Questions about weasels

[into_my_web]

Recently we lost some of our young chickens to a black weasel and I was hoping that someone could answer some questions I have.

1.The weasel is hiding under the shed where I keep my animals, does this mean that the weasel will stay until it kills all the animals?

2.Since it is under the shed, does that mean it would try to come up through the floor? The flooring is very thin.

3.Because there was one weasel here does this mean that there will be more?

4.We've tried to get the dead bodies so we could dispose of them properly and not attract more animals but the weasel dragged them under the shed, does this mean more predators will come around due to the dead bodies?

5. I live in the last house on my street and we are basically in the woods, I live in Canada, are there any other types of predators I should be concerned about?

This would really help me out. If you've ever lost pets to a wild animal you'd know how I'm feeling so please help.
Thank-you.

 

[lauralou]

I'm so sorry that you are losing birds to predators! I've been there, and I know how hard it is.

I can't help you with any answers about weasels, because thankfully, they aren't a problem for us. But lots of other predators to worry about. Some of them will be the same for you.

Our biggest problems are foxes and coyotes. Followed by hawks.
All daytime predators here, and have put an end to the freeranging of chickens on our property.

Our neighbor has caught photos of a bobcat on his wildlife cameras at night, but we haven't had any problems with them. Yet.
I think of bobcats as night predators. I could be wrong, though. I suppose it's possible that a bobcat (or lynx, in your case?) could attack during the daytime.

Lesser predators that we have include skunks and possums. They come sniffing around at night a lot. And racoons. Not that they are a lesser predator, because they have hands! Eek! I do worry that they could open the coop doors at night, so I have multiple latches. But I've never seen any traces of a raccoon anywhere near the coops. I have seen them in the woods, though, so they are around.

And snakes. Not sure how much of a problem snakes will be for you, but they can get your eggs and chicks.

Besides those wild animals, you have to be very cautious of domestic animals such as dogs and cats. Personally, I really appreciate the way the my neighbors keep their dog contained. Most dog owners aren't that conscientious.

So, that's our list of dreaded predators. Almost anything can kill a chicken!

I hope you get some good info on the weasel. He sounds positively terrifying to me.

 

[CMV]

Quote:
Edited to add- oops, forgot to add raptors to the list of problem animals you will likely encounter. Sorry.
Good luck.

 

[LynneP]

Hi neighbour! Weasels are bad news and we have them here all the way up to the pine marten variety. I'm so sorry you are losing birds, a small weaselk can get through any opening that is greater than 1/2" square. For this reason we opted to built with hardware cloth and it's the only answer I know. You can even slap it on the underside of a raised run to protect a thin floor. I'll see what I can do with your questions-


1.The weasel is hiding under the shed where I keep my animals, does this mean that the weasel will stay until it kills all the animals?

The weasel may actually be living there or in the loft of your coop

2.Since it is under the shed, does that mean it would try to come up through the floor? The flooring is very thin.

Yes.

3.Because there was one weasel here does this mean that there will be more?

Probably.

4.We've tried to get the dead bodies so we could dispose of them properly and not attract more animals but the weasel dragged them under the shed, does this mean more predators will come around due to the dead bodies?

Yes, especially fox and coyotes. And when you bury a bird you need to top the grave with a heavy rock.

5. I live in the last house on my street and we are basically in the woods, I live in Canada, are there any other types of predators I should be concerned about?

Same here- wolves, bears, bobcat, coyote, fox, pine marten ( big jeesley weasels), skunk (eggs), raccoons, raptors, roaming dogs esp siberian huskies...

So if you have time to upgrade your coop, I would do it!

https://www.backyardchickens.com/web/viewblog.php?id=7693-ThinkWeasel