neck only, who is the killer (picture added)

[Shannah]

I personally wouldn't use poison, but If you think it's a mink and you don't have dogs or cats around, here is a sure fire way to catch pretty much any critter. I used to trap many years ago and my best results always came from this method. First you'll need a steel leg trap (bigger then a muskrat trap), dig a hole angled into the earth, not straight, make it about a foot deep. Place the bait at the back end, could be road kill, maybe a dead crow or what ever you can find. Place the steel trap at the entrance just covered lightly with leaves. mask the front of the hole with small sticks so the critter has to step in front of the hole to move the small sticks out of the way to enter the hole. Mink and weasels are very smart so you have to take into consideration not leaving anything out of place or they will avoid the trap. Don't be surprised if you have a coon, fox or opossum, all critters you don't want around your cop anyway. Then you can use the .22 to dispose of the critter, when that time comes. Always check your trap so the critter is not left suffering for to long. Good luck!!!

He has already dug tunnels everywhere around and under my coop floor...can I use one of his existing tunnels and put the trap in that way? And will fresh deer meat work for bait?

It's definitely a weasel or a pine marten, the tunnel is small and I have seen them around here the past few years, the run back and forth along the lake ice in the winter. In any case he's very smart and very sneaky!!

 

[besjoux]

Hi! I'm a newbie in the chicken world and unfortunately I had the exact same thing happen to one of my chickens (and 2 more were killed just for fun-3 of 7 gone in one night!!). My boyfriend used to do a lot of trapping said it is mostly likely a weasel. I have had a variety of traps out for the last week (spring trap, weasel box and a even a sticky trap) but he is very trap wary and trips them and takes the bait or digs under them to try and get into the coop. I have since put hardware cloth on the whole floor but he is determined and has dug out about 2/3 of the floor under the wire. The next step I'm trying is poison (and a .22 if that doesn't work, but until I get him my chickens are stressed out every night and refusing to lay...I don't blame them!!

Anyone have any other ideas about how to trap him or keep him away from my coop?

Did your chicken look like mine with the neck stripped of feathers>? Did it happen in broad daylight?

I let them out today but only since I am around.

I didn't see anything in the cam yet. Has anyone taken a picture of a weasel in a cam?

 

[kreagerm]

Deer meat should work, even tuna fish will work. Now make sure the leg trap is big enough, martins are a bit bigger so keep that in mind. Weasels like to explore so make them work for the meal, like moving the sticks to get into the hole.

 

[dam danny]

have you tryed a baby monitor so you can hear when thay attack I had a bobcat that would get them and had to kill him he was like a ninja

 

[besjoux]

have you tryed a baby monitor so you can hear when thay attack I had a bobcat that would get them and had to kill him he was like a ninja

No, but I had them free ranging when I lost my BR hen....so not sure that would work well. If it was a weasel it only killed 1, middle of day attack, and it was not in the coop or run. I am concerned if it IS a weasel because they can get into our run (but not coop) so the hens would not have a means to escape as they did when free ranged. Then again, if it was a hawk I could prevent by keeping them in the covered run. Still nothing on the game camera and we took away the uneaten kill. Nothing came back for her.

 

[Shannah]

Did your chicken look like mine with the neck stripped of feathers>? Did it happen in broad daylight?

I let them out today but only since I am around.

I didn't see anything in the cam yet. Has anyone taken a picture of a weasel in a cam?

My chicken looked JUST like yours, and she had her back eaten a bit....it happened in the middle of the night and he has been back every night since but cannot get in (I have since lined my whole floor and stapled a few inches up the side with 1/4" hardware cloth),a but he has dug out almost 2/3 of the dirt under the wire 2-3" deep. I want to put a trail cam up but they're being used for other purposes this time of year. He is sooooo determined to get the rest of my birds!!!!

Someone below mentioned a baby monitor and I might try that next...maybe trap him in the coop by closing his only entrance/exit hole and using the .22? I am getting a leg trap but it won't be here until the end of the week

 

[Brendap58]

Use a live trap. I set mine out tonight. Someone just ate the head and half of the breast of my favorite chick.