far as getting into the garden goes, it is so saturated with the last rains it will be weeks before I can get in there! The ground can't hold any more water right now so it is sitting on top.

The bear situation: after many phone calls to talk to the 'right' person the in laws were told that they no longer live trap to relocate the bears. They will come out and try to scare it away which is something they have all ready tried with many of the men and shouting and shooting off guns. My sister in law said that it is not afraid of people. She did ask if they were allowed to shoot it if it got to be a problem. The sheriff said by all means if you or the kids are in danger yes. And they are putting it on file that she called about a nuisance bear so it should go over better if it had to be shot. Really that doesn't make me feel any better. We are being extra diligent to keep up on anything that might invite unwanted guests.

 

[DigMyChicks]

My dog killed a weasel about a month ago...it was underneath a grain bin fan...he stalked it for 6 hours and my husband went to see what the dog was after so got a stick and poked under there and out he come and the dog got him...thank goodness! He got a racoon in the silo yesterday, don't know what I'd do without this dog as there's a lot of predators here.

 

[FoxyChicken]

This is so weird! I never thought I'd see a Scarlet Tanager up here and was so jealous of Ralphie's pictures.... Well look what just showed up outside my window at work! It flew right up next to me, I could've reached out and grabbed it!