The owners of chickens are familiar with first-hand with a small but dangerous animal - affection that can make raids on the chicken coop, ruthlessly exterminating its inhabitants. Today we will talk about the methods that can neutralize such an uninvited guest and protect the house.
Signs of an uninvited guest
Caress, as well as ferrets and martens, is inherent caution, it is almost impossible to take them by surprise. Not always the predator begins to hunt immediately, at first it can go on reconnaissance. Chickens feel the presence of this predator, and this is reflected in their behavior. The next morning, it looks unusual: the chickens are restless, trying not to leave the house.
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A clear sign that the compound visited the animal at night are unusual two-footprints on the ground or snow. The distance between them will indicate the type of animal that attacked the chicken coop. Weasel leaves traces with a distance of 200-300 mm, marten - 300-400 mm, ferret - 500-600 mm.
Traces caress on the snow
What is the danger of petting and marten
Although the kind of weasel looks cute enough, yet it is a merciless predator. Attacking, she strangles the victim and tears it to shreds. This animal has very sharp teeth, which allows it to easily kill a small goose or chicken.
Did you know? In ancient Rome and Europe, early medieval pattings were used as pets, they helped to protect the house from mice and rats.
Due to the small size and brownish color of wool, weasel can mask well, which is why it is not easy to catch it. This animal rarely attacks chickens, feeding mainly on mice and rats, but in their absence it will begin to look for other sources of food. Weasel is chosen to hunt in the hen house, there have been cases of attacks on cats and dogs. After the appearance of caress in the house you can see a few dozen killed chickens and chickens.
Killed predator chickens
Similar animals, martens, feed on small birds and rodents, but if there are villages with poultry near their habitat, they will also hunt there. During the attack, the marten first gnaws at the victim's throat, and then eats it. She moves deftly and quickly, making it difficult to capture. To destroy all chicken stock at a time is not a marten method. She will eat chicken for one arrival until the chicken coop is empty.
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Ways to enter the chicken coop
To get to the house weasel can through any available hole. A crack in the foundation or an inconspicuous tear in the wall - all this helps the uninvited guest to get to the chickens. If the walls of the house do not have holes, but there are boards that are rotten from time and humidity, weasel easily gnaws them.
Rat and mouse holes are the favorite way to penetrate the house, so protecting the yard from these predators is just as important as the chicken coop itself. If there are no cracks and holes in the territory, the animal can make its way through the ventilation system, or dig an underground hole with its sharp claws.
Petting is based on small rodents.
How to catch a weasel in a hen house
Finding signs of predator penetration into the house, you need to act quickly and decisively. You can protect your pets in different ways.
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Do it yourself
You can catch the animal with your own hands, but this method is quite complicated. We hunt caress at night, at this time and need to hide and watch. Having noticed the caress, you need to quickly throw a heavy blanket or raincoat on it, press it and put it in a cage.
In the process of catching you must wear tight glovesso that the beast could not bite. If he did bite you, you need to hold his nose and put a piece of wood in his mouth.
Get rid of the animal can be a humane way - for this it is taken away from the house and left in its natural environment.
Self-catching affection is quite difficult - the animal is very fast.
Homemade devices
There are several methods for catching small animals that attack chickens:
- A bucket or box mounted on the support under which the bait (a piece of meat) is placed. The predator, seeking to take possession of the bait, knocks down the support and is trapped.
- The cage in which the bait fits. The door must be installed so that it closes immediately after an uninvited guest enters it.
Did you know? We have a very fast metabolism. With a mass of 55 g, they are able to eat 25-27 g of meat per day.
Large size mousetraps
Weasels are small animals, so when catching them you can use large mousetraps. They are a box of wood or metal wire; a suspension bridge that connects the aisles is placed inside.
At the center of the mousetrap is attached bait. To seize the prey, the predator runs across the bridge and falls into the camera. It’s impossible to get out of this trap by yourself.
Such mousetraps can be bought in specialized stores, or you can make them yourself.
Scarers
If the farmer’s task does not include a radical deliverance from uninvited predators, but simply scaring them from their poultry, special devices will come to the rescue:
- Electronic Repeller. It produces low-frequency sounds that are not dangerous to humans and are not audible to the human ear. The animals begin to panic and run away from the house.
- Flashlight with motion sensor. Approaching, the animal provokes the inclusion of a flashlight, which emits light and sound signals, which frightens the uninvited guests and makes them go back home.
Folk methods
There are also old, long developed ways by our ancestors to help get rid of predators. The most popular of these is the tar coating on the walls of the house. But this method can not be called particularly reliable, since the animal can penetrate from the side of the roof or produce undermining of the foundation.
To scare away predators, you can use pieces of goatskin that need to be scattered around the hen house. Due to its sharp smell, it will instill a caress a sense of danger.
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Trapping
A good method of dealing with predatory animals is to arrange hunting traps on the territory. When a weasel enters it, a device of springs and plates firmly clamps its neck and paws, thereby immobilizing it.
Important! Setting a trap, you need to take care of its strong attachment, because the weasel is able to escape along with the trap.
However, we should not forget that these animals are very prudent and will not come close to the trap that smells like humans. To resolve this issue, you need to lubricate the trap with manure, boil it in spruce needles or cover it with quick lime. Set the trap after treatment is necessary in the fabric mittens.
If the house is undermined or there is a passage dug by rodents, traps are placed at the beginning and end of the tunnel. The bait can be chicken feathers - the animal will be interested in them, will want to look closer and fall into the trap.
Traps for small predators
How to protect a chicken coop from a predator
As a "live alarm" you can settle around geese or turkeys, which, sensing the appearance of a predator, immediately raise the alarm (just recall the famous legend about how geese saved Rome in this way). At the same time, they are large enough so that the predator is unable to quickly deal with them.
You can scare a weasel, marten or polecat with the help of pets: dogs and cats. The cat must be left in the chicken house. The dog must be put in a booth installed nearby, or make it a long chain.
Important! Do not let the dogs to the chickens, because dogs can get excited and harm the birds.
If your pets have not yet suffered from the attack of uninvited guests, you need to take certain security measures to prevent this from happening:
- Monitor the condition and repair of the chicken coop, avoiding unnecessary cracks and tears.
- The rotten boards in the walls must be promptly replaced with new ones.
- The territory should be fenced with a metal grid so that the animal could not get into the house.
- On the floor in the hen house you need to expand the plates of metal, and the door to provide a reliable lock.
- In the poultry house and in the surrounding area, it is necessary to keep clean, avoiding the accumulation of garbage in which the animal can hide.
Weasel in the hen house is an unpleasant guest, but, with some effort, it is quite possible to get rid of it. Knowing all the ways in which it can be caught, you can permanently protect your hen house from the appearance of such a predator.
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