So all summer i was constantly breaking up my broodies as i did not want to deal with a bunch of access roosters going into fall. But my one hen Carmelo was determined so i gave her some eggs and she hatched 3 chicks about a month ago. I posted pictures of her here on this site with her babies.
Well yesterday i went to the coop and found carnage, Carmelo and all 3 babies dead, only one chick partialy eaten. They were still nesting on the floor as the babies were not big enough to roost yet.
I looked and found one small tunnel under the edge of the coop wall. Now i have hardware cloth skirting buried a foot down in the ground and a foot outward compleatly around my coop but he must have tuneled deeper than that.
So i wired one dead baby chick to the pan in my small haveaheart live trap, and wired a baby chicken thigh to two rat traps. (I know what you are thinking...now is not the time to be sqweemish) knew he would be back last night.
First thing This morning... one rat trap not disturbed, one rat trap sprung, and one weasel caught in the haveaheart trap. This weasel only drew breath for about 2 minutes after the below picture was taken this morning.
Today i start digging around my coop and attaching deeper hardware cloth. My chickens and guineas are compleatly freaked out and last night some would not go in the coop for fear it is not safe.
Carmelo was a great mom, i am heartbroken over her.
Well yesterday i went to the coop and found carnage, Carmelo and all 3 babies dead, only one chick partialy eaten. They were still nesting on the floor as the babies were not big enough to roost yet.
I looked and found one small tunnel under the edge of the coop wall. Now i have hardware cloth skirting buried a foot down in the ground and a foot outward compleatly around my coop but he must have tuneled deeper than that.
So i wired one dead baby chick to the pan in my small haveaheart live trap, and wired a baby chicken thigh to two rat traps. (I know what you are thinking...now is not the time to be sqweemish) knew he would be back last night.
First thing This morning... one rat trap not disturbed, one rat trap sprung, and one weasel caught in the haveaheart trap. This weasel only drew breath for about 2 minutes after the below picture was taken this morning.
Today i start digging around my coop and attaching deeper hardware cloth. My chickens and guineas are compleatly freaked out and last night some would not go in the coop for fear it is not safe.
sorry you had to go through that and the loss of your birds of course!
