Stoat attack?

[Bridgets Mum]

My neighbour's 6 ex colony chickens were killed a couple of nights ago and his two bantams injured. All six dead chickens were still in the hen house the next morning with injuries to their necks. The chicken shed and coops are within a run made of 2" chicken mesh and the pop holes aren't closed at night so a stoat would have easy access.
My neighbour said he had researched it on the internet and it seemed the culprit was a stoat. I've had a look on the internet too and although the injuries sounded like they would have been made by a stoat or a weasel, and I couldn't find any other likely culprit, the articles I was reading all stated that it was unlikely that either a stoat or a weasel would attack a large chicken, although smaller birds like quail would be very vulnerable.
I have, in the past, watched a weasel (almost certain it was a weasel - tiny and no black tip to tail) watching my chickens as they free ranged. It definitely followed their movements but when one moved towards it the weasel beat a hasty retreat.
I'm now concerned for my girls' safety. Their barrier to the world is 1" weldmesh which is bent to a right angle and buried about 6" deep around the perimeter of their run. The biggest gap anywhere is above a door - about 0.75" by 2ft.
Do you think it was a stoat? And are my girls safe?
I'm now on hysterical chicken watch.

[Richard]

Hi

I'm so sorry to read this. It's bad enough if you know it's a Fox or Badger, but when it's not known...not good news and quite stressful.

Two things came to mind when I read it.

1. Feral Cat - They are about the only cat that may attack Chickens, but only if hungry.

2. I instantly recalled how those stupid Protesters set free 6,000 Minks, which then went on the rampage killing Chickens and Cats.

Rats can attack chickens (rare) but usually it's the legs they get.

I haven't a clue about Stoats, so a bit of a mystery. Night Watch is probably the only answer.
I also saw a Weazle looking out a hole in the Lawn at the Chickens, but sure it couldn't be anything so small.

Hoping someone else may give you a few things to look for. The only one I can think of is to look for Poo, take a picture and try and find out from that.

Richard

[Skeksis]

Hi

I am so sorry. I know personally of a friend who had the same thing happen and it was a large stoat. Injury to the necks is classic apparently. They can get through very small wire. I hope your pop hole is completely closed at night as I know they can get through extremely small cracks. I am sorry I am not giving great news, my friend ended up trapping the stoat with a live catch trap set with chicken and eggs and caught it and killed it. Unfortunately they are voracious predators and once they find somewhere easy to eat, they will keep going back especially at this time of year when they have young to feed and will eventually bring the family to where the food is, to hunt.

It is well to be aware and I live in horror and dread of a stoat or weasel ever finding my hens.

[Skeksis]

http://poultrykeeper.com/pests-and-pred ... nd-weasels

[Richard]

Interesting link Skesis, thanks.

Richard

[Skeksis]

No probs Richard. Also, a way to stop them climbing fences and wire (that is too small for them to get through) is to cut a drain pipe in half and put it along the top of your fence or wire upside down ie in a bridge shape and this DOES stop stoats getting over fences or walls, as they can't climb past the upturned pipe. I hope this helps someone.

[kitla]

Rats will most definitely kill chickens too. A friend of mine lost several large chickens
and eventually found the remains under some hay bales by a large rat hole. I homed
one of her brahmas that had a wound from a rat bite on the back of its neck.

[p.penn]

My daughter had similar and it was mink

[Bridgets Mum]

Thanks everyone for your thoughts and advice. Having spend hours on the internet (now an expert in mustelids) I am thinking the hunter was definitely a stoat or a mink. I'm not aware of any feral cats around but there are certainly a number of mink living on the canal about quarter of a mile away. Identifying via poo is a good idea though and I shall bemuse my neighbour by searching both his premises and mine.
I have spent some time inspecting the hen house and run, as well as the guinea pigs quarters and have filled in the long narrow gap over the door to the Walk-in-Run and made the guinea pigs a new door for their pop hole.
My small dependents should be OK now provided 1" mesh is enough to keep whatever it is out. As some of you have pointed out, some of these creatures can get through amazingly small spaces although presumably a stoat or mink couldn't get through. Not discounting that weasel though. One article I read did say that if you have rats or mice around then you probably haven't got a stoat. We're knee deep in mice so maybe that's a good sign.
If a carnivorous animal in the wild gets to hunt its dinner, well it's sad, but that's the way it is. If something kills the helpless animals I have trapped in a coop or run then that's another matter and I'd never forgive myself.

[fishpond]

I think 2" chicken wire is just asking for trouble.
You should be okay with 1" weld mesh, better with 1/2" x 1" but 1" should be okay as it is also a lot stronger than chicken wire.

[Maggie1]

We have a big problem with mink thanks to the blessed animal rights. Usally 2 pinprick wounds in the neck.

[Skeksis]

Sorry but mink can squeeze through a one inch square hole with difficulty but it poses no problem for a stoat or weasel, they can zip through. It needs to be half inch square mesh to proof it against mustelids. Diesel soaked rags will deter them and as I said, upturned half pipes WILL stop them climbing walls/fences but they are great jumpers if there is an overhanging wall.

Please dont think I am being unhelpful but I spent six months researching mustelids and did not want you to feel falsely safe with your one inch mesh. Also rats and mice may abound BUT chickens and other caged small mammals are just like happy meals to them because they are contained and easy to hunt. As for size of bird, I have seen a small stoat kill a large pheasant in less than two seconds. They are vicious vicious hunters. I would be very concerned indeed if they have acquired a taste for chicken on your neighbours property.

My friend lost a whole coop full of hens. The pop hole was closed but it got into a tiny gap under the door at night and just slaughtered them all. It came back over a period of weeks and systematically slaughterer half his other birds before he trapped it in a fen trap and shot it.

I say again that I dont want to alarm you hun, but I want your chooks and pets to be safe xx good luck

[Skeksis]

Ferret litter and poop have also been shown to slightly deter stoats.

[Bridgets Mum]

Re: Stoat attack?
Unread post by Skeksis » 57 minutes ago

Please don't think I am being unhelpful

Oh my, you are so not being unhelpful. I am very grateful to you for sharing your knowledge. Before I bought my chickens I spent hours hunting round the internet for advice on how to keep my chickens safe and was confident that the 1" mesh was enough. I really wish I had bought half inch now - the extra expense would have been minmal compared with my chickens safety.

Thank you very much for sharing your knowledge; I really appreciate it.

[chaletgirl]

Thanks for all of the tips and info here. Sorry to hear that mustelids have created problems for your neighbor. I'm worried about martens here in Belgium. The neighbors tell me that so far there have been no fox attacks on chickens in the area but that some people have lost chickens to martens! So now they concern me more than foxes. I've only had my girls a week and already on hysterical chicken watch. At least I'm getting useful advice here

Could be worse!!! At least we aren't in my home state of Florida! There we'd have to worry about Raccoons among other things!