Anybody ever catch a weasel?

[AHeneen]

Why would you leave free-roaming chickens outside at night? To me that's just asking for trouble. For all the time and effort put into trapping one, I'd suggest getting/building a small pen.

[Jumpy]

Why would you leave free-roaming chickens outside at night? To me that's just asking for trouble. For all the time and effort put into trapping one, I'd suggest getting/building a small pen.

No, they are not out at night.. they nest inside the neighbors barn every night, but it is an old barn and has plenty of small areas where a determined critter could dig itself in.

[Gingersnap]

No, they are not out at night.. they nest inside the neighbors barn every night, but it is an old barn and has plenty of small areas where a determined critter could dig itself in.

See my coop advice. :D

[Jumpy]

Almost. :p

I don't know if this is a weasel. Weasels are common enough in some types of rural areas but they aren't city-friendly so if this is a suburb situation, the culprit is probably something else. Not that it matters.

The live trap might work. She'd have to be prepared to bait it every night and watch it for several weeks. There are other things that would work better but I'm assuming that the "release" part of her plan doesn't also include the "shovel" part of mine.

What I'd do is critter-proof the coop. You have to bury the wire at least 18 inches deep and it's better if you backfill with small rocks in addition to the dirt. Also, chickens are notoriously stupid and they will get caught in the corners of the fencing. The critter can reach in and grab one and bite it's head off that way. Instead, make rounded corner protectors for the inside of the coop so the chickens can't bunch up in the corners. I'm assuming the coop is tightly roofed. If these are really valuable to the woman, I'd put a cheap baby monitor out there and be prepared to come on the run when they started panic-squawking.

I think that will be her best bet. She has an area in the barn where they "sleep", with a nice perch for them. It is actually a horse stall where they go into at night. It probably wouldn't be very tough for her to secure that small section with chicken wire.

[megimoo]

I think that will be her best bet. She has an area in the barn where they "sleep", with a nice perch for them. It is actually a horse stall where they go into at night. It probably wouldn't be very tough for her to secure that small section with chicken wire.

Better to bild a complete box from chicken wire then secure it to the wall with staples.If you have any opening at all a weasel can slip into the coop !

[Jumpy]

Better to bild a complete box from chicken wire then secure it to the wall with staples.If you have any opening at all a weasel can slip into the coop !

Yeah, I think this will be a real challenge for the neighbor. She has had chickens for about 3 years, and this is the first time any of them were killed.

Thank you for the info that you posted. I will be passing it on to her.