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Weasel(mink) Problems

Posted by Bobby Phillips on July 17, 2022, 4:50 pm

For the last two years my quail recall pens have been devastated by what I believe to be weasels. This year I plugged every hole in my pens with the intention of trapping them while they were attempting to get in the pens. Last night I lost every bird in one of my pens (25 birds). I have live traps, weasel traps, and steel traps but can't seem to outsmart them. Anyone have any suggestions??

Re: Weasel(mink) Problems

Posted by Roman on July 18, 2022, 5:10 am, in reply to "Weasel(mink) Problems"

Use trail cameras to determine exactly what critters you are dealing with and how they are getting in and make a plan from there.

Re: Weasel(mink) Problems

Posted by Brad Hire on July 18, 2022, 9:17 am, in reply to "Weasel(mink) Problems"

A buddy had the same problem a few years ago. Electric fence solved it.

Re: Weasel(mink) Problems

Posted by RDL on July 18, 2022, 10:56 am, in reply to "Weasel(mink) Problems"

Not sure about mink, but weasels will kill everything in the pen. The telltale sign is dismembering all or most of the carcasses. They can get in anywhere their head will fit, usually through the recall funnel. If accessing through the funnel, they might not find their way back out so will furiously chew the inside of the pen at a seam. After the carnage, they will hide or crawl in any dark place inside the pen if they can't get back out. Easy to trap out of the pen with a cardboard box with a small folding door.
Solid, varmint guard doors tightly hinged over the funnel entrance works very well as long as it is closed each evening even if some of the birds are not back inside. If so, open it again in the morning.
A solid guard door that is effectively latched will work against weasels and clever raccoons when used to cover the pigeon "bob" door on a homing coop. With no solid guard door, raccoons will back out of the pen and rip birds right through the bobs.
3-strand, heavy wire, electric fence with a good energizer works like magic on black bears bent on destroying your coop to get the grain. Use a cutoff knife switch mounted head high to quickly cut power to access the pens. Keep weeds off the lower strand.
Solid guard doors are not for everyone because of the dedication involved to close them each evening after use but lose a hundred birds and you might think differently.

Re: Weasel(mink) Problems

Posted by Mark Payton on July 18, 2022, 7:08 pm, in reply to "Re: Weasel(mink) Problems"

I baited a Hav-A-Heart trap with a quail corpse set on the opposite side of the hole I figured the weasel was using. I don't know if it was the dead quail or that the Hav-A-Heart was seen as a thoroughfare, but I caught one that way.

My first experience with one was a coop full of dead pigeons. The first few that I quickly inspected had no obvious "trauma," so I concluded that their food had mold or something that killed them all. It wasn't until I saw a pigeon with no head did I go back and look closer at the first birds and discovered they had a vampire like injury to their jugular.

Re: Weasel(mink) Problems

Posted by Bobby Phillips on July 18, 2022, 8:27 pm, in reply to "Re: Weasel(mink) Problems"

Thanks for the incites. I am sure it is a weasel or mink. I have delt successfully with coons and possums for many years. I have three callback pens which I stock with 25 birds and they usually last all season. I have Jaggars Quail Funnels in each pen and their design prevents anything but weasels from getting into the pens. Only the last two years have I had this problem. I caught one in a Hav-A-Hart trap last year but haven't caught one since. Any other ideas would be welcome.

Re: Weasel(mink) Problems

Posted by troy smith on July 19, 2022, 11:18 am, in reply to "Re: Weasel(mink) Problems"

Might try glue boards

Re: Weasel(mink) Problems

Posted by Andy Wert on July 19, 2022, 6:10 pm, in reply to "Weasel(mink) Problems"

It's extra work but I never trap directly back into the larger quail pen. I have 2 recall pens outside the main pen and I trap the birds back into the smaller traps and than in the evening I move the birds into the main pen. If they're not back in the evening I wait until about 9 a.m. the next day to check and the birds are normally back by that time.

Re: Weasel(mink) Problems

Posted by Richard Giuliano on July 20, 2022, 6:48 am, in reply to "Weasel(mink) Problems"

Weasels are little killers that seem to kill for the joy of it. I have built holding cages, around the funnel, inside the main body of the recall pen (Johnny house, style. Works for other style recall pens, too). If anything other than a quail enters through the funnel it will be confined in the holding pen. Doesn’t prevent the lose of birds that have returned to the pen, but, saves the majority of birds that were not released for training. I have had a weasel, after the killing spree, take a nap while still in the pen. Another was under the pen. If they are still around, well, that’s a good thing. Bittersweet revenge for me and deadly for it. Smart little critters that may return, if, not eliminated. Good luck.

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