Mink!

[SONNY]

How do you get rid of mink from the chicken house!---they are killing my chickens!---Traps are not working, and it/they only come at night.---saw 1 just before dark the other night so I know its mink doing the killing! they were getting in thru a small crack in the foundation and I plugged it with dirt, which it dug out that night again, so I put road-pack white rock in this time, also put some in the inside so it will make for harder diggin.---these cracks are not much more than an inch-and-a-half wide.---cant do cement mixing now, weather too cold and the freezing wont let it set up before the varmint would have it dug out again.
I just put up a couple light bulbs inside and turn them on at night!---don't know if that will help or not until I can get this thing killed!-----Any ideas on SUCCESSFUL mink trapping???----Other ideas on getting it/them to stay away?----I am getting desperate here!!! thanks; sonny

[Chris Todd]

Foam sealer, talk radio at night, Rat trap by enry spot.......they only need a crack.
Good Luck!

[Don McCombs]

I'd use a live trap with sardines as bait. The stinkiest sardines you can find. After you get it in the trap, do what you have to do.

If you don't have a live trap, check with your local SPCA or Fish & Wildlife folks. They may have one you can borrow. Tell them it's for a ground hog.

P.S. I caught a mink several weeks ago in a live trap set for chipminks using sunflower seed for bait. Don't know what that mink was thinking.

[beaconlight]

Soak the sardines in Prestone if all else fails. Keep your dogs and cats away though.

[Joe Malinowski]

Bright light and a shotgun. Plan on a night with the chickens.

[SONNY]

I have tried to set out there and my spine gets so cold that I couldn't shoot after sitting for an hour!!---had to give up deer hunting because of this!!

they killed 2 more chickens last night WITH the lights on, so these things are not going away,and don't seem to be worried about people or noise!

I can believe the seed bait thing!!---would be kinda funny!!!!---wild animals(varmints) are getting really bold/crazy lately around here too!
I just set 3 leg traps, but don't think they will step in them,---also put more rock and boards on the inside of the shed!---will see how many I lose tonight,--only have 15 left now!---they were still laying really good and the eggs have been a treat to us this year---just ground another batch of corn a few days ago for them, and have an electric bucket for keeping the water from freezing this winter! thanks; sonny

[Virginia Mike]

You probaly have a weasel instead of a mink. Does it eat the heads off the chickens? I don't think you will catch him in a box trap.

[daddydip]

i don't know what kind of crack you need to fill, but i keep a 5 gallon plastic bucket around that i throw old bottles in. crush them up as fine as what you need. fill the crack with that. most things that dig can't take getting cut up. mix it with foam or what ever will make it difficult for them. at least it might give you a better shot oh yea a 410 is best for the little ones

[SONNY]

It usually starts eating from the head and around the neck,--some of them had the heads ate off------some were completely eaten except for part of the bones, and I may have both mink AND weasels getting in there.
I am just headed out to see if I can get some 110 conibear traps here locally, and try them, (I used to get mink/muskrats/weasels/ etc with that size! thanks ;sonny

P>S> keep the good ideas coming!!!

[SONNY]

GOT ONE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!------YA NEED PROOF???????????










Just got out to look around the corner of the chicken shed and THIS STIFF greeted me on the dirt pile!!!----WHAT A WELCOME SIGHT!!!---------Weasels are much smaller,---unless we got GMO version of them!!! thanks; sonny

[beaconlight]

Set em again may be more.

[smigelski]

that there is a $12 mink. did ya skin him out

[SONNY]

I did re-set the traps,---and no I did not skin the damn thing!!!--lol!!!---I did send it airborne over into a bean field!!!

Called local sporting goods shop and they do not sell traps of ANY kind anymore!!!(local crackpot -crazies got harrassing the owner bout selling traps so he quit!)---same at Farm&fleet!---GOTTA tell ya this story bout the NON-english speaking clerk that they connected me to in the sporting goods dept. at F&F!! I ask him if they had any CONIBER 110 size traps in stock.--HE says (from I could decipher from his lingo) no we don't have bear traps of ANY size!!---OK,--At about this point I am about ready to go clerk huntin!!LOL!!,----He then goes on to say that they did stock live traps BUT he did not think that a bear would fit into one of them, and what kind of bear was I wanting to trap!!!(is this guy for real, or have I been connected to a crack-pot crazy??) Well at this point I told him that I wasn't trappin' nuttin' that would be alive when I checked my traps!---I wanted these things dead!!!---At this point I just hung up!---SO NOW I have to see if I can order some the snail-mail way from trapping supply warehouse and wait 3 weeks or more to get them!! Any way that is the update to this point-----MINK got 5 hens and 1 rooster-----SONNY got 1 mink!!! NOT good odds! lol! thanks; sonny

[Don McCombs]

Sonny,

Those #2 coil springs you're using seem to be working just fine.

[smigelski]

Sonny don't order any yet, let me draw up some plans for you on mink traps and take a few pictures, you will also catch any weasels also. I will try and post tom.