Théo and the chickens des Sauches

[RoyalChick]

Piou-piou died just now. A weasel was in the coop.

Oh no!!!
So sorry Manue and what a shock.
Farewell Piou-piou - you will be missed around the world.

 

[MaryJanet]

Piou-piou died just now. A weasel was in the coop.

Oh no! I'm so sorry. Poor little darling

 

[BDutch]

Sending some hughs for the loss of Piou-piou too.

If you really have a weasel out there, I would search for an opening and close it. Weasels do come back.

 

[AntiqueB]

That's terrible news. I'm so sorry.

 

[ManueB]

so sorry @ManueB How awful and shocking.

I imagine it's hard to tell whether it's still there or not. Maybe that's what been spooking the chickens for a while. It's so difficult to spot and catch mustelids.

We heard screams at 6.50 just 20 mn short of opening the coop. Ran down as fast as we could and found the weasel, or marten, still in, and Piou-piou's headless body.
We did not succeed killing it, it ran right over my partner's shoulder. We're in the process of securing the door : we discovered the wooden upper panel had moved throughout the years, and forming a hole above which we could not see. We knew the run wasn't safe from a marten but we were absolutely sure the coop was 100% unbreachable.

I can't believe she's gone, it's so sudden. We always thought she wouldn't stand a chance with a predator because she could not fly, and she already survived miraculously a fox almost exactly a year ago, and a hawk.

She was our princess and our heart chicken. It will be so empty without her. I won't be holding to my social media break because I want to post a tribute and maybe speak more about it. Right now we're going through all the what if's, and feeling like we failed her. We take confort knowing she died quickly and had a wonderful last year.

 

[MaryJanet]

 

[BDutch]

We're in the process of securing the door : we discovered the wooden upper panel had moved throughout the years, and forming a hole above which we could not see. We knew the run wasn't safe from a marten but we were absolutely sure the coop was 100% unbreachable.

I knew, and you say so too, you didn’t know about any hole. Finding it and fixing it , is all you can do.

Don’t blame yourself. In the wild chickens are prey animals day and night. Therefore these kind of casualties just happen. It’s hard when it happens. But it’s also part/ belongs to having happy chickens. A fort knocks without space to live, to explore and to forage is way more pitiful.
Remember she had joy and gave you joy for as long as she was in your care.

 

[Molpet]

Piou-piou died just now. A weasel was in the coop.

I'm so sorry

 

[Molpet]

We knew the run wasn't safe from a marten

My pullet last year was killed in a 150ft x 600ft run. I wouldn't have known what happened to her but the mink was trying to pull her through the fence. Stupid turkeys just watching. The field fence wiggling and turkeys staring is what caught my attention. Way back of the poultry yard 100ft from the creek.
I caught 2 different sizes of male mink, 2 different sizes of male weasels and one female weasels.
I used a repeating rat trap with a live chipmunk. Also caught one of those weasels in same trap without chipmunk when I was trying to catch the chipmunk by the house.
However the last thing I caught in it bent the bars and got out, they are very strong and can squeeze through a hole bigger than half inch.
I have seen people catch small weasels in repeating mouse trap.