# ***** change my plans



## powderhogg01 (Jun 4, 2013)

Hey guys and gals. Been a while as I was on an extended backcountry trip. Upon return I found out that my flock had been devastated while I was out. I found 4 of 10 birds.. my hedemora is gone, as are my english orp and my real pretty EE rooster. feathers everywhere. upon inspection there is blood all over the coop, and you guessed it.. **** tracks all over the yard. The birds I have left are traumatized, No one in the area saw or heard anything. So I set out the traps. I have been catching ***** every since. 
My birds wont even go in the coop willingly.. They have opted to roost near my back door.. I have been carrying them to the coop every night, locking it up tight and setting traps.
My plan was to build out the run first, as part of it is already up, but I think its time to rebuild the coop. I am going from a 4x8 shed type coop to a 6 foot cube. I have 4 EE pullets and an unkown, which I think is the two lavandar orpingtons I had, they are at about 8 weeks and ready to go outside.. I feel its a perfect time to un do the trauma and give the older birds a new coop, while letting me train the new birds to the new coop. 
I was expecting something to happen soon, but to have nearly my whole flock wiped clean.. a major set back


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## Tony-O (Jul 19, 2012)

So sorry to hear about what the ***** did to your birds. They're the worst. They have about ruined me several times. I hate ***** with a passion. 

What are you gonna do when you catch them? Hopefully not relocate. They have been known to return from as far as 50 miles.


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## nj2wv (Aug 27, 2013)

Sorry to hear that. Hope you catch them all.


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## powderhogg01 (Jun 4, 2013)

My axe does a good number on them... I would never relocate a ****, or any animal as in my area its illegal, but mainly because I dont like chicken killers. Last year I killed a lot of ***** in my town, I Had traps all over the place.. wiped the population clean. seems every year in the fall they come back into town.. I will say that I got the big boy boar ****. I left him hanging in the yard overnight and have not caught a **** since.


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## OldBrickHouseFarm (Sep 30, 2014)

Years ago, dogs were my worst predator and then ***** took over top billing. This year mink took over and devastated more birds than I've lost to any predator in my entire life. Every night mink got into a different building and eventually killed 60+ birds. I had padlocks on all the buildings. I was amazed at the size hoe they got into. In 100 years of raising chickens here, my family had never lost chickens to mink. I'm at the top of the hill from a creek. 500 yards upstream, Walmart cut down about 70 acres of forest along the creek this spring/summer. 
dog proof leg traps are the best for raccoons
Conibear body traps and snares are the best for mink but they need live bait.
When I had problems with *****, I didn't know how fortunate I was to have a foe that was easy to deal with.


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