I'd like to introduce you to one of my neighbours
- Thread starter Ivory
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AmysMacdog
Well-known member
They sure are beautiful little creatures but they sure can do the damage when they want to. I hope he/she is being a good neighbor. 
dayna
Well-known member
Cute but naughty!
mystang89":25p32hki said:
Oh no, he's a wild weasel. If Davey had his way he'd be a dead weasel.
I saw him a couple of days ago, I felt sure that if I went to get the camera he'd be gone when I got back but after about ten minutes he was still there, peeping out and squeaking at the dogs
Once I got the camera I had to lay down in the snow to get a good angle for a decent photo. Well the dogs thought I was laying down so that I could play with them and they proceeded to climb all over me, even that didn't scare him off, and I managed to get some nice shots of him.
Schipperkesue
Well-known member
I welcome the weasels to my farm. They have been good neighbours. So far they have kept their bloodthirsty ways to the rodents on the farm and have left the chickens and rabbits alone.
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Wow, what great shots! I'd be terrified to keep it alive, but I understand they can have benefits, too.
TwoAcreDream
Well-known member
They are a pretty animal ...and that is one nice picture....
but....
If I spotted that critter here, I would be finding a way to do it in.
Last year at this time, my son lost 8 chickens to a weasel in 1 night.
He set traps and caught the critter. He told me to pray that I never
see one in my chicken house.
but....
If I spotted that critter here, I would be finding a way to do it in.
Last year at this time, my son lost 8 chickens to a weasel in 1 night.
He set traps and caught the critter. He told me to pray that I never
see one in my chicken house.
He is cute.. as long he stays a good neighbour..
TwoAcreDream":267hdcip said:
I've had them in my chicken house, but they've never been a problem, but even if they were I believe in live and let live. Most of my friends think I'm crazy because when a predator takes out a chicken or a rabbit I don't rush out with gun to take out the predator.
I do kill mice, but I even have problem with that and mice that are caught live are always released alive.
Wild animals have a tough life. The last thing they need is me adding to their problems.
TwoAcreDream
Well-known member
Ivory":1swege4q said:
You are beyond lucky to have had one in chicken house and no problems.
What we see here, they are killers of mutiple animals. If they only did one bird in, that would not be a good thing but would be reasonable. They kill for the sport of it.
When we first came here, we brought 8 ducks with us. Something got every single one of them. Just for the sport of killing. Did not eat the birds.
We had one get in the house. Not sure how that happened, but the lab found it. We had gone to bed and she woke us up chasing it. It went into the master bathroom. I let the hubby go in after it, with the dog and I stayed in the bedroom holding the door shut. He got the critter. The dog was pretty excited.
Schipperkesue
Well-known member
Ivory":3rfumyxo said:
Ivory, you mirror my feelings. A predator has to be a direct threat before I will remove them.
dayna
Well-known member
We have mongoose here which are similar to Mr Weasel. I do kill those on sight if I have a gun on me. I always have traps out. They kill my chickens, ducks, go after rabbits and parrots.
They are adorable (though stinky) but I have no tolerance for them.
They are adorable (though stinky) but I have no tolerance for them.
MamaSheepdog
Well-known member
Wow, what a gorgeous little animal!
Are you sure he is a Mister? Have you tried getting a good look at the rear end of the weasel? I imagine the males have pretty prominent testicles.
I think one lone Mr. Weasel might be able to be neighborly, but if it is a Mrs. and she gets herself in the family way, things may change.
Personally, I would hate to kill a mama and all of her little weaslets, and would rather trap her now and take her elsewhere before she has kits.
Are you sure he is a Mister? Have you tried getting a good look at the rear end of the weasel? I imagine the males have pretty prominent testicles.
I think one lone Mr. Weasel might be able to be neighborly, but if it is a Mrs. and she gets herself in the family way, things may change.
Personally, I would hate to kill a mama and all of her little weaslets, and would rather trap her now and take her elsewhere before she has kits.
Schipperkesue":10zk2wqg said:
I'm with you guys. Unless it's proven a problem they are free to roam. Thankfully, the coons warned all the local preds about my place last year. They decided to investigate the day after I tarred the roof of the chicken coop...
Oh was that coon ANGRY :evil:. I could hear him yelling from my bedroom 70 feet away. For about an hour :shock:
I'm pretty sure he warned the whole forest that my chickens were not worth investigating cause we haven't had one single visit from anything at all since then :lol:
grumpy
Well-known member
Rest assured, once his/her present food source is depleted, they will target another. (Yours!!)
Live and Let Live.....weasels are a member of the Mustelidae family along with mink, otter, and wolverines. Once they enter a "killing-frenzy" they'll kill anything available.
Be prepared for the worst. It will come, just as sure as the sun rises.
grumpy.
Live and Let Live.....weasels are a member of the Mustelidae family along with mink, otter, and wolverines. Once they enter a "killing-frenzy" they'll kill anything available.
Be prepared for the worst. It will come, just as sure as the sun rises.
grumpy.
Schipperkesue
Well-known member
We have been living with weasels here since we moved in 6 years ago. We live in a fairly remote area with a small human population. There seems to be enough mice to satisfy the weasels' hunger. Even the 6 cats catch a couple a day. The coyotes and foxes, too are respectful given the proper fencing is in place. Unfortunately, not so much the ravens. I am still working on that issue. Last but certainly not least we have had no problems with the bears and cougars. Thank goodness for that. I have heard weasel horror stories but they seem sporadic. I also wonder if the species of weasel may be different. How many types of weasel do we have in North
America?
America?
There are three weasel species in Canada: long-tailed, short-tailed and least.
http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.com/ ... le/weasel/
We get resident weasels and mink here from time to time. They tend to move in when there is an explosion in the mouse or rat population and are generally most welcome.
We did have trouble at the beginning of winter with a mink inside the rabbitry. It killed one mature doe and was systematically eating away at it. It chased the others around the colony but half-heartedly, as though it was a game. MidnightCoder dispatched it with the pellet gun, reluctantly. We prefer to live and let live, but when they start on our critters, they have to go.
http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.com/ ... le/weasel/
We get resident weasels and mink here from time to time. They tend to move in when there is an explosion in the mouse or rat population and are generally most welcome.
We did have trouble at the beginning of winter with a mink inside the rabbitry. It killed one mature doe and was systematically eating away at it. It chased the others around the colony but half-heartedly, as though it was a game. MidnightCoder dispatched it with the pellet gun, reluctantly. We prefer to live and let live, but when they start on our critters, they have to go.
Zass":3gybuwxo said:
I have the most wonderful mental image of that coon on the chicken shed roof.
I can just imagine him trying to explain to the missus what he'd been doing and why he came home empty handed.
