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Author Topic: Any ideas what can get into a herris fence run to attack the hens?  (Read 6052 times)

Eve

  • Joined Jul 2010
Re: Any ideas what can get into a herris fence run to attack the hens?
« Reply #15 on: August 28, 2016, 09:05:48 pm »
Do you work full time? If not, a rat & stoat proof smaller run for working hours will be much easier and cheaper to build. Our run is 50sqm and it costs hundreds of pounds to cover with the additional mesh (it's a hobby so we didn't mind; playing golf costs even more and you can't eat golf balls  ;D )

Steph Hen

  • Joined Jul 2013
  • Angus Scotland.
Re: Any ideas what can get into a herris fence run to attack the hens?
« Reply #16 on: August 29, 2016, 07:55:22 am »
Maybe give hens perches to get up off the floor of the run while they're outside so they can rest or doze in a bit of safety.
Put in some weld mesh/chicken wire at bottom of fence and leave a trapping point. Their fearlessness makes stoats fairly easy to catch in small cage traps.

Once they (one?) knows where a food source is, they'll keep going again and again.  :-[

Eve

  • Joined Jul 2010
Re: Any ideas what can get into a herris fence run to attack the hens?
« Reply #17 on: August 29, 2016, 10:20:46 am »
Stoats will climb onto anything, though, they go up in trees to take chicks and eggs.  :(


When we had a stoat problem we put up a trail camera with 2 quail in a stoat proof cage with the trap towards it as we then still weren't sure what did the killing. The stoat was clearly camera shy because it killed a much larger bird that night behind the camera. That was the last bird it had as we then locked them all in each night until the 1/2 inch mesh lining was finished weeks later. Catching the al fresco sleepers every night to put them inside the coop was entertaining...


Steph Hen

  • Joined Jul 2013
  • Angus Scotland.
Re: Any ideas what can get into a herris fence run to attack the hens?
« Reply #18 on: August 29, 2016, 09:39:29 pm »
How about a line of electric wire a few inches off the floor around the outside of the fence?

mab

  • Joined Mar 2009
  • carmarthenshire
Re: Any ideas what can get into a herris fence run to attack the hens?
« Reply #19 on: August 29, 2016, 10:27:13 pm »
I did think about an electric wire but wasn't sure how high to put it for stoats, and, if a stoat is that small would it be in contact with the wire long enough to get zapped - my zapper has a slow pulse.


Do stoats usually hunt in the daytime?

Steph Hen

  • Joined Jul 2013
  • Angus Scotland.
Re: Any ideas what can get into a herris fence run to attack the hens?
« Reply #20 on: August 30, 2016, 07:44:15 am »
Day and night. And they are so fast so could easily miss the pulse.
They can also squish down to an inch or two high, or bound a foot in the air - so perhaps not!

Gregoz

  • Joined May 2015
Re: Any ideas what can get into a herris fence run to attack the hens?
« Reply #21 on: August 31, 2016, 09:52:16 pm »
Set some traps and catch it would be my advice. You can also sit outside with a spotlight at night and 'squeak' it within range if you have a gun, a good airgun will take care of a stoat or rat as it may be..

mab

  • Joined Mar 2009
  • carmarthenshire
Re: Any ideas what can get into a herris fence run to attack the hens?
« Reply #22 on: September 01, 2016, 10:33:02 pm »
well I can rule out the sit out with a spotlight option as I don't have a gun of any sort.


stoat trap? mmm... that may be worth looking into...


 :)

Steph Hen

  • Joined Jul 2013
  • Angus Scotland.
Re: Any ideas what can get into a herris fence run to attack the hens?
« Reply #23 on: September 02, 2016, 08:02:53 am »
I've caught them with Longworth, uglans, and cage rabbit trap off eBay. The wire/cage needs to be either solid or small mesh, and the door must fit securely as they can squeeze out of tiny gaps.
For the rabbit trap I had to make the doorway narrower so that when door closed there was no half inch gap at the side.

mab

  • Joined Mar 2009
  • carmarthenshire
Re: Any ideas what can get into a herris fence run to attack the hens?
« Reply #24 on: September 02, 2016, 10:44:15 pm »
Thx  :)

 

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