Darn Mink in the hen house!!!

[red maples]

Well the day was going good as good as drizzly day going through the x-mas lights can be. Was going out to close up chicken coupe and take my daughter to dance class at about 5:15 only dark 45 mins max. Heard alot of noise in the chicken coupe. ran over 1 dead on the ground outside and cracked the door rooster dead right in front of the door. had 1 in its teeth. quick shut the door shut the chicken's door ran got the gun. He's dead now and I have 2 air holes in the coupe small bird shot at close range. but still lost 5 hens and my rooster!!! **** mink. the only good thing about this year and my "hobby farm" was the great mape season!!! and I got some honey!!! :cry:

[U.S.M.C.Cpl]

It wouldn't be so bad if they would eat what they kill, but the darn things kill for the heck of it...

[Bucket Head]

You need some type of guard animal out there! When I was a kid we had chickens and a few ducks. One of the ducks was a Muskovy (spelling?) that someone dumped off one night. It turned out to be the nicest animal around us, but if another animal came near, you had to get out of the way! I saw it absolutely terrorize cats and dogs! It must have scared the Red Tailed Hawks around here too. I never saw them swoop in towards the chinckens until after the duck was no longer around. He roosted every night right in the doorway of the coop. Apparently he did'nt let anything in. After he passed away we lost birds on a somewhat regular basis and had to make sure the door was shut at night after that. Prior to that, the door was always open, we never shut it!

Steve

[KenWP]

My problem the last year has been cats.They figured out how to get into the hen house and killed off a few and they killed off 3 of my wild turkeys thru heavy gauge 1 inch screen even.The first turkey just disappeared and I figured she who must be obeyed let it out and then the next day they killed and ate two more of them.They never touched the chickens in with them for some reason just the turkeys.

[cvmaple]

That's a drag. Farming isn't always fun that's for sure. Hopefully by next spring this year will be a distant memory and we will be up to our knees (not literally) in sap again. cvmaple

[red maples]

I do still have 9 left. but I will expanding the coup in the spring so I will be adding more chickens as well. Like I said this year has been rough except for maple. goffer(groundhog)in the garden, coccidiosis lost 1 bird, Irene knocked over one bee hive, skunks eating my bees, the mink, the dude who ripped of my farm stand, late blight took out the rest of my toamotes and peppers, 1 hawk attack but it didn't suceed. the cotton tail rabbit population is coming back too so that should be a challenge next year!!! fox and coyote populations are in a down part of their cycle so other little stuff is on the rise. I haven't seen a lot of fishers either as of late.

[NH/Pete]

Brad do Fishercat ever bother you?
I've had them after the chickens and Pheasant for years. Lost some real nice breeders to them.

[red maples]

NO we had 2 males that used to invade each other's territory all time so they would chase each other through the yard all time. 1 lived a monster dead Oak 'bout 150 feet back in the woods but since it finally fell over a few years ago he left and I havent seen in either one in a while. I didn't have chickens then so no bother to me. I know the farm down the road had problems with the fisher getting there geese they have 100% free range pastured geese and not so much the foxes but they always have issues with coyotes and fishers but I was over there the other day and they said the flock is getting too big (they are only used for eggs and what they eat. ) but they said haven't lost a bird in 2 years. They also had a fisher take out a horse. came into the stall and bit tendon in the leg repeatedly until the horse fell and then killed it!!!! I am afraid of any animal tough enough to kill a porcupine!!! Don't know if the horse thing was true but it sounded good.

[NH/Pete]

I had a Gray fox climb onto a 6' high meat chicken pen and tear through the wire one year. I caught her on the way out.
The damage was done. 7 week old birds. Lost half of them the rest were bruised up quite a bit.

One year I lost my Lady Amherst Pheasant breeders to a fisher that ripped through the wire. Took me 5 years to get those birds the way I wanted them.