Weasel problem.. help?

[MyChicksRAwesome]

Hi there! I’m new here and happy to hear your stories. Well. I bought an old Finnish homestead. 100 acre farm in sept of last year. We have a barn that needs help and a few smaller buildings that need work as well. I have always wanted land and being 39 I finally have it lol.. problem is when we moved up here my pup caught a weasel. Since sept last year there has been 5. Now mind you we haven’t been able to do to much since we got hit with a fabulous winter.. jk. We are planning on putting 5 gallon buckets with peanut butter and water to catch mice, and hopes this will have the weasels go... I have 4 chicks and many eggs incubating and absolutely refuse to let these chicks go in the barn ,without having this issue under control.. any tips? I would so appreciate it! Thank you and blessed be!

 

[Birdsong 82]

Well first welcome to backyard chickens. With chickens coming in your future you’re definitely in the right place. And congratulations on your new spot !Will your chickens have a coop and a run when they go outside? Is there coop the barn? First you would need to check in see how the weasel is getting into the barn Would be my first step

 

[Howard E]

You clearly live in an area with a large weasel population, so this will be a constant threat for you. Most Fish and Game agencies have information on weasels that suggests they are NOT??? a serious threat to chickens......meaning they do not intentionally set out looking for chickens as coon, foxes, etc. would........... preferring instead to dine on rodents like rats, mice, etc. So what follows is that what attracts them to you in the first place is a large rodent population......rats and mice. So they arrive looking for rats and mice, but are opportunistic killers and will quickly make the transition to your birds if they get the chance.

Also know that weasels, like the rats they pursue can dig, climb and wriggle through openings no larger than a quarter. So what you build needs to be that tight to exclude both rats and mice, and by extension, weasels. It needs to be that tight. I doubt your existing barn is that tight. If you can make a section of it so, then go ahead. If not, consider free standing, purpose built housing that you know is rat proof from the start, and by extension of that, should also be weasel proof too. It does not need to be large or elaborate, but does need a few key elements to make it so. Far easier to build from scratch than to upgrade difficult to modify existing?

 

[MyChicksRAwesome]

Thank you very much for your reply. I am hoping we can get this weasel situation down. This farm had not been occupied for 40 years lol barn is in great shape.. but does need some proofing done. I have a garden tractor also that these little ones can go and play in when the snow melts and temp is right . This is all new to me and I appreciate any and all advice !!

 

[MyChicksRAwesome]

Well first welcome to backyard chickens. With chickens coming in your future you’re definitely in the right place. And congratulations on your new spot !Will your chickens have a coop and a run when they go outside? Is there coop the barn? First you would need to check in see how the weasel is getting into the barn Would be my first step

Thank you! The barn has a huge chicken coop in there but needs to be fixed up. Weather has been so cold up here ... near international falls mn , it has not been nice lol so the barn and coop is on standby. Meanwhile a friend of ours is letting us use of giving us a chicken tractor. For the time being ..

 

[Folly's place]

Plan to have a coop that's as predator proof as possible; that means no openings larger than 1/2" diameter anywhere, with a dig proof foundation, and lots of ventilation, all secured with hardware cloth.
At least four sq. ft. OR MORE floor space per bird in the coop, and tall enough to walk in for you.
Then, the run should be as safe as possible; if not as secure as the coop, at least safe enough to keep out dogs, coons, and raptors.
Free ranging is great, but some predators will find your birds some days.
Weasels live everywhere, and aren't often seen. They do prefer rodents, but will take chickens if available. During the day, most birds can avoid them, so it's not such a problem. At night, chickens are totally helpless, so a weasel or raccoon can kill an entire flock in their coop.
Mary