Allotment Gardening Advice Help Chat
Poultry and Pets => The Hen House => Topic started by: Mrs.Apron on April 09, 2012, 22:54
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Hubby was pottering about at dusk tonight and spotted a mink. It looked right at him and then slinked away down the hill. We've never seen mink here before (in 20 years) and we don't live near any large stretches of water, just a very small drainage stream 400 yards away.
We are in the middle of preparing an area for a trio of hens, which we will be collecting in early June, with 8 ft high stone walls (an old barn with no roof which we have turned into a large walled garden for them to free range in during the day), and an 7ft high chicken wire fence at one end, with deep concrete foundations.
Can anyone tell me if mink will climb over this, or bite through the chicken wire? The chicken coop itself is within a weld mesh run and will stand on thick concrete. Safe enough at night I think, but will mink attack in daylight?
I thought we'd thought of everything, as we have foxes, buzzards, etc but didn't realise we had mink. :( :(
Can anyone advise? Thanks.
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mrs apron your profile dosn,t say where you are ? i am no expert in any form of gardening but have spent my life in the countryside watching wildlife, and all i can say to you and your hubby is mink are probable one of the most determined preditors we have in the uk.and not a natural species for us,i have seen them climb a 8 foot fence on a chicken farm and then take on the farm dog when it got spotted and attacked --- and it won !!! and that was in daylight----- sorry to be the bearer of bad news :(
cheers jay 8)
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Have to agree with jay001 - the one here was finally stopped with the business end of a rifle, but not before it had decimated next doors pigeon loft.
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Can you make your run out of weldmesh instead of chicken wire too? Chicken wire keeps chickens in, but it doesn't keep predators out, especially a mink which could probably squeeze through the gaps in the wire
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Have to agree with jay001 - the one here was finally stopped with the business end of a rifle, but not before it had decimated next doors pigeon loft.
i was only there lardman with my ferrets at the time to sort there rat problem out, in my limited knowledge --- chickens ---- = rats and anything else out for a easy meal !!! i once wittnessed the aftermath at a pheasent enclosure containing new born chicks in stanford linconshire done by a demestic cat -- that was bad !!! at least a fox just takes what it needs to feed the family -- mink and cat,s yuk !!!-- having said that thinking of getting a kitten for company from next door neibour at least there is no wildlife were i am -- apart from hoody wearing kids :D
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I'm in North-East Scotland. Beginning to think our hen idea is a non-starter and we've just bought a brand new coop. :(
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I'm in North-East Scotland. Beginning to think our hen idea is a non-starter and we've just bought a brand new coop. :(
mrs apron ------ never --- ever --- give --- up--- life has taught me many things good and bad,but the main one is there is not a problem --- it,s just a solution to be found :D
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Electric netting?
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I think there is always an element of chance when keeping livestock. There are so many predators out there and it is very difficult and costly to prevent any possibilities of attack 24 hours per day.
It sounds as though you have excellent security, especially at night, so I would take the chance. Possibly, if you are really worried about the wall, you could fix a band of mesh angled outwards from the top of the wall thus preventing anything climbing up managing to get over the top.
Our hens are in an impenetrable house at night but in the day their large yard, although very well fenced couldn't be guaranteed to be totally secure from stoat or mink. Also they spend time free ranging, with the dogs around, during the day. We take the risk and will occasionally lose one I have no doubt.
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I have had several mink attacks so know how you feel, but I still keep chickens and have them free ranging. Touch wood I have been attack free since last May but I do know we have local hunters trying to catch them. If you do go down the route of getting chickens then buy a mink trap and find somebody to cull any after they are caught as it is illegal to release them again (not that you would want to anyway).
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I'm in North-East Scotland. Beginning to think our hen idea is a non-starter and we've just bought a brand new coop. :(
mrs apron ------ never --- ever --- give --- up--- life has taught me many things good and bad,but the main one is there is not a problem --- it,s just a solution to be found :D
Totally agree with Jay. Anything you plan to do in life comes with potential problems, even getting out of bed in the morning. There are only challenges to find solutions to.
We don't have mink, just rats and foxes but I would think that an electric fence would work with mink as well as foxes. Unless someone else here knows better.
Don't give up, find the solutions and have the best tasting eggs available :)
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Thanks for your encouragement, everyone. :)
Here's a pic of our set up so far. The short wall will be the same size as the rest (8 ft), as hubby is going to put up mesh panels which will be angled outwards with a line of barbed wire on the top too. The hen house will sit on the concrete hexagon in the centre, which is at least 8 inches thick.
Here's hoping it will be enough. Here's a pic of the hen house too, which has a weld mesh run attached, so they should be safe at night.
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That's fantastic Mrs. A ! Lucky girls, just one problem ....... I think you should get far more than three!! :D
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Thrift...thanks. :) We're just going to start out with three as there are only going to be the two of us by Autumn to eat the eggs! :) (hoping for plenty eggs anyway)
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yeh looks really good, poor old hubby and you look to be doing wll with your land best of luck to you both :D
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Thanks Jay, it's taken years and years to clear our bit of ground and buy timber and stuff bit by bit. Saving up, etc and gleaning bits and bobs here and there. Lots of work, but worth it. :)