Mink not leaving after attack!

[Crazy4chickens2018]

My Neighbour just lost half her flock to a pair of mink last week. Our coops are close to each other and it was a miracle that the mink did not make it over and get my 15 chickens. My chickens have been locked up and secured in the coop since the attack and her remaining chickens in her coop but the mink have not left. They know there are more chickens to kill! My neighbours have tried live traps baited with fresh meat, they have tried sitting in wait with a shotgun to shoot them but they are fast....now they have leg traps set baited with chicken livers and we have had zero luck. Any advice would be greatly appreciated as our chickens are getting restless and feeling cooped up!

 

[sourland]

Put a chicken out in a SECURE cage and surround it with foot hold traps or live traps on all sides. Good luck. They are tenacious and brazen.

 

[Crazy4chickens2018]

Oh gee, putting a live chicken out for bait is not what I was hoping to hear, but it makes sense. I guess we may have to try that....yikes

 

[SarahJane_G]

This just happened us at the weekend also.. got 18neighbouring chickens our hen houses are only about 50yards from eachother... Freaking out its killed all hers will come after mine next

 

[cmom]

I have been told there are weasels in Florida but I have never seen one. We have plenty of other predators and most everything likes chicken. Maybe do some research on trapping mink and you may get some good ideas on how to catch the darn things or maybe get in touch with a trapper. Good luck...

 

[cmom]

We had a very healthy coyote population. A neighbor gave some fellows permission to hunt them on his land and there happened to be some dens on his land. I heard some shooting after dark coming from over in his direction and the coyote sightings are now rare. In the past I would see them most every night but now only now and then. Lately I have seen one around my coops. I have several game cameras up around on my property because I was curious of what roams at night and here most predators roam at night. I also have electric wires around my coops and pens. So far nothing has gotten past the electric wires. Again, good luck...

 

[Mosey2003]

Mink are the worst, in my opinion. I had one last year for the first time. Live trap was a no-go. Leg trap with chicken livers, yep also a no-go. They *really* want a live victim, and they're awfully smart. Mine learned my daily routine and would show up after I left for work (when I do chores) which was about 6:30am and broad daylight.

If you really want to trap them what I found out was that you want basically a 110 conibear and a box to mount it in with a live prey cage on the back. Surrounding a caged bird with leg traps could work too I suppose, but I feel like you'd have to cover the traps with leaf litter or something.

I did order a tube trap online meant for gray squirrels and mink, but did not end up catching it, it had moved on at that point. I'm not sure how large of a loop they typically make, but once I reinforced my barn door (I had thought it was sufficient, but there were a few very small holes that apparently mink can use) and kept my outdoor birds locked in for a couple days, my mink moved on and hasn't returned in.......at least 6 months? Maybe more. It was sighted across town about a week after it stopped being able to access my birds.

With mink, about all you can really do is make sure that your birds are locked up like Ft. Knox. Which is hard if you don't have the time, money, and/or expertise/ability to build a permanent hardware cloth run with buried wire or apron-ed wire around the perimeter. Personally, I don't want a permanent run like that either, so my options are hope the mink doesn't return or stop having any birds outside period.

 

[roosterhavoc]

Mink are the worst, in my opinion. I had one last year for the first time. Live trap was a no-go. Leg trap with chicken livers, yep also a no-go. They *really* want a live victim, and they're awfully smart. Mine learned my daily routine and would show up after I left for work (when I do chores) which was about 6:30am and broad daylight.

If you really want to trap them what I found out was that you want basically a 110 conibear and a box to mount it in with a live prey cage on the back. Surrounding a caged bird with leg traps could work too I suppose, but I feel like you'd have to cover the traps with leaf litter or something.

I did order a tube trap online meant for gray squirrels and mink, but did not end up catching it, it had moved on at that point. I'm not sure how large of a loop they typically make, but once I reinforced my barn door (I had thought it was sufficient, but there were a few very small holes that apparently mink can use) and kept my outdoor birds locked in for a couple days, my mink moved on and hasn't returned in.......at least 6 months? Maybe more. It was sighted across town about a week after it stopped being able to access my birds.

With mink, about all you can really do is make sure that your birds are locked up like Ft. Knox. Which is hard if you don't have the time, money, and/or expertise/ability to build a permanent hardware cloth run with buried wire or apron-ed wire around the perimeter. Personally, I don't want a permanent run like that either, so my options are hope the mink doesn't return or stop having any birds outside period.

The very same 110 traps guarding holes in and around coops or in nearby brush where the mink is coming from works really well. Bait and lure does work sometimes but you’ll catch more with just the trap put in his way. They’ll usually go right through it like it’s another twig or vine. Sometimes they take awhile to come back around so leaving traps set around where chickens can get into them is an issue. They’re so easy to set though it’s not too big of an problem to just set them at night and kick them closed and leave em laying while the birds are out.

 

[Mosey2003]

The very same 110 traps guarding holes in and around coops or in nearby brush where the mink is coming from works really well. Bait and lure does work sometimes but you’ll catch more with just the trap put in his way. They’ll usually go right through it like it’s another twig or vine. Sometimes they take awhile to come back around so leaving traps set around where chickens can get into them is an issue. They’re so easy to set though it’s not too big of an problem to just set them at night and kick them closed and leave em laying while the birds are out.

Good to know! I have left my tube trap tucked up next to the coop along the path I'm sure any would be taking, and have let it be covered with leaves and weeds, so it looks like a rather inviting tunnel. Hopefully if they DO come back around, they'll take a run through it. I did get a 110 but I'm just really not that comfortable with it.

 

[roosterhavoc]

Good to know! I have left my tube trap tucked up next to the coop along the path I'm sure any would be taking, and have let it be covered with leaves and weeds, so it looks like a rather inviting tunnel. Hopefully if they DO come back around, they'll take a run through it. I did get a 110 but I'm just really not that comfortable with it.

Yeah hopefully if he comes back that’ll work. I forget sometimes that traps are kinda foreign to most people. 110s aren’t very difficult to use and set but they do take some practice to get comfortable with. If you’re worried about catching your hand don’t be. It doesn’t feel good but it’s not that bad either. Believe me
I’ve caught my hands hundreds of times. The only time it hurts is if you get your fingernail.
I believe they sell a setter for them too if you don’t have quite enough hand strength.