Getting rid of the ferret in the chicken coop
When breeding a household, many farmers are faced with the death of birds. The thing is that cute pussies (ferrets and weasels), penetrating into poultry houses, pose a threat to precious chickens. How to catch a ferret in a chicken coop? What are the ways to scare a predator away from poultry?
How to catch and get rid of a ferret and weasel in a chicken coop
How to recognize an intruder
The appearance of a ferret or weasel in the chicken coop at night can be suspected not only by the presence of killed birds, but also by other signs. For example, the behavior of chickens (in the morning, hens are in no hurry to leave perch, trying to protect eggs and chickens, become more fearful and cautious).
It is logical to assume that if you do not take any action to catch or scare away the ferret, then one morning you can only find dead chickens in the hen house, which were strangled by the ferret in the hen house (with their heads bitten off). This is due to the fact that the predator has already taken a fancy to the chicken coop, eats in it and makes a supply of food.
It is no secret that in one visit the ferret eats and drinks the blood of only one bird, even though it catches and kills more (this applies to chickens and chickens, with large birds - geese it is much more difficult for the animal to cope).
Distinguishing ferrets from weasels and martens is not difficult, because for this it is enough to carefully examine the area around chicken coop... If you find specific tracks (two points), you will have to measure the distance between them, because the predators move in jumps. For weasels, it will be 20 cm, for martens - 35 cm, for ferrets - 45 cm.If the distance shows that ferrets are in charge in your chicken coop, they urgently need to be destroyed in order to get rid of the threat brought by guests from the forest and protect their pets.
To save poultry, you need to figure out how to catch ferrets in a chicken coop.
Ways to protect birds from small predators
Currently, several different methods are known to protect poultry from small mammals (ferrets, martens and weasels).
One of the best ways to protect your poultry stock is to pre-protect. What is meant by this name? This is the raising of the house to a certain height so that the weasel does not get through and your chickens are saved. You will only have to put a kind of ladder to the door in the morning to allow the chickens to go for a walk.
Idea: you can protect poultry from weasels and ferrets by replacing rotten boards with new ones, and placing a metal fence around the chicken coop (the plates need to be dug deep enough into the ground - 50 cm). It is the depth that plays an important role, because ferrets and weasels have sharp claws, thanks to which they are able to break through underground tunnels as best they can.
Everything would be fine, but what to do if a predator has already chosen a chicken coop and at night drags or only strangles birds? How to catch a ferret in a chicken coop?
there are 2 solutions:
- scare away and scare away (by smell, special devices);
- catch and kill (with traps, traps).
Fighting ferrets is not so easy, but it is possible, therefore, it is enough to study the known methods, choose the suitable ones and begin to put them into practice.
How to scare away a ferret, marten, weasel
In order to get rid of weasel and similar predators, it is enough to process the walls of the poultry house with special agents that have a strong smell (for example, tar). When choosing this approach to solving the problem, do not overdo it so as not to ruin the chickens.
It is worth noting that impregnating the walls with folk remedies does not give 100% protection if the ferret enters the house through the floor or ceiling.
The folk compositions are being replaced by a "miracle of technology" - an electronic scarer, which emits waves of a certain frequency that cause discomfort to predators (provokes panic attacks, because of which martens and other "guests" tend to quickly leave the place they like).
If you can't find or purchase a repeller, then use a movement-sensitive flashlight. Activating it will force the predator to flee the territory.
Pets as scarers
The answer to the question: "How to get rid of a weasel?" - can lie on the surface if you know the fact that small predators react sharply to odors. It turns out that the solution may be the appearance on the territory of the household of a pet - a dog, a cat and even a ferret. As strange as it may sound, it has been proven in practice that a domesticated predator does not attack the bird with which its aviary is related.
Under such conditions of coexistence, when ferrets and chickens are on the same territory, the predator, in order to satisfy the animal instinct, has to hunt in the neighborhood. Consequently, your neighbors may suffer.
Traps and traps - proven methods
Are you sure that there is a small animal nearby, and are you thinking about how to get rid of the ferret in the chicken coop in order to save the poultry? Then placing traps will be the right decision. Before the hunt begins, you will need to determine how ferrets and or weasels will enter the chicken coop. To do this, it is enough to sprinkle flour or starch on the floor and evaluate for traces in the morning.
It is important to understand that ferrets are not stupid, and they calmly bypass traps. That is why, your task is to attract the attention of the animal with the smell of a dead bird. If you wish, you can scatter feathers and eggs around the corpse (as if there was already a life-and-death struggle at this place).
Important: traps should be placed wearing gloves on their hands, and after installation, they should be lubricated with manure or spruce broth to get rid of the smell of a person.
When the animal grabs the prey, it will begin to move backwards to carry it away. It is at this time that he will be caught. Therefore, only a lot of placed traps will give a result (by placing one, you may not guess the trajectory of the predator and, conversely, only attract its attention). The captured ferret can be destroyed or released (taken away from the house).
Ferrets can also be fought with traps. To do this, you will have to prepare a bucket or box, a support (stick) and bait. Installation instructions:
- Place the bucket at an angle.
- Treat it with manure or spruce broth.
- Place a support (should slide off at the slightest movement).
- Sprinkle with spruce solution.
- Place the bait (dead bird) under the bucket.
For clarity, you can see the principle of setting a trap on a video, which is not difficult to find on the Internet.
The task of the farmer will be to react in time to the sound from the fallen bucket. Only a quick appearance will allow you to catch the ferret. Why can't the release be postponed until the morning? The thing is that the animal will fight to save its skin (and they are quite nimble and can easily slip away).
Which way to catch ferrets in the chicken coop is up to you.The main thing is not to hesitate with this, so as not to lose your poultry at all. Now you know how to catch ferrets in a chicken coop.