URGENT MINK PROBLEM!!

[JessMay]

we’ve lost 5 BIRDS in 3 DAYS!!! We have been letting them free range for a couple weeks now and we noticed two days ago one of our hens was dead behind the coop with breasts eaten and head ripped off. We live in a rural area and have lots of foxes, coyotes, hawks, barn cats but have never had an issue, let alone in the middle of the day. We keep a close eye on them as they only are allowed in the backyard which is about an acre. Yesterday TWO more hens were gone. One of them there is no trace of feathers or body, the other same spot as the last. This morning I go outside to make sure everyone is okay, a guinea and another hen missing with evidence left behind. Our coop is very secure, but we recently had to take the top off the run because it was caving in from the walnuts on the tree falling. We plan on building a new coop/run during this time off because we have 18 chicks that are almost ready to go out. Anyways, I looked outside (we have a cornfield on the property next to our house).. holes and dens dug into the ground everywhere. Saw one of the nasty minks poking their heads out of a hole. I need advice on these predators and I have a few questions.
1. Should I be worried that there’s a whole pack of these minks? I don’t want to get rid of the one thinking I solved the problem just to find more dead birds.
2. what’s the best option to get rid of them? I have no problem shooting them but if there’s a less invasive way that isn’t going to take days waiting for one to pop out, I’ll go with that option.
3. any other knowledge on these critters would be helpful. Thanks in advance!

 

[Howard E]

Doesn't sound like a mink at all. Go take a closer look at the dens. Maybe gophers or rats.

The rest also sound like something else. Maybe multiple varmints working in concert. At any rate, you have a lot going on there. Sooner you can get the birds secure, the better chance they have of making it until you can sort that mess out.

 

[JessMay]

Doesn't sound like a mink at all. Go take a closer look at the dens. Maybe gophers or rats.

The rest also sound like something else. Maybe multiple varmints working in concert. At any rate, you have a lot going on there. Sooner you can get the birds secure, the better chance they have of making it until you can sort that mess out.

What should I be looking for? I’m so lost. Whatever it is, it got another guinea. Im now down to 6 chickens and 5 turkeys. I haven’t been letting them free range during the day and I have fenced area under their lifted coop (seperate from the run) which they’ve been staying in. I let them out into the run for A FEW HOURS and whatever it is, it came into the run and ate the guinea and left it in there. I have videos of something in a den popping it’s head out. I also saw what LOOKED like a fisher running into the hay barn. (I’m really not sure if that’s what it was.. I know we have raccoons, which could also be it but whatever I saw was NOT a raccoon) we are in the process of building a new run/ adding another coop. Posting pictures of birds and video on another reply.. hopefully that can help determine what’s doing this.

 

[JessMay]

Doesn't sound like a mink at all. Go take a closer look at the dens. Maybe gophers or rats.

The rest also sound like something else. Maybe multiple varmints working in concert. At any rate, you have a lot going on there. Sooner you can get the birds secure, the better chance they have of making it until you can sort that mess out.

GRAPHIC!!!! All heads missing. This is just three of them. Other guinea was just a puff of feathers. We had a white chicken with absolutely no evidence of her being attacked. There was another RIR that looked the same as the one here. Note, I’m not sure if they are eating the heads. I found a guinea head laying by the feathers fully in tact, if you look at the buff her neck is skinned. Sorry for the intense pictures.

 

[50-45-1]

That does not look like the work of a mink.
My guess is you have more than one culprit. Something killing, something else eating the left overs.
Game cameras well placed could solve this for you.

 

[Howard E]

These are all daytime kills? Condition of carcass was as of time of kill, or over period of day or so.....or at least overnight?

Still don't think mink (they rip heads off, but will kill a whole lot more than 1 or 2, and don't stop to strip the carcass). Also doubt fisher, as you don't have those in IL.

Candidates for ripping heads off and eating some breast would be coons, which are ALWAYS suspect, as they are responsible for such a high percentage of losses overall. But they normally operate at night. Not always, but normally. Owls will also rip heads off and eat crops......and other varmints will help clean up the mess. That also looks like a possum has been helping out. Same with skunks. But all that is normally done at night.

Hawks will kill birds and eat some breast meat......leaving a pile of feathers and carcass where they did the deed. Daytime. A fox or bobcat can snatch a free range bird during daylight hours and disappear with it. And often come back for more.

Nothing sounds consistent with a single predator. So I agree, you got a lot going on and they may be working in concert against you.

Holes and tunnels could still be rats, gophers or do you have ground squirrels? Of those, only rats are a threat. The rest might be bait attracting some of your predators.....who dine on rodents.....and chickens alike.

 

[hayley3]

I would put an audio monitor out in your pen, if possible, to alert you to when it returns but also lock them up in some way that whatever it is can't get to them until you get the roof fixed.

 

[JessMay]

What should I be looking for? I’m so lost. Whatever it is, it got another guinea. Im now down to 6 chickens and 5 turkeys. I haven’t been letting them free range during the day and I have fenced area under their lifted coop (seperate from the run) which they’ve been staying in. I let them out into the run for A FEW HOURS and whatever it is, it came into the run and ate the guinea and left it in there. I have videos of something in a den popping it’s head out. I also saw what LOOKED like a fisher running into the hay barn. (I’m really not sure if that’s what it was.. I know we have raccoons, which could also be it but whatever I saw was NOT a raccoon) we are in the process of building a new run/ adding another coop. Posting pictures of birds and video on another reply.. hopefully that can help determine what’s doing this.

That does not look like the work of a mink.
My guess is you have more than one culprit. Something killing, something else eating the left overs.
Game cameras well placed could solve this for you.

We put a few out there actually. Weirdest thing ever .. took pictures of the evening we put it out and completely skipped the night.. just got pics of some smoke from the bonfire and then movement from the turkeys in the morning. But we have one out there as of now and should be fine, thanks!

These are all daytime kills? Condition of carcass was as of time of kill, or over period of day or so.....or at least overnight?

Still don't think mink (they rip heads off, but will kill a whole lot more than 1 or 2, and don't stop to strip the carcass). Also doubt fisher, as you don't have those in IL.

Candidates for ripping heads off and eating some breast would be coons, which are ALWAYS suspect, as they are responsible for such a high percentage of losses overall. But they normally operate at night. Not always, but normally. Owls will also rip heads off and eat crops......and other varmints will help clean up the mess. That also looks like a possum has been helping out. Same with skunks. But all that is normally done at night.

Hawks will kill birds and eat some breast meat......leaving a pile of feathers and carcass where they did the deed. Daytime. A fox or bobcat can snatch a free range bird during daylight hours and disappear with it. And often come back for more.

Nothing sounds consistent with a single predator. So I agree, you got a lot going on and they may be working in concert against you.

Holes and tunnels could still be rats, gophers or do you have ground squirrels? Of those, only rats are a threat. The rest might be bait attracting some of your predators.....who dine on rodents.....and chickens alike.

four were 100% daytime kills. Right behind their run.. I was even outside but heard nothing (I was pressure washing).. still suprised i didnt hear anything considering their run is only 100ft from me. The carcasses were left like that as of the same day when we were rounding them up to go in. The rest was either middle of the night or very early morning. My boyfriend said today he found a tunnel that went right under the run, and whatever it was outsmarted us and even dug under the chicken wire that was underneath the coop/run. We live on 150 acre horse farm and there’s so many predators it’s hard to pin point what it is. I swear I saw a dark brown, fluffy tailed, short legged animal run straight into the hay barn and it was at 1 in the afternoon.. coming from the direction of the coop. No idea what the hell that thing was as I only got a quick glance, but it disappeared when I went to look. It’s weird, the only consistent thing with all the carcasses is the missing heads. The second chicken even had an egg in her (look at photo) and whoever killed it left the egg. Also nothing comes back to eat the carcass, as we left it right in front of the camera during the night. We do have foxes, coyotes, groundhogs (I think.. check attachments of photos.. I circled the head of whatever is poking out of the ground).. we have raccoons for sure and have had issues with them last year.. but we’ve been keeping a close eye on the coons and with our experience last time they’ve always left blood and have always eaten the entire carcass. ive found not a drop of blood with these guys. I will say though, I think it is a combination of predators because something is digging, and I also found a guinea wing hanging off a branch which is spooky. Whatever it was it was eating from higher up in the trees.. (coons/hawk I believe). We’ve added so many features to the coop and the run for extra security because of our losses last year (coons ripped the panels off the coop door.. have no idea how). Just lookin for a solution.. my next option is live trap or to shoot them because I have 18 chicks almost ready to go out lol.

 

[hayley3]

I had a groundhog that made a tunnel under my coop which then allowed the raccoons to easily come inside and kill my chickens.

 

[RiverOtter]

For mink, bait a heavy, rat, snap type trap with liver and put it in a box with a ground level hole in it. Mink and rats can't resist exploring the hole and the box also keeps you from catching anything else.