Anyone know anything about killing weasels?

S

Still alive

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Hey guys,
Not really a hunting question but more a pest control issue.
Background...
Live in the Fraser Valley. Have a small farm. Have laying hens and roosters.
Yesterday, the kids, while cleaning the barn and coop, found 16 of our chickens dead with blood drained out of them. They were not eaten. Last evening, 2 more were taken. I went in with the kids and found the chickens with their heads chewed off and the creature was on the other side of the barn wall eating them. We scared it away and put up barriers. This morning 7 more dead birds, again with blood drained!
I am pissed!!!

3 questions:
1) i live on a farm. This is pest control as far as I'm concerned. I would like confirmation that I can sit in the coop with my .22LR rifle and plug the critter when it comes through the hole. The backdrop is safe.

2) what are the characteristics of weasels or minks? I think this is a weasel but have not seen it yet?
Wikipedia does not describe their speed, agility, sense of smell etc.

3) do they hunt in packs or as a family? Or am I dealing with one animal?

Will I be able to ambush the killer if I sit quietly in the coop for hours or will it smell a trap?
Thanks for any help available!
 
Well I've never had a weasel problem before but we had a possum problem. A mother and 7 of her off spring moved our barn and started eating all the eggs and killed 3 of our chickens. So I set up after dark just inside of the man door on our barn with a flashlight and my 22. It took me a 2 nights but I got all them. I just sat real quiet and waited and they came out!!
 
I've had a few barn cats that were really good at taking out weasels. If you have any experience with leg hold or conibear traps, a simple box set has been effective for me as well. The problem with trapping them in the chicken coop would be getting the weasel to come in to bait instead of your chickens. They move ridiculously quickly so shooting them is quite the challenge. When I was a kid I was trying to zap one with my pellet gun and I swear he was dodging the pellets.
 
Weasels will kill for sport. Make sure your birds have access to a high roost. Seal up your hen house and cover all potential entry points with carpenter cloth or fine mesh wire. If they can get their head through it they can get their arse. Your standard Victor rat trap will take care of your weasel problem. Screw them to base boards and strategically place the baited traps around your coop area. Cubby boxes and a 110 conibear will also work. YouTube has lots of videos on how to make them and proper sets.
 
Super fast little buggers. Very small as well. I've watched them jumping in and out of box traps through 120 conibears. Yet I've caught them in 330's. Victor rat traps will work on weasels especially if you modify them a little.

http://www.thehuntinglife.com/modified-pro-victor-rat-trap/

Mink are a bit bigger and I doubt the rat trap would work on them.
Your ambush might work. Give it a try. As far as the legalities goes who cares, your livestock is being killed. Follow the 3s's and be done with the problem. Make sure traps are where chickens can't get to them.
 
Not good at multiple quotes so I have to take each comment one at a time!

Timandkimandshea, what's a mulberry bush, other than a real mulberry bush? This creature has killed almost 30 chickens in 2 nights. Not even sure where its entry point is. Our henhouse is part of our barn. The animal is not coming in from the coop entrance. That is sealed already. The barn is ancient with lots of entry points. We can't seal them all ( or find them all!!)

Patchrat, we have one old cat left. It lives in the barn and was there last night with us when the creature was there. It didn't bat an eyelid or even cared! So I'm guessing my barn cat is useless for the job. We have skunk/ squirrel traps. I think I know where it is coming in from so I may set the trap where it emerges into the coop. So these critters are fast eh? Faster than a rat? I can hit moving rats.

X-man, we have high roosts but only so many and chickens are too dumb to seek height. The only survivors from last night were the ones on the high roost. The medium and low ones were all killed. Are you talking the standard Victor mouse traps? What do you use for bait? I heard these things like live, fresh animals.

Pretty sure not a skunk. No scent at all in the kill area. Also, the possible entry points are too small. I tried to pitchfork it last night thru the gap it was feeding. If it was a skunk, it would have sprayed, I think? By the time I made it to the other side of the gap, there was nothing to see so this thing is fast.

Anyone got an answer to my question? Can I shoot in my barn legally in this situation if there are no safety concerns?? We are legal for shotgun here but there ain't no way I'm using that in an enclosed space with birdshot and the risks of recocchets!
 
Thanks doc25 and Stampede.
Can't use .22 shorts. I have a Rem 597 semi auto. The shorts would turn it into a single shot .22 and I'm guessing I will need multiple shots ready if I go that route.
And doc, you're right about the chickens and the traps. I think the Victor traps may end up killing the remaining if they peck at the bait.
Do these animals hunt alone or in packs? Am I dealing with one or more?
 
You need to set the traps with in the chicken house against the walls where you think they are coming in and then lean boards over the trap to keep the chickens off of them. The boards will also funnel them into the traps. If you set enough one might work. I have had the same weasel problem and got him this way. I have a constant problem with coons as well. Skunks are never a problem as they don't climb and I put my chicken house on stilts just for this reason. Then I control where they have to try and get in and catch them before they do damage.
Victor gopher traps and the rat traps worked for me. One of the outside traps I even caught a mink. This was in Alberta and there was no water for miles. Just more critters to watch out for here.
 
Thanks Raton,
We are planning strategy and I agree with your funnel tactic. We will place multiple rat traps and lightly cover them with hay and sawdust along it's route. We will put a cage trap at the exit point inside the coop and I will sit there this evening with my machete and see what happens.
Again, anyone know if these things hunt alone or in packs? I'm guessing alone but the damage we found is ridiculous!! These things are bloodthirsty!
 
Still alive said:
Anyone got an answer to my question? Can I shoot in my barn legally in this situation if there are no safety concerns?? We are legal for shotgun here but there ain't no way I'm using that in an enclosed space with birdshot and the risks of recocchets!
Click to expand...

Sssshhhhh...
sshoot,sshovel, sshut-up and dont ask on such an open forum about the discharge of firearms inside buildings.
Might get someone in trouble.
Ambush the critter by spending sometime in the barn/coop with yer birds...
You mentioned a pitchfork and escape hole so there is one entry exit point for you to cover .
BTW, my smartazzed comments are just that and not meant to disrespect your situation, your birds are your property and hobby/livelihood.
So, do what you feel is the necessary to protect them..within reason of course.
An egg and some strictyne comes to mind, but isnt very environmentally friendly either.
Pictures when you get this beast of the night too would be in order .
On a lighter note, would the mulberry bush and trunk monkey help in this situation?
Rob
 
1. They hunt alone
2. Yes you can shoot them....just be aware what's on the other side of the wall
3. Victor RAT traps. Look just like a mouse trap but 3x the size
4. You can make a weasel trap out of four boards and some wire screening...or just make an 'entry point' and put one of the victor traps there.
 
A mink/weasel defence thread. A mink is a weasel. A wild one is considerably small than its farm raised cousin. Farm bred mink feed on cheese and the like so maybe that'll work as bait.
Trap 'em. Or try blood meal. Supposed to deter tree rats so maybe it'll work on weasels too.
Doubt you could ever seal up all the holes a weasel can get through.
A mulberry bush is the one you go around until the weasel goes POP! You really need a Jack Russell terrier, not a cat.
 
They're not pack animals. Could be a family group. I had a mink get into our chicken shed one night. The wife went out there with the 22 and it took about 2-3 mags to get it lol. She had to run back into the house and reload. Same type of killing as you described.

Weasels are tiny animals. Small target. They are pretty bold though and I think if you don't move too much it will be business as usual with them. Go ahead and use the 22 if you want. You are protecting your livestock. Legally they are fur bearing animals.

Chickens are pretty stupid but are experts at going where you don't want them, hence my worry about them ending up in your traps regardless of what precautions you take.
 
Rat traps we got!
Since I don't think the animal will fall for peanut butter, we will camo the rat traps along its suspected path and hope it steps on one. I will set up on the other side of the wall, in the coop, with a shovel, machete and pitchfork and wait for it to poke its head out and clobber the crap out of it.
Gonna camp out tonight between 8-12 and see what happens.
Thanks for the sss tip FLHTCUI! Got it!
 
superted said:
Sounds more like a skunk by the killing habit - just drinking blood. On the prairies we welcome weasels - hell on wheels after mice.
Click to expand...

indeed Sir! We leave deer fat and scrap and the hide on the floor in the attached garage every Fall. The weasel (Hermie) moves in, sometime brings his family and there are absolutely no mice around. Last winter we had a different creature move it, just forget the name, Shrew or something like that. Supposed to be blind creatures and live single. Also no mice around.
 
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