Weasel Attack
May 29th, 2006 by Northern FarmerIn the next few days I’m going to try and put together some information on our chicken tractors. That includes the easy lock into place wheel lift. Also a priority is bullet proofing the whole system against weasels and mink. I was going to take photos this evening of some of the parts of it but now it’s untouchable for the moment. Traps are set in and out of the thing. Last night the whole batch of one hundred four week old cockerels were killed by a weasel. Or should I say murdered, nothing eaten on any of them. Just 100 chickens with their necks tore out. Makes a persons day, eh. Now it’s not like a huge financial loss or anything like that, but they were my daughter’s chickens so it does get me in the mood for wiping out the whole weasel race. I might not succeed totally, but they’ll have a dent put in their population around here, I’ll grant you that.
But through the day today I figured out many easy ways to make them weasel proof and will be sharing the information as soon as I can. The standard version of the chicken tractor is not made to stand up to the weasel problem but with a few simple modifications they will perform without a hitch, so to speak,
So, obviously I’m not in my normal mood for writing, so I’d better not write or I’ll be in trouble 
Tomorrows a better day!
May 29th, 2006 at 6:20 pm
sorry about your day!
things will look better in the morning!
May 29th, 2006 at 6:42 pm
Weasels I don’t need no stinking weasels. Tom if you need help getting rid of them. Just let me know. I’ll be right over. I like getting rid of things like those stinking weasels. Good luck with the traps. They won’t know what hit them.
May 29th, 2006 at 6:54 pm
Janice,
No problem! But this is one time revenge is mine! But, in the long run and not so long run the ideas that I’m coming up with for improvements to the normal chicken tractor designs will make this past day well worth it! Every disaster, both minor or major can be used for good. Thanks!
PJ,
Thank you sir. Unless a person sees the destruction them little buggers can do all this writing may look a little dumb, but them buggers are nothing but a murdering machine. If only it would have eaten at least a part of one chicken I’d have more understanding. But in a bit when I take the battle to them you’ll be more than welcome to learn some trapping tricks! For now I’ll trap the scene of the crime, in a bit the radius will extend much farther.
Tom
May 29th, 2006 at 7:37 pm
I’ll be looking forward to the learning Tommyson
May 29th, 2006 at 8:25 pm
Oh, Tom! I am so sorry. We have lost about thirty to different problems. We lost 21 the first day we put them in the tractor due to a hard rain.
It is so frustrating, but keeps us looking to God. My thoughts are with you. I am all ears about your tractor arrangement. Tell, Rachel I am sorry too. We know the feeling of losing them to wild critters and the storms and toddlers feet. Maybe we should market a new product Pancake chickens.
May 29th, 2006 at 9:33 pm
Sorry to hear about the weasel attack. I remember reading that if you keep the area around the coops mowed short it makes it easier for the owls to catch the weasels. We use a rolling coop for our layers and rarely have problems with vermin. We lock them in at dusk and keep them well away from the woods. Better luck with the next batch!
May 30th, 2006 at 3:38 am
PJ,
Uh, OK, mind if I call you “Grasshopper”?
Christina,
Well, today is another day and now that the co-op will finally be open after a long weekend I’ll order Rachel a hundred replacements to arrive next Monday. By the time they move outside them chicken tractors will be bullit proof. The outlook is a lot better today!
Brent,
Thanks for the tips. The frustrating thing is that we did follow the rules you mentioned, but I always was a bit uneasy about the vulnerability of the chicken tractors that are so popular. Well, with a few tweeks they ain’t going to be very vulnerable any more!
May 30th, 2006 at 4:05 am
Oh Tom! I’m so sorry…especially for your daughter. It is wonderful she can see you take something awful and turn it into something good - a terrific learning experience that will most likely bless many other farmers.
May your weasel harvest be bountiful!
May 30th, 2006 at 8:45 am
Oh, how heartbreaking! Wishing you much success in your weasel hunting.
May 30th, 2006 at 2:11 pm
Oh, Tom, I’m so sorry to hear that! How horrible for your daughter. I’ve often wondered about the chicken tractors’ safety factor, and I am very nervous about putting our wee ones out. They’re just two weeks old and I’m not ready to cut the umbilical cord yet. We’re modifying a section of the old barn for them, and by old, I mean ooooollllldddd. Along with its character comes many chinks, literally, in its armor. We have our work cut out for us making it predator-proof. I’m especially concerned about coons as it seems like we have about half a million around here by the sound of them. As a matter of fact, we had a litter stuck in our barn just recently. Haven’t seen any weasels but I know they’re nasty, bloodthirsty creatures. I hope your bulletproofing works. Please share what you accomplish!
May 30th, 2006 at 3:32 pm
Tom,
So sorry to hear about the weasel problem. I tell you, the ABC has had some hits this week. You, Milkmaid, Scott … I’m glad you already have your plan outlined for recovery.
By the way, the Book says, “My dear friends; Do not avenge yourselves, but make way for the wrath of God.” I just wanted you to know … he wasn’t talking about weasels. In that case, you are the rod of God!
May 30th, 2006 at 6:36 pm
Cheri,
Thanks and I do think it will build a little more character in the girls. They learn to take a hit and bounce back and do it better than before.
SCF,
Just thought I’d give you a heads up.
I heard today there’s a mass migration of weasels and mink from Central Minnesota headed towards Iowa
And I do hope all is well down there!! Thanks!
Emily,
Them old barns do have there problems. I know the folks around here that I talk to do have wipeouts once in a while in the barns. A person just has to do the best they can to make em safe. And then again sometimes a person can go years and years raising birds any old place without a problem! I wish you well!
JFC,
Before I made a public statement on revenge I did think it over and I figure that revenge is fine and dandy on anyone in the weasel family. At least I can’t find anything in the good book saying otherwise. And now with your blessings on the subject they don’t stand a chance.
And with Milkmaid and Scott, this isn’t the first time we’ve had disasters at the same time. Now if we could figure out the cycle we could all be prepared, eh
Thanks!
May 31st, 2006 at 8:00 am
Tom,
Take a look at Deuteronomy 7:22: “The LORD your God will drive out those nations before you, little by little. You will not be allowed to eliminate them all at once, or the wild animals will multiply around you.” The implication is that we need to control the wild animals. I have thought about this a lot since a cougar was sighted in our area a couple of years ago. It did not give me a warm feeling thinking that my children were out in the woods where a cougar might be stalking. Our modern culture is often so intent on allowing predator wild animals free reign to do as they please. Instead I think these animals need to be closely controlled and prevented from doing damage. When I was growing up I think I was brainwashed to think that all animals should always be protected and it seemed strange when my Uncle tried to shoot an owl near my Grandfather’s farm. But now I realize that these predators should not be allowed to multiply.
Thank you for doing your part to control these animals that can wreak havoc on our food supply. I know that this can be just one more thing that has to be done. (I have been up at 3am to deal with a raccoon that our dog cornered underneath our granary.) Hopefully you can stop the weasel migration before it gets to southern Minnesota.
Jim
May 31st, 2006 at 2:18 pm
Never fear Jim, we’ll slow the weasel migration down! You bring up so many exellent points about predators. Modern culture thinks that they are somewhat human or even above human. I’d like to have taken one of them goofs and stuck their nose in the pile of dead chickens that were murdered. There’s your la la animal kindom! Some folks can come up with the sillyest notions sitting around in their dreamworld, depending on a dying culture. Out here we’re hit point blank with reality all the time. Thank you for your comments my friend!
September 8th, 2006 at 2:55 pm
Hey,
Just an hour ago I went out find one of our two pet ducks with it’s body in a corner and the head about 5 feet away. I was in shock. My very first thought was some stupid kid came into my cage and tore the head off of Lou! The crime scene was odd. The head had been tore out and left there. I then thought of the one stray cat that we feed regularly.
While my wife called the vet I headed to the internet and found this site.
I’m a martial arts instructor, but to see this poor duck and then to see his partner “Lizzy” left alone brought tears.
Now I’m sure it was a weasel and I have put a trap inside the pen to see if it returns. Lizzy is now in the garage for the next couple of days at least.
Is there ever just one weasel? Or is it a case of where there’s one there’s a dozen?
My “pen” is built around a shed, concret floor, 2×4’s with dog kennel fencing. Will Lizzy ever be safe or do I need to give her away?
Thank you for your time.
Chad
September 9th, 2006 at 12:28 am
It’s me again.
I set up a live trap inside the duck pen tonight, I put poor Lou as the bait. About 10:30 I stepped outside with my spot light to check and thought my eyes were playing tricks on me. The killer had drug the body out of the cage and was sitting on top of it. First I thought it was a raccoon, then a badger…as I got a little closer I realized what had killed poor lou,
a Great Horned Owl. About 2 1/2 foot tall sitting there. It let me get very close before it jumped up and silently flew into a near by tree.
I would have never thought an owl was the killer. I feel a little better mostly because now I just need to put a top on the pen, but lizzy is still pretty freaked out and alone.
She is one sad duck.
September 9th, 2006 at 5:38 am
Hey Chad!
Sounds like some interesting times over your way! First, I’m sorry to hear about all of this because I do know it hurts when you critters are getting killed. I know I hunker up and fight back, for whatever good that does. But it does make a person look things over and predetor proof a bit more. I don’t know if we’ll ever have everything perfect here as far as preditors, but we’ll try anyways. I guess that’s the good part about raising cattle, if something starts knocking them off I’m in BIG trouble. It ain’t no weasel or owl! Thanks for following up and letting me know what you did find!
Tom