And the predator problems continue

1148 Views 77 Replies 21 Participants Last post by Danaus29, 3 d ago

ladytoysdream

Discussion Starter · 15 d ago

So been doing chickens for quite some time now.
Have a big coop with dirt floor and a smaller coop inside of it.
Walls and roof are all metal. Under the roof edge is closed
in with wire, 1x1 inch.
The outside run has roof. No more free ranging.
Something got a few birds recently. Looking for a hole under the
wall of the big coop. On the inside wall, beefed up the floor with
wire panels flat. May have to build a floor at least 3 feet out from wall.
Thought is I have a mink because cannot find any big holes.

Been setting my havahart trap inside the coop for several nights.
Light bulb came on moment. Set the trap outside 2 nights ago.
Used sardines and a mini can of cat food.
Had a racc00n, in it yesterday morning.
Reset trap last night. Same bait.
Caught a bigger one, same kind of critter this morning.
Last fall/winter when I used that trap, took out 8 skunks.

Reactions: 2

1 - 20 of 78 Posts

Danaus29

· #2 · 15 d ago

Sorry you lost some birds.

I try to trap raccoon all year. They are a nuisance.

Reactions: 3

wdcutrsdaughter

· #3 · 15 d ago

sorry to hear you are having this trouble.

I didn't realize racc00n would break into a coop!
yikes
those little hands are crafty, I suppose.

Reactions: 2

doc-

· #4 · 14 d ago

Trapping a few larger varmints outside doesn't mean they were causing your losses...What sort of remains of the lost birds are left, where are you finding them and what time of day are the murders taking place?

Reactions: 2

painterswife

· #5 · 14 d ago

Predators are a constant problem here. Raccoons, Fischer martins, eagles, hawks, mink, bobcats, foxes, and even cougars.

You need to build well and then constantly be on the watch for vulnerabilities that happen due to use and age.

Reactions: 1

ladytoysdream

Discussion Starter · #6 · 14 d ago (Edited)

The c00ns may have been innocent. Well not really because checking out the chicken coop is
looking for a free meal. The metal walls are a good thing. Years ago, I did have a racic00n dig open a hole
in the wood board siding of the little coop. She hid in the rafters. Wrong move for her.

What I think is getting under the walls is a mink. Not the first time either. Been a ongoing issue
through the years. I have took out more than a few of them.
Remains are body parts hid under things in the big coop. Starts with the neck eating.
Does not have a big enough hole to drag it's victim back out of the coop.
Not happening during the day that I know of. Mainly during the nights. But not every night.

The bantams love to sit in the rafters. of big coop. I make them all go into little coop
now for lock down at night.

So current predators would be mink, fox, c00n, coyotes and hawks.

See less See more

Reactions: 2

ladytoysdream

Discussion Starter · #7 · 14 d ago (Edited)

This is when we built the little coop. The **** made a hole under that window.
Just above the floor edge.
Coop is now under the big coop that is 12 feet out and 32 feet long along the
back of our garage. Metal is like what the red of the garage looks like.

Reactions: 1

Alice In TX/MO

· #8 · 14 d ago

Font Terrestrial plant Gas Screenshot Soil

See less See more

Reactions: 5

GREENCOUNTYPETE

· #9 · 14 d ago

if you got a racoon outside your coop , you want to move back and trap more and heavier

if you caught 1 you probably have more I had a friend complain about seeing 3 going form barn to barn , a week later I had caught 41

look for denning areas and try and catch them there , they come down out of the trees and if the meal is right there they are likely to take the bait

also don't rule out weasel

some weasel boxes with 110s and pans baited with chicken livers this works on rats also

also , none of this releasing them a few miles away , dispatch and know your have dealt with that problem

Reactions: 3

Danaus29

· #10 · 14 d ago

Mom's Pyrenees like to eat the chicken feed and drink their water. She never hurt one of the chickens.

@ladytoysdream, it could be a rat. Every time Mom had a mink problem the mink killed and left more than one chicken.

Either one wouldn't need much more than a 1 inch diameter hole to invade the coop. Little holes like that are hard to find. I would try one of those repeating or multi-catch traps placed underneath something so it looks like a good place to hide.

Reactions: 1

GREENCOUNTYPETE

· #11 · 14 d ago

when I say 110 with a pan , here is what I mean , this guy has metal pans but you can make them from wood lath also it changes it to a trigger they crawl over

GREENCOUNTYPETE

· #12 · 14 d ago

here is a good video on making and setting weasel boxes

BadOregon

· #13 · 14 d ago

41!!! Holy moly, that is a lot.

Sometimes it seems like Fort Knox wouldn't be enough to keep the chickens safe.

Reactions: 1

Forcast

· #14 · 14 d ago

My coop has a wood floor. Heavy wire cloth over windows and vents. And a locking door and locking chicken door. If locked up at night no kills. In spring when mom fox is hunting, i keep then locked in a bit later in the morning.
Might sound a bit crazy but i put a dish of cheap catfood out way away from my birds the opossum and raccoon seem very content to leave my birds alone.

Reactions: 4

Big_Al

· #15 · 14 d ago

If y’all have possums in your area, watch out.
They are stone cold chicken killers.

Reactions: 1

oldaseocks

· #16 · 14 d ago

I built a new coop 3 yrs ago. Concrete sloping floor, tin walls inside, spray foam then house siding. Out side pen is horse panels covered inside with chicken wire. Cattle panels under and extending out 2 ft for the diggers. Door is steel, bought as a reject cheap in a Lowes as damaged. Back door built out of Metal screen door with horse panel screen on it. Smaller pen on north side too. Water hydrant inside.

Plant Building Land lot Tree Cottage

See less See more

Reactions: 5

GREENCOUNTYPETE

· #17 · 14 d ago

BadOregon said:
41!!! Holy moly, that is a lot.

Sometimes it seems like Fort Knox wouldn't be enough to keep the chickens safe.

I set 4 traps night 1 , filled all 4 , added 2 more , filled those then next night , added 2 more till I had a 10 out and was filling 7-8 a night

if the traps were in the wrong direction or away from the den trees even 50 feet in the direction of travel to the chickens they weren't paying them any attention they had a mission for chicken

and might as well have been headed to white castle with Harold and Kumar

Reactions: 1

fishhead

· #18 · 14 d ago

I've had **** reach through the wire mesh and grab ducks that were sleeping next to the mesh.

Weasel are easy to trap in wooden rat traps but remember that when they are gone the rodents will have a blast.

View attachment 120983

Reactions: 1

ladytoysdream

Discussion Starter · #19 · 14 d ago

My plan is to borrow a few more havahart traps. The c00n I got last night,
I am surprised it fit in the trap i have .
The one end of the trap, I closed up with J clips. Only the working end is open.
As long as that ends holds, the varmit will be there in the morning.

Reactions: 1

robin416

· #20 · 14 d ago

Lay wire, field fence, poultry netting, hardware cloth three feet out all around the perimeter. It will keep diggers from digging under.

1 - 20 of 78 Posts