Weasel?

[MaidensMom]

Not a good wk!! Between the issues with Betty to make things absolutely horrible I went to the coop this am to find Serenity ka big solid rhode island red) with her neck ripped open. It was horrible

Cold and stiff so happened sometime during the night. It was rather chilly and windy so i had the windows and doors closed. Had checked on them around 8pm they were all content and happy, them i find this. The only thing i can think would have been a weasel cuz there was maybe a 3in hole in the floor. And now this afternoon i cant find Sprite one of my Polish hens

 

[nchls school]

Add mink and ferrets to the list. They could get through a three inch hole. Just this week I lost a serama pullet to a black mink. A cage- a couple roosters as bait-and a live trap with ham slices. I had the animal the same day. It sure spoiled the week. I found the chicken laying beside our dog. I went ballistic. After the dog was punished severely I sat on the patio. It wasn't five minute and the hens started squawking. I hollered at the dog to get away from the birds and then I see who really was responsible. The black mink was on top of the run squeezing through the door. I should have known the dog didn't kill the hen because there was no way for him to get in the run. Apparently Gizzy, the dog, grabbed the hen from the young mink as he tried to make his get-away.

 

[MaidensMom]

How awful

We put down 2 new sheets of plywood over the old floor so wont be able to make it back in that way. Keeping doors and windows closed overnight both to keep them
them safe and for the big drop in temp until the weekend when i will be able to reinforce the run. Feel just horrible about it. Been meaning to fix that hole before winter to keep mice out. If we had this probably wouldn't have happened

 

[nchls school]

Consider using a live trap as I did. I caught the mink in a couple of hours. He was drawn back to the run because of the noisy roosters and could not resist the ham in the live trap. The mink was released far away in a wooded area well away from people.

The pullet in my avatar is the one lost to the mink.

 

[MaidensMom]

I have to go to work in a bit so i don't have time to set it upbut im going to have my husband put it out when he gets home. Thinking it will probably come back since it got a big meal last night. Gave the coop another once over just now. Everything looks secure

She was pretty. How sad. My husband wants a rooster now to protect the girls.

 

[nchls school]

A rooster will not/can not protect against weasels and most other predators. Predators will eat roosters just as fast as hens.

I am ever so glad that I was slow in putting my rooster in the run the other day. I only have ONE serama rooster that is suitable for breeding. Every night I put him indoors with his best hens. My rooster is not replaceable. I have other pullets. Even so, I hate that I lost her. My seramas are pets,

 

[MaidensMom]

Oh i know it would eat a rooster just as fast as a hen. He was just trying to come up with something to protect the girls. Serenity was his favorite. Told him best thing we can do is reinforce everything.

 

[nchls school]

Oh i know it would eat a rooster just as fast as a hen. He was just trying to come up with something to protect the girls. Serenity was his favorite. Told him best thing we can do is reinforce everything.

Weasels can get through the tiniest of holes ;look things over very carefully when you reinforce the coop.

 

[MeepBeep]

Oh i know it would eat a rooster just as fast as a hen. He was just trying to come up with something to protect the girls.

During the day a rooster might provide some level of protection and warning for small threats but won't do much good at all against most predator threats... At night be it a roo or hen, they are all essentially blind and defenseless 'sitting ducks' once the light goes out...

 

[MaidensMom]

Weasels can get through the tiniest of holes ;look things over very carefully when you reinforce the coop.

We covered up the hole it came in through and 2 other tiny holes today with plywood. Its a sturdy old coop, but its just that. Old. This weekend we're going to get more plywood and re-cover the outside even though it seems to be solid. We let them roam the yard (its an 80 acre farm so its a big yard) during the day but now I'm afraid to do that since I don't know if they will be safe or not. I worry about the hawks enough as it is.

During the day a rooster might provide some level of protection and warning for small threats but won't do much good at all against most predator threats... At night be it a roo or hen, they are all essentially blind and defenseless 'sitting ducks' once the light goes out...

So true. We think that's exactly what happened. The hole in the floor was close to the feeder. I think originally mice would come in and eat the food at night. Been meaning to cover it for awhile now

They liked to sleep on the garbage can we keep the feed in next to the feeder. Think the b*stard came up through the hole, snatched her off asleep and tried to take her back through the hole.