After some Googling and discussion with old hands at keeping chickens, Ken and I are of the opinion that the most likely suspect in the killing of our two young chickens last week is a weasel.
Googled sources say that there are indeed weasels in North Carolina. Several sources say that weasels, pound for pound, are the most vicious predators of all. They can get through amazingly small openings.
We’re going to attempt to trap the weasel. I bought a trap. It’s a live trap, a Havahart model 0745. The trap arrived today. We’ll set it for the first time tonight and see what happens. I plan to use an egg as bait.
Two nights ago, there were blood-curdling animal screams in the woods below the house. Lily ran and hid inside her hiding chair. I’m pretty sure it was not a bird. It was so loud that it couldn’t have been too small an animal. The sound was too shrill and cat-like, I think, to have been a fox. I’m wondering if there’s a new predator in the neighborhood that is tangling with more animals — possibly competing predators — than just the chickens.
Let’s hope the trap works.
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