happy hen Posted May 11, 2012 Share Posted May 11, 2012 Help there is a stoat hanging around the garden near my girls. Found an egg outside the run too and they are all acting quite strange. Have shut them in the run but are they safe,could it get through the bars and obviously cannot keep them shut in every day. Any advice,especially on how to catch a stoat!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Salop Chuck Posted May 11, 2012 Share Posted May 11, 2012 Wild stoats are not that common (depending on where you live) so I am wondering if you stoat is an escaped one from a cage in someones back garden. I was visited by a 9 month old stoat a couple of months ago. He suddenly appeared in my back garden while my hens were free-ranging. They hens made loads of alarm calls so in my panic I rounded them up and shut them in my kitchen while I dealt with the stoat. It was very friendly and kept coming up to me as though it was used to people. Normally they would shun human contact. After 10 mins it finally left the garden. It left me feeling a bit nervous for the safety of my hens. Not long afterwards four young lads knocked on my door and asked if I had seen a stoat!!! The stoat was finally caught and returned to the lad who owned it. Is it worth asking around your neighbourhood to see if anyone has lost a stoat. Sorry I cannot be more help - perhaps other omleteers may be able to advise. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
happy hen Posted May 11, 2012 Author Share Posted May 11, 2012 Thanks but as we are in a rural area with no near neighbours I think it probably is a wild stoat. We do see them running across the road occasionally but never thought about possible danger to the girls until I saw it so close to them earlier. There was also a dead pigeon in garden which totally disappeared minutes before stoat was spotted....? Coincidence or not? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Salop Chuck Posted May 11, 2012 Share Posted May 11, 2012 I live in a rural area too but luckily this stoat was tame and eventually found and removed from my vicinity. From what you say I think you will have a problem allowing your hens to FR unless closely supervised. An adult stoat will take hens without a problem. I wonder if electic fencing will provide sufficient protection for your hens while you are away at work etc. I wish you luck in finding a solution. I can understand your predicament re: confining hens that are used to free-ranging but I think they would adapt in time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alis girls Posted May 11, 2012 Share Posted May 11, 2012 Glad your girls were ok Salop - I had visions of them having a cuppa and biccie in your kitchen whilst you got rid of mr Stoat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Butterbee Posted May 11, 2012 Share Posted May 11, 2012 When we had chickens in thé countryside we had à stoat problem.. Hubbys grandma advised us to put down whole sardines as their bones dont "agree" with stoats ... We are not sûre it was this that solved our problem .. But thé stoat stopped popping around Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
happy hen Posted May 11, 2012 Author Share Posted May 11, 2012 Thanks, could be worth a try,old remedies are often very effective. I am considering a visit to local farm supply shop tomorrow to buy a trap,though not sure what we do with the stoat if we caught it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Salop Chuck Posted May 12, 2012 Share Posted May 12, 2012 Alis girls - To recover from the flap & panic, I had the cuppa tea while the hens ate my flapjack! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alis girls Posted May 12, 2012 Share Posted May 12, 2012 Quite right too - nothing like a cuppa to settle the nerves. As for flapjack - yum Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
happy hen Posted May 14, 2012 Author Share Posted May 14, 2012 No luck yet with our squirrel trap baited with a chicken drumstick (sorry girls !) and an egg,may try sardines tonight. Was talking to a vet today who said if we catch it we do need to kill it as really is a nasty pest and wouldn't want to drive it miles only to pass the problem on to someone else. Will keep you posted. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
