Weasel or Mink???

[Silkie Sue]

Quote:
i don't think it matters what kind of sardines, they will be attracted to it.
can you pen your duckies in at night. if there is a bigger than 1 1/2" hole that little bugger will get through.

i just put my chickens that have been living in the house since the attack out in their pens again.... i'm still nervous. i hope there are no more minks. i am working on making the pens safer.

 

[shelleyb1969]

That's a mink. One killed 21 of my birds in one night...and critically injured 11 others, 3 of which ended up dying. It made entry through a 1" crack in the cinder block wall of my coop. Vicious vicious vicious little killers. The mink that killed mine was stupid enough to stay in my coop long enough to meet Mr. 410.

 

[shelleyb1969]

Quote:
Take it from me...you'll have OCD with the security of your flock from now on. I didn't sleep for a week after my attack, and I left a light AND a radio on at night for about 2 weeks. I'm to the point now of only leaving a radio on at night...but I have to sleep with my bedroom window open so I can hear if anything is happening around the coop.

It's sad what one little blood thirsty varmint can do to a person's sense of security.

 

[Silkie Sue]

Quote:
Take it from me...you'll have OCD with the security of your flock from now on. I didn't sleep for a week after my attack, and I left a light AND a radio on at night for about 2 weeks. I'm to the point now of only leaving a radio on at night...but I have to sleep with my bedroom window open so I can hear if anything is happening around the coop.

It's sad what one little blood thirsty varmint can do to a person's sense of security.

that is EXACTLY what i do...... i am looking for a baby monitor so i can hear any strange noises in the barn... i think that will make me feel better

 

[shelleyb1969]

Quote:
I tried the baby monitor, but didn't like it at all. The chickens make all sorts of weird sounds at night, and I was constantly going out to the coop at all hours of the night to check on them. But the monitors work well for a lot of folks...just not me.

 

[Silkie Sue]

Quote:
I tried the baby monitor, but didn't like it at all. The chickens make all sorts of weird sounds at night, and I was constantly going out to the coop at all hours of the night to check on them. But the monitors work well for a lot of folks...just not me.

i'm gonna try it.... i am a pillow away from bunkin out in the barn... and i think i might be pushin it

 

[bryan99705]

You have a mink on your hands and he will rip you a new one if he gets a hold of you!

Yes, it happened 40 years ago and I still have the scar and have never forgotten!

 

[Sachasmom]

Quote:
i don't think it matters what kind of sardines, they will be attracted to it.
can you pen your duckies in at night. if there is a bigger than 1 1/2" hole that little bugger will get through.

i just put my chickens that have been living in the house since the attack out in their pens again.... i'm still nervous. i hope there are no more minks. i am working on making the pens safer.

The first one it took right out of the brooder in the garage (well, it killed it, didn't eat it and left the other 11 alone)

So I moved them to the back coop where they would be "safe", not so much. I had to put up wire screening on the top after the duck attack (I immagine the way those things freak it got like one shot and then they woke up!) I patched a couple holes, but the dang rats I can't catch keep digging holes!) I'm going to put down wire all around the coop and the pen, but the rats are IN the pen/coop so I would just be fencing the rats in.

So I think the silkie was second choice once it couldn't get to the ducks (or decided the ducks were too hard.) I patched all the holes in that coop and the rats made more. They're not sticking to the sticky traps, I managed to set the snap trap off on myself (twice) and no joy with any box traps. Sigh.

I sent my husband to the store for a bait box and rat poisen, I really don't like poisening anything but it looks like the rat has a nest of baby ratties...

We did debate about if the injuries/deaths were due to rats, but they didn't touch the silkie or duckling carcass I left in the trap for them. Plus the bite radius looked large to be a rat (I thought it looked large to be a mink actually, I was leaning towards a fisher.

 

[CMV]

Glad you caught your culprit. I am also having weasel issues. I have no sympathy for the little bugger.

Good luck.