Yesterday morning I found the chewed carcass of another murdered chicken where John had parked his truck overnight. Something had eaten it under the truck in the dead of night. Plus another was dead in the run. Something bad was in the chook house again. Something hungry. So far it has killed and eaten seven chooks. And we still did not know what it was. 
The Breeder had a large live animal trap in her big red barn, so last night I set out to put it in the chook house run. I wanted to put it in the little hatch doorway as ron suggested, but all the chickens were sitting about looking so Pluckable and so deeply Dopey that I could not bear for the trap to fall down, or slip sideways, leaving the door open for the varmint and all his brothers to walk straight in. So the trap and its can of cat food was in the run, close to where I think the chicken eaters were getting in. I left the big light on in the chook house and they were absolutely locked up. 
If anything got into the chook house I was going to be very surprised. The dogs and I worked for hours yesterday covering every hole in that colander of a shed and securing all the doors and windows. Boo has a good nose for holes in the walls.
Boo, the junk yard dog ,took himself to the barn at bedtime. His chain puts him between Poppy and Tima. So he is happy to be there. Much to my surprise. He is their protection. But the chooks are in a seperate building, The Rat House, so Ton and the Big Dog were roaming.
At One in the morning I was woken by the dogs barking. So I grabbed my dressing gown and my long heavy red torch, rushed outside and stepped into my bare feet gumboots. I could hear a caffuffle coming from the chook house and at a run followed by Ton I let Boo off his chain. (I have no rifle at all so I was not sure what I was going to do if it was big animal in there because there sure was something in there terrifying the birds.) I threw the boards and bricks away from the door and opening the outer door remembered I had tied the inner screen door shut to keep it sealed, Boo hurled himself at the door barking madly, the chickens were is full panic inside, and I could see through the screen that there was a mink, a weasel, a long shiny dark bastard of a thing that had oozed out of hell, curled around one of my chickens dragging it across the floor by the neck. I did not have a knife in my dressing gown so I cursed and worked at the stupid knot bashing on the door to try and scare it off the bird. Shouting, banging, dogs barking chickens screaming but it was at her neck and ignored us. Finally I got the door open, stepped in and threw the torch as fast as Boo leapt and we both missed the mink. It shot into a corner of the chook house and disappeared.
I picked up the chook, prepared for a broken neck and she blinked at me, shook her head and screeching leapt down and ran back to the others. A calm slowly descended and the chickens picked their way back through the chaos and panic and began to climb back up to their roosts. Ton herded them gently back into order and Boo paced and sniffed at the corner where the Mink had disappeared.
The dogs and I dragged the trap round the back of the building, found the hole (minute.. he had got in through an old repair in the wall), closed the gap and put the cage in front of it, tlocked the chook-house up again firmly then back to bed we went. There was nothing more all night though I have to admit I did not sleep well: one ear trained on the open window but all was quiet.
So I suppose now I need a small animal trap. What the hell do I do about this animal. They are so small they can get in through impossible spaces.
Time for me to go out and get ready for the milking. I will check the trap on the way and see if we have caught anything. But I doubt he is heavy enough to spring it. Dawn is coming.
I hope you all have a lovely day. I really do. We are half way to solving this anyway. Finding out what we are dealing with is an important piece in the puzzle.
Your friend on the farm
celi
The Kitchen's Garden 
75 responses to “The trap”
What about chain link fencing buried into the ground around chook house and up the walls. Am surprised that chickens are not inside the house
They are locked into a house at night (now) and it is getting in through the walls, and the cracks at the doors.. I will work on it.. c
No your house I meant along with Tima..am sure you could find a space for them to roost
As we plan out our future farm, one of the things we plan to do is bury chicken wire under the soil and partially up the side of the coop. This way, predators who dig, aren’t able to dig under the coop and get in. I think we’ll also invest in a small trap, just for extra precaution.
Hope you are able to capture the chicken thief and bring him to justice. And give those dogs an extra pet for alerting you to the predator.
I think the run will be ok, but have a chicken house where they roost that is secure. and lock them in each night – this is when the trouble comes. i have never had trouble in the six years I have had chooks here, and I have left the big door to their run open all night, now it will be all locked up. c
A mink? Intrreseting. Minks tend to like killing their prey and not eating it, just gnawing at the neck to drink the blood. I wonder if you have had more than one predator?
I now have a camera so we will see what is wandering about out there.. That has crossed my mind though.. c
Best of luck in capturing that varmint(s).
How far are you from water? That might be where they are coming from and Mink love tunnels. That is my total knowledge apart from turning down a Mink coat years ago!
Right at the moment I would put my hand up to MAKE a mink coat! We have a creek that is a ditch right there at the bottom of the property, just a hop, skip and a jump. I have seen them before, just not in my chook house.. c
I’m no expert, but this might add to your knowledge http://www.diy-pest-control.co.uk/mink-pestid-61.php&filter=control
What an exciting adventure story to read. Now I know what effect conflict has in our writing. I’m surprised you slept at all after that. Sheila and Poppy seem to be inseparable. Hopefully, the midnight marauder’s crime wave will end soon.
Oh goodness—now I am googling mink to find out more. Geez. I can just see you out there in the dark screaming at it!!! Stupid mink!!!! Good luck!!!
another farm blog i follow was having a similar issue with foxes. two chickens gone in a week. i’m so glad you figured out who the culprit was. good luck catching it!
I wish I had some good solid advice but alas, I don’t. Seems to me the best place would be the local bar, as Jeanne recommended. It’s a shame you have to waste the little rest you DO get on this creature.
it certainly ate up a lot of time today.. c
Weasels can get through a hole small enough for a mouse or snake. They are semiaquatic, so a close water source is a must …which is what you have with the creek or irrigation ditch. Anyone with a farm really should have a .410 shotgun handy because situations like you have are not that uncommon. Where there is one there are others, and now they know where your chickens are. I am sorry this has happened to you and your Chooks. Give Boo and Ton and Old Dog an extra hug and pat for their efforts.
Well you’ve got at least one so I’m thinking perhaps a mink collar.
Hi Celi we have trouble with mink in the uk, they decimate the indigenous animals. Hope you solve your problem soon. X
OH my! But as many chickens as he’s eaten, he should be rather fat soon and easy to capture.
A weasel or mink? Either will be pretty hard to keep out, being so small. Those traps are pretty sensitive, Celi. About 9 years ago, I used one to capture a baby guinea pig that was in our front yards. That little thing was about 4 inches long and only weighed a couple ounces. The trap caught him and, without being able to find someone or a pet store to take him, “Charlie” was with me for 6 years. If the culprit walks into the trap, it will snap shut. I hope you’re successful and you’ve a better night tonight.
That is the sweetest story I have read today!! thank you for the smile!
Awful! Ireland is battling mink – some well-meaning jerkwad let a bunch go from a fur farm. They aren’t native… Sigh.
They are nasty beasts.. i say make them into coats! c