What is it?

[Buck Creek Chickens]

I've already caught minks and weasels, this 'thing' is to small, the tail is that short not cut off. seams to be full grown

What do you think?

 

[Shelly_WNC]

Looks like a weasle to me ... yikes!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Weasel
"Weasels vary in length from 12 to 45 centimetres (5 to 18 in), and usually have a red or brown upper coat and a white belly; some populations of some species moult to a wholly white coat in winter. They have long slender bodies, which enable them to follow their prey into burrows."

 

[meghan713]

pretty sure it is a marten-- youre lucky you got it. they eat the heads off chickens and suck out the blood. its a nasty surprise to find. a marten got one of my red star hens, alyssia, and i was devastated. it was really nasty. one of them massacred my friend's coop of 8 chickens.

 

[meghan713]

ooh... nevermind i just realized martens have bushy tails. maybe a weasel closely related to them? it looks just like a marten except for the tail.

 

[speckledhen]

Stoat, maybe. They have a black tip on their tails, I've read. Could still be a weasel. there are several varieties. Here is a "Least Weasel".

 

[plumberroy]

short tailed weasel or stout or ermine if in winter white phase and yes it will kill chicks
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stoat

 

[fancbrd4me02]

it's a weasel

 

[gsim]

Looks like a weasel to me. They are chicken vampires. Good job. Looks like a rat trap did the job. darn things can get in almost any opening. Hardest chicken killer to keep out IMO.

 

[cristy17]

Its a wesel changing out of its winter coloration. DH traps a few of them every year -- some with different variations of brown and white. One year he caught so many that he said he was going to make me a rug with all of them -- YUCK!!

 

[dacjohns]

Least Weasel. The ermine and long-tailed weasel are larger.

Stoat is another name for ermine which is also sometimes known as the short-tailed weasel.