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I was just reading up on minks and did not realize that they will hunt day or night. :mad: I have secured the bottom of the shed leading into the run, so I'm fairly certain there are no weak points. But now I'm worried about it possibly climbing up and chewing through the aviary mesh we have on top of the run. UGH. I'm going to go out and check around to see if I see any possibilities of it getting in. Very thankful that I have the chicken cam setup...

I'm guessing I should I just trap the sucker? I think I have an old school claw trap from my fiancee's dad's pheasant farming days.
 
chickachickayea said:
I was just reading up on minks and did not realize that they will hunt day or night. :mad: I have secured the bottom of the shed leading into the run, so I'm fairly certain there are no weak points. But now I'm worried about it possibly climbing up and chewing through the aviary mesh we have on top of the run. UGH. I'm going to go out and check around to see if I see any possibilities of it getting in. Very thankful that I have the chicken cam setup...

I'm guessing I should I just trap the sucker? I think I have an old school claw trap from my fiancee's dad's pheasant farming days.
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I suggest using a live trap just in case it turns out to be a cat or something else. We have a lot of animals around here and a lot of tracks in the snow but never had a problem. I don't think the critters want to spend a lot of energy trying to get in a chicken coop at this point. We had a huge possum by our coop recently. After scaring him away, we haven't seen him since. So I don't think the 4-legged fur balls are as bad as everyone says.
 
FluffyButt789 said:
I suggest using a live trap just in case it turns out to be a cat or something else. We have a lot of animals around here and a lot of tracks in the snow but never had a problem. I don't think the critters want to spend a lot of energy trying to get in a chicken coop at this point. We had a huge possum by our coop recently. After scaring him away, we haven't seen him since. So I don't think the 4-legged fur balls are as bad as everyone says.
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Please don't believe that for a heartbeat--
 
chickachickayea said:
I was just reading up on minks and did not realize that they will hunt day or night. :mad: I have secured the bottom of the shed leading into the run, so I'm fairly certain there are no weak points. But now I'm worried about it possibly climbing up and chewing through the aviary mesh we have on top of the run. UGH. I'm going to go out and check around to see if I see any possibilities of it getting in. Very thankful that I have the chicken cam setup...

I'm guessing I should I just trap the sucker? I think I have an old school claw trap from my fiancee's dad's pheasant farming days.
Click to expand...

I only liked your last post because I would like the stole. :D

I would try to trap it, if at possible. I know my situation was different, but I am sleeeping tight since we caught those 3 foxes. The traps have caught nothing else, so I am pretty sure we are in the clear, for now.
 
FluffyButt789 said:
I suggest using a live trap just in case it turns out to be a cat or something else. We have a lot of animals around here and a lot of tracks in the snow but never had a problem. I don't think the critters want to spend a lot of energy trying to get in a chicken coop at this point. We had a huge possum by our coop recently. After scaring him away, we haven't seen him since. So I don't think the 4-legged fur balls are as bad as everyone says.
Click to expand...

I understand the precaution... We have a cat that hangs around, but it doesn't go near the coop. A possum or skunk I wouldn't mind so much. But these tracks are clearly a mink's, and it went inside of the run at night and caused my hens some distress, which is why I became on high alert. And if the little b-----d wants to try and play with my hens, then game on, but it's got me to deal with now. My fiancee's dad dealt with minks when he raised pheasants a few years back and they're vicious, relentless and can squeeze into a small inch wide gap if determined. So I will be setting traps tomorrow with his help

worldbiker said:
I'ts their mating season (towards the end)
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Well hey go find another spot to get it on! :tongue

bobrut said:
Please don't believe that for a heartbeat--
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Take no prisoners! As a sidenote, my grandfather hated squirrels who harassed my grandmother's birdfeeders so much that he would trap them and then drive them out to a field and release them. :lol:

AnneInTheBurbs said:
I only liked your last post because I would like the stole. :D

I would try to trap it, if at possible. I know my situation was different, but I am sleeeping tight since we caught those 3 foxes. The traps have caught nothing else, so I am pretty sure we are in the clear, for now.
Click to expand...

I found a vintage stole whilst going through my grandmother's things. It was made out of not one, but TWO minks, stitched side by side lengthwise. I was kind of horrified at first, but now that I have this particular pest I am thinking I should get it fashioned into a hat to wear out to the coop to maybe ward off others. :p

Thanks all for your responses! Trap setting tomorrow!
 
The first bug eyed babies of the year! Turkey poults have started hatching :) I got 2 out of 3, this hatch. Next week's hatch will be bigger though.

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I set 263 eggs last night. Today I candled the older eggs and got my first fertility from 3 breeds I really want to hatch:
Norwegian Jaerhons - she has been laying for a while and I was beginning to think the male was a dud.
BB Red Kraienkoppes - I have 2 pullets and they have been laying lots of eggs, all infertile until now.
Genetic Hackles - an F1 pullet I hatched last year has started laying and the first 4 eggs are all fertile :wee

PS- I now officially have "too many" Penedesencas hatched. They lay really well and I set them all for a while, expecting my normally dismal fertility on dark eggs, but they are popping out of those eggs like they were Cali Greys, and now I must have more than 50! Anyone local want to try some?
 

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