biakalblaster Posted November 27, 2008 Report Share Posted November 27, 2008 lost 2 chickens in last week from our wired enclosure - 6ft high wire fencing, these two stubborn chucks often didnt go into the shed to roost, instead they would roost 6-7ft up off ground in a thick bush there are no holes in a fence that a fox could possibly get through or climb over and i dont think a fox could climb up a hedge! only found one chickens remains, top half eaten, including breast and innards i suspect it could be a mink - or stoat?? any ideas, i will be looking for a trap, and have seen discussion on here about best baits, just need to find somewhere that sells traps Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baldrick Posted November 27, 2008 Report Share Posted November 27, 2008 Foxes can and will climb to find food, but if the hedge really is impenetrable it's more likely to be a stoat/mink. Is there a watercourse/pond nearby? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
biakalblaster Posted November 27, 2008 Author Report Share Posted November 27, 2008 yes, a burn and ponds within 50m Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bullet boy Posted November 27, 2008 Report Share Posted November 27, 2008 Sounds like a mink to me.Get rid of it as soon as poss or your birds will be completely wiped out! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
biakalblaster Posted November 27, 2008 Author Report Share Posted November 27, 2008 i will be in touch with local gun dealer later to see if he has traps, and farmer my folks had 4 ducks and a dozen fish in pond decimated by mink last year, they kept coming back until all were eaten the rest of my chickens are in a sealed shed at night, so hopefully safe for now Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rimfire4969 Posted November 27, 2008 Report Share Posted November 27, 2008 You could try Here i,ve bought a couple of traps in the past from him quick delivery. Rimmy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
harv Posted November 27, 2008 Report Share Posted November 27, 2008 before you start buying traps why dont you flatten soil or lay some sand around the outside of the pen to check tracks or set a gamecam so you know what you are dealing with first. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
commonkeeper Posted November 27, 2008 Report Share Posted November 27, 2008 look for any footprints that will help and if there are any carcasses look and mesure the gaps between the canine teeth gaps regular sorties with the rifle/shotgun shoukld help commonkeper Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bullet boy Posted November 27, 2008 Report Share Posted November 27, 2008 before you start buying traps why dont you flatten soil or lay some sand around the outside of the pen to check tracks or set a gamecam so you know what you are dealing with first. Good advice harv. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
henry d Posted November 27, 2008 Report Share Posted November 27, 2008 From your area I wouldn`t rule out a Pine Marten, in fact I would suggest it was more than likely, therefore do NOT use a fenn, use a live catch trap, cat sized ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
biakalblaster Posted November 28, 2008 Author Report Share Posted November 28, 2008 thanks for the tips Guys the fenced area is 75m long so too long to put sand round etc but i will look out for tracks, We had snow lying this week, and i did look around for tracks to try and see if the 1st missing chicken had been wandering, i didnt notice any mammal tracks. I will get a catch-alive trap if anything, I already have a homemade linux pc setup with streaming video cam on the chicken shed but its not IR so no nighttime coverage... the linux software was motion detection capability, so i will look into an IR light I know we have foxes around, and something had a good root around in a bin bag i left out by front door last night, before 10pm when i let the dogs out for a run and was going to put the bag in the wheelie bin, maybe its an energetic fox that can scale 6ft wire fencing! I might put some bait out by house and sit upstairs with a window open with 12bore and see if i can spot the ****** Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jef Posted November 28, 2008 Report Share Posted November 28, 2008 My next door neighbour has just had six chickens taken by a fox, over a seven foot fence!!!!!! The ****** came over, nailed one, took it back over then came back for the other five! You could clearly see the six kill zones in the pen. Another chap I know had fancy ducks go missing from his fenced pond. Mink got the blame. Turned out to be an otter. So be careful if you're thinking of snares..... Jef Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
biakalblaster Posted December 24, 2008 Author Report Share Posted December 24, 2008 well 3 weeks on, the beast struck again yesterday morning, killed 3 more inside the shed, in daylight not long after i had gone out to open door and feed them this morning i stayed in house, with window overlooking the shed open, and 12bore in hand, 45mins later i gave up went out to elt them out, another dead one in shed, then i noticed a STOAT scurrying around on a beam at back of shed, couldnt shoot it as chickens in the way.. then it disappeard out of a small ventilation hole... so its a sodding STOAT will pick up some Fenn traps from parents place over xmas, the last 4 chickens have tbeen taken to friends 30miles away until i can either get rid of the stoat (difficult) or somehow make a stoat proof run (also very difficult as they fit through tiny holes...) at least i know what it is now, but down to 4 chucks now, from 10... nice christmas present... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tommo Posted January 5, 2009 Report Share Posted January 5, 2009 I shot one whilst pigeon shooting last Spring (got a pic somewhere) i'd dropped a pigeon 30 yards along the hedge from me about 5 yards out, and it walked out bold as brass and started dragging the pigeon to the hedge - 30gr 6's stopped it dead in its tracks. No word of a lie - this thing was over 1 1/2 feet long - tail included! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
biakalblaster Posted February 2, 2009 Author Report Share Posted February 2, 2009 finally caught a stoat in the catch alive it trap on friday night baited with rabbit leg, it received a .22 pellet from airgun, so hopefully that is the end of the chicken attacks, leaving the traps out still though in case there are more. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Huntinlass Posted February 2, 2009 Report Share Posted February 2, 2009 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dogfox Posted February 3, 2009 Report Share Posted February 3, 2009 i remember there being thread on here before liek this oen over a guy loosing dozens of chickens, it turned out that the fox climbed half way up an oak tree, jumped onto the hutch roof, did the deeds then climbed back over! so this could very well be a fox! theyr crafty *******! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
biakalblaster Posted February 4, 2009 Author Report Share Posted February 4, 2009 it wasnt a fox, as i saw the stoat in the chicken shed just after it had killed some chickens - it had got through a 1" square hole used for ventilation and the stoat - hopefully the killer - is now dead i will soon have some "stoat tail" fishing flies too! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
biakalblaster Posted December 16, 2009 Author Report Share Posted December 16, 2009 wife said chickens were acting odd yesterday, didnt go into shed at normal time and squaking got home last night, and discovered a stoat in the trap again!, nearly one year on to the day that a stoat slaughtered 6 of them last year. i had started setting the trap again about 4 weeks ago with an egg as bait another stoat tail for making fishing flies! it didnt half stink too, scent. dispatched with .22 airgun, both times stoats have been caught in the catch-alive trap, and avoid the fen trap in a wooden tunnel Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dusk2dawn Posted December 16, 2009 Report Share Posted December 16, 2009 wife said chickens were acting odd yesterday, didnt go into shed at normal time and squakinggot home last night, and discovered a stoat in the trap again!, nearly one year on to the day that a stoat slaughtered 6 of them last year. i had started setting the trap again about 4 weeks ago with an egg as bait another stoat tail for making fishing flies! it didnt half stink too, scent. dispatched with .22 airgun, both times stoats have been caught in the catch-alive trap, and avoid the fen trap in a wooden tunnel Ive not tried this but have been told that if you can spray the trap from above with the wee from a freshly killed stoat, as you would wee a rabbit, then any remaining stoats are quite keen to join the party. Good luck and hope you dont lose anymore. Rgds Rob. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wymberley Posted December 16, 2009 Report Share Posted December 16, 2009 This may tie in with what dusk 2 dawn has said. If I hadn't seen the incident before I was given the explanation, I would never in a million years believed what I was told. Pigeon shooting, see and shoot stoat, then same again 1/2 hour later. Two dead beside hide. Go out pick up few pigeons, come back, one stoat. Scratch head. Later, pick up more pigeon, come back no stoat. Pull hair out. Some years later a little old Norfolk countryman told me that it happens. A family member seeing another dead will take it back to the nest. Would it, therefore, be wothwhile leaving the first caught/killed one in the trap? Just a thought. Good luck, Cheers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
njc110381 Posted December 16, 2009 Report Share Posted December 16, 2009 I'd keep the trap out all the time by the sound of things. Live traps are great, I'm really beginning to see how they can be useful! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guinea Fowl Posted December 17, 2009 Report Share Posted December 17, 2009 (edited) there are no holes in a fence that a fox could possibly get through or climb over and i dont think a fox could climb up a hedge! Edited December 17, 2009 by Guinea Fowl Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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