White mink

[McChooky]

Are you using a weasel box and mouse trap with bait or a wire live trap? Weasels are one you don't want hanging around

 

[Seaslug]

My first ever loss was to either a mink or long tail weasel. It killed 4 of our 6 hens -- ate the neck of one and stashed all of them for later. It did come back the next day, but we had removed the two living chickens to a back porch (one was wounded) until we could enclose our coop with 1/2" hardware cloth.
I do not think that the mink (what we assume it was) ever came back. Either it didn't, or the 1/2" hardware cloth worked. A few years later a neighbor killed a mink for preying on his chickens. Don't know if it was the same one, but I did not have any other issues and was fine letting the mink go on with its life.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

1/2 inch hardware cloth or similarly sized barriers are essential if mink and weasels are afoot.
Mink are native to this area in 60 years of farming, hunting, fishing, camping and general trekking in wilderness, I had never seen one so when building housing, I never took them into consideration.
All I had to worry about were raccoons, opossums, foxes, coyotes and dogs. Then Walmart decided to build a store near me. They cut down 100 acres of forest along a creek that is at the bottom of a hill from my house. In the next few months, mink became my nemesis.
When I was young, I was on the verge of starting a fur farm. After all the research, I can say I'm quite sure mink are not a species that do seasonal coat color molting. Long tailed weasels do however. Mink have color variations in captivity but not in the wild and none are white.

 

[gimmie birdies]

My skunk live trap is too big, I bought small live trap the size for squirrels, (that is how big he is.) Plus rat trap sized traps.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

Again, from experience, there is virtually no traps for normal vermin that will work for those little devils.
For one, they can escape almost all of them. For two, they really need live bait, not being interested in anything that isn't living and breathing. There are several DIY setups that will work.
I wouldn't trust any of the live trap types.
The box referred to earlier is effective if paired with a live animal inside and somehow protected from the transgressing mustelid.
A unique trap uses a length of PVC pipe partially buried upright at a bit of an angle. It requires sacrificing a mouse. The angle needs to be such that the mouse nor the mink can get back out. Mink aren't particularly smart, just blood thirsty. Normally abut a 1 1/2 inch pvc would work. The size depends on the size of the mink. 1" may even work. About 30 inches long works. Once buried, capped on the bottom end, put the mouse in and the mink goes in to get it. It can't turn around or back up if done right.

 

[peafowl_Lover]

Try a rat trap with mackerel, works wonders.

 

[Shadrach]

Looks like a weasel to me. There aren't many coops and runs I've seen that will keep a weasel out once they've successfully hunted. Mink in general kill more than they can eat once in a confined space with chickens. Weasels tend to get one and come back, again and again.
Do not put your faith in hardware cloth protecting the chickens. The weasel needs to go. Trapping may work but shooting it would be my prefered option if possible.

 

[Squawkers]

Do not put your faith in hardware cloth protecting the chickens.

Why do you say that?

 

[Shadrach]

Why do you say that?

Because, both rats and weasels can chew through the lighter guage hardware cloth.

 

[Squawkers]

Because, both rats and weasels can chew through the lighter guage hardware cloth.

What gauge would keep them out?