I Think I've Got a Mink or Weasel

[Granny Smith]

We lost 7 hens last night. Some were missing their heads, so I think it's a mink. We blocked off the door as good as we could tonight and set a live trap just outside it (baited with giblets from some store chickens) Hopefully, I'll find out in the morning what it was.

[Cyngbaeld]

Oh man, hope you catch the nasty little beastie.

[Valerie]

I hope you catch it! I've heard that possums will bite their heads off in the night too.

[BigM]

Did you catch it?

[joanfromzonesix]

catch a mink and you've got a start on a really nice coat - weasel or possum not so much -

[Valerie]

Or at least a glove. Aren't they kinda small?

[Granny Smith]

I didn't get it, but it got the rest of my chickens. I still have the trap set. I hope I catch whatever it is because I'd like to know.

I don't plan on getting any more chickens till I get a better coop. This one has too many gaps.

[BigM]

Gayle~ We use a 10'x10' dog kennel lined with chicken wire st the bottom and topped with welded wire and a tarp that also covers one side. It seems to work really well predator wise. (At least now that the top is covered too.) You'd have to figure out what to do for the cold weather you have, but maybe just plywood to block the wind and retain heat would be enough??

[Granny Smith]

I'm pretty sure whatever it was got in under the door. One of them is warped near the bottom, so it doesn't close tight. I want to cut both doors in half horizontally and hinge them at the top and bottom. That way, when they're closed, they'll seal tighter. When they're open, the top will make an awning and the bottom will make a ramp.

Dan wants to build a whole new one, but I think that's a waste of time and materials.

[Valerie]

Dang! I hate that you lost them all! How big are weasels and mink?

[Granny Smith]

Minks are about the size of a large housecat, but have short legs and can flatten out to get through small cracks. Weasels are about the length of your forearm, but skinny and can also flatten out to get through even smaller cracks.

[susan]

That is terrible that you've lost all the chickens. I hope you can still catch what did it. Maybe it will still come back again even though it got them all. We haven't had any problems here except that one time of seeing the hawk sitting on the gate of the pen. We're planning on building a new coop this summer. They did ok all last summer, but this winter has been hard to keep it warm enough for them and also keep them in when it's extremely cold. Mike has had to use a heat lamp hooked up in one end of the little run during this bitter cold, but as soon as he opens the door to get to their food and water they are out and running. We're finding that chickens have no common sense.

Susan

[Granny Smith]

I've never noticed cold and snow bothering my chickens, even when I lived in Michigan. Once in a while one of them might get a little frostbite on its comb, but that's about it. They tend to stay close together and out of the wind, so they stay warm(ish). I help them out a little by giving them warm water and putting their food and water indoors. I also don't clean their coop until spring. The manure provides insulation and warmth, so I leave it till they don't need it anymore.

Predators are the big problem in winter, everywhere I've lived. I guess their food supply is low then, so they go after anything that's easy to catch.

[susan]

We're doing the deep litter method also. Couple of months until spring and the straw is already up to the roosting bar. I'm looking forward to having all that old straw and manure for the garden this spring.

Susan

[Granny Smith]

I gave up on Dan getting me any straw or hay, so I had been using shredded paper. They didn't seem to mind it and it can go in the compost heap, just like straw could - and no worries about seeds in it.