Weasel?

[CharlotteBEe]

First time a predator has gotten to my flock. Luckily my silkies were taken in (they normally come in before dusk as they do not go in the hen house on their own) but my guineas were roosting in the rafters. In the rain a little after 8(8:15/8:30) at night something went into the hen house dragged my Guinea hen out into the hen pen area and then out into the fenced in yard. Where she was screaming and flapping around. We ran out and grabbed her but whatever it was gone by then. I was think weasel since no one saw the perpetrator. My little guinea Doe has a single puncture to the neck. She was breathing. She made a little noise when I thought she died (her legs are stiff) … so I’m now I’m not sure. I have her in a bad with a heating pad.


My set up is a hen house then a fenced in yard (fenced with chicken wire) then the area around this is chain link (15 x15ft and 6ft high). Were we picked her up the chain link fence was separated at the bottom by 6 inches

Does this sound like a weasel attack? Or raccoon? In the future will an electric fence prevent this? In in western pa

Please send prayers

 

[CharlotteBEe]

The intruder came back around 330pm! The intruder is a weasel. He was on top of the chicken coop trying to get in the closed raccoon trap, probably looking for more meat. Little Dee (my other guinea sounded the alarm) while my four roosters did nothing ….

Ive been using two traps, a raccoon and a squirrel trap. Last night the raccoon trap was not triggered but all the meat was gone (I had a trail leading to the back of the trap). I placed the raccoon trap in the run area close to the woods along the fence. The squirrel trap that I had inside the hen house (right at the chicken door) still was in triggered with the meat. This morning I placed both traps on top of the hen house where the chickens and guinea could not get to them. This is where the weasel was … on top of the coop!!!!!!!!! I think he had to have come from above (the hen house has openings for ventilation… ) and this is how he got my guinea from the rafter.

From my research weasels are small and vicious. The are called little serial killers. Not sure what i am going to do to keep him out… I’m getting hardwire cloth. Hopefully i catch him soon. (Going to be keeping the traps out as a preventative measure in the future as well as motion detection lights and alarms). I will have a fortified fortress soon.

Everyone is back inside….

 

[TOR]

rule 1 fortify to keep all predators out
having problems use game camera
Google weasel trap, easy to make or buy one
Weasels are prone to biting around neck, drink blood, chew head off, kill all your birds. Will carry or drag off bird if able back to burrow. Will hunt day or night and do not store fat, they need keep eating, Weasels climb very well (dont know about a chain link fence?)

The coon which could be a track (very similar)can climb your chainlink fence, the weasel go thru it.
hardware cloth
Electric fence about 4 to 6 inch of ground will keep coon, possum, skunk away

Raccoon also can grab thru chainlink fence, grab chicken and eat its head, Raccoon can also undo easy locks like slider gate lock, they can be very persitant, dig, climb, chew.
Coon is big enough get ahold of bird may just carry it away, coon will eat a bird feathers and all.
Thought to edit, weasels are good for keeping unwanted vermin away, they are not totally a bad animal.

Hope this helps good luck

 

[aart]

I am leaning towards a type of weasel as their attack method is a bite to the neck.

Agrees.
Doesn't look like a raccoon track to me.

Did you find any breaches in the chicken wire inner fence?

 

[lagrange chicks]

I hope you have traps set for racoon because that is 100% coon tracks. Bait traps with tuna, sardines or even a peanut butter and jelly sandwich is probably better than un- tainted pork.

 

[DuneDucks]

I'd agree those are raccoon tracks. I've trapped a couple this week and the prints I found were more or less identical. They will 100% go at the neck to get into the chest cavity. I've had luck using marshmallows and old eggs as bait.

 

[lagrange chicks]

Good you identified the critter but those tracks are still racoon (Trapper for 40 years). For weasel bait it needs to be fresh and bloody, they shy away from rotten meat.

 

[lagrange chicks]

I think a weasel is to small to drag a guinea around, so mink or racoon is more likely.

 

[Callender Girl]

Best wishes and prayer for your little Doe; I hope she completely recovers.

My only successful predator was a mink that was easily able to get through the run fencing and into a coop. I have since installed hardware cloth EVERYWHERE.

If it's a mink or weasel, it's almost a given that it will return, and they are able to get through ridiculously small openings.

 

[CharlotteBEe]

Thank you, sadly Doe did not make it. The intruder left one single print. I can’t seem to identify it though as it looks like it has only 4 apendages.