Varmit stealing eggs

[MugsyM]

I am just kidding about the humane society. I actually saw one posted on a humane society website and thought I would never have thought of that. Then I said I bet it's a drake but they were trying to find it a home.

I have looked and my husband has looked and it looks like a mink to us. We just haven't been able to figure out why it is just taking just an egg. Glad it is but I don't know why it isn't on a killing spree. That's what Google says minks do. Their house is covered all around the bottom with chicken wire. We had to do that last summer when we have a brooder who decided to go the distance and hatch 4 babies. We had to add a wing then a maternity ward to the house. Then we needed a nursery and while we were expanding the ducks' house until it is getting close to being bigger than our own house we decided to go ahead with the chicken wire just to keep the babies safe. So they are as protected as we can make them. I have a pitbull that watches the duck house all night long. He has raised holy heck several times a night more than once. We let him out and he chases something off. I don't want to lose my dog or my ducks but I don't know what I am chasing. The last time I put the trap out, I caught one mad feral cat. He was still mad when I was letting him out of the trap.

 

[MugsyM]

Please don’t dump your ducks out somewhere what @RickL recommends is the best way to rehome. They will be killed in one night if you go an dump them somewhere.

I wouldn't ever do that. I couldn't stand to re-home one even when I threaten to go after my drake with a baseball bat if he doesn't give the girls a second of a break. He knows I would never hurt him. He's one of the family...the worst behaved but part of the family anyway.

 

[Miss Lydia]

Thank you for clarifying. Well chicken wire won’t keep anything out it only keeps our birds in. Hardware wire is the only fencing that will keep our birds safe.

 

[FunQuail]

Maybe electric netting around your entire set-up to keep everyone out? Good luck!!

 

[EverythingDucks]

I looked out the window the other day and saw a varmit coming out of my duck house with an egg in its mouth. Yesterday my husband went into the house to check on a duck we have that has gone broody and is sitting round the clock. When he went in the varmit was in there, looked at him then ran. I looked it up and thought what I saw was a mink. He thought he saw a weasel but after looking at pictures, he now also thinks it was a mink. We have set a trap but I am worried and I don't understand why it isn't bothering my ducks. I have to figure out how to get rid of whatever it is and it certainly isn't shy about running around in daylight but not at any particular time of the day.

My grandparent had chicks and they kept finding them dead with nothing but their heart missing. It was from minks, eating only the hearts.. I'd get a bb gun and try to shot it when i saw it