[peter rooster]

Hi

I have been loosing hens in the day time. The body has a bite on the back at the base of the neck. It looks as if the bite may have gone through the spine. The body has not been eaten or damaged in any way but for the bite

Yours Hopefully

Peter

[joyfull]

it could be a mink or stoat 

[wildwitchy]

it could be a mink or stoat 

yep, I'd agree with joyful. I lost my beloved gold brahma boy to one. He died protecting his flock against one. Only sign was a vampire like bite on his neck.

[peter rooster]

Thank you vampire bite is what they have. long way from water so thinking maybe ferret.

[ANHBUC]

That is awful Peter, I hope you catch the culprit.   

[8doubles]

I would guess at it being a stoat as they often have a 'blood meal' before they start on the meat. A mink or ferret being much bigger than a stoat would probably started on the meat if it was hungry and tried to drag the carcase off to cover.

A fenn trap in a tunnel will sort the problem out and continue to catch rats afterwards.

[wildwitchy]

After that, I used approx 1/2 inch guage wire all around my walk in coop, including covering some criss cross fencing with a electric staple gun. I have a solid door now (was once a criss cross framed panel) & a plastic roof with no gaps.

No losses as of yet, touch wood, but we do have a large lake over the road plus 2 ponds in our garden so I expect they visit but would have a job getting in now.

I lost my cockerel at night though.

According to Katie Thear, soaking rags in diesel oil & hanging around the boundary works but fencing them out is best!

http://poultry.allotment-garden.org/advice/protecting-the-flock/minks,-weasels,-stoats-hawks