Last week my beloved Tom turkey was killed (head and neck chewed down to the bones) in what I thought was a pretty safe pen. It's hardware cloth all the way to the top (6 feet) on 3 sides, with chain link covered in chicken wire in back. There is welded wire attached at the bottom all the way around about 18 inches (can't trench down due to extreme rock). The top is covered in different areas with either welded wire, chicken wire, nylon deer netting or plywood.
I'm assuming the culprit was a mink or weasel, as possums or coons couldn't fit (and Tom wouldn't sleep near a wall anyway). I know there were odds and ends of gaps, rat holes where a skinny thing could fit-not many though so it most have been a professional predator, scoping the place for a while.
Will those skinny guys climb the side and drop through the top?
I put tarps on the sides and part of the top now, figuring it's too slippery for them to climb. Temporary fix, as heavy rains are vexing me with the weight, it's ugly as sin, dark inside, and hard to keep in place with wind. I was going to put 20" metal flashing all around the bottom of the chain link section. Will any of these predators be able to get over that?
I also have some massive white pines just behind the pen with branches overhanging. Is that an access point too?
I am unemployed now and on an extreme budget, so fixes unfortunately have to be very cheap.
I'm assuming the culprit was a mink or weasel, as possums or coons couldn't fit (and Tom wouldn't sleep near a wall anyway). I know there were odds and ends of gaps, rat holes where a skinny thing could fit-not many though so it most have been a professional predator, scoping the place for a while.
Will those skinny guys climb the side and drop through the top?
I put tarps on the sides and part of the top now, figuring it's too slippery for them to climb. Temporary fix, as heavy rains are vexing me with the weight, it's ugly as sin, dark inside, and hard to keep in place with wind. I was going to put 20" metal flashing all around the bottom of the chain link section. Will any of these predators be able to get over that?
I also have some massive white pines just behind the pen with branches overhanging. Is that an access point too?
I am unemployed now and on an extreme budget, so fixes unfortunately have to be very cheap.