Losses...

This month has been a hard month for J. and his animals.

As you all know our favourite cuddle cat Tootsie is still MIA. It's been over 2 weeks now. We figure coyotes.

Then his goldfish is gone.

Yesterday Whisper and Esme were sold. Thank goodness they went to the same owner. We know he's a good goat person. They will have a good home there. But it's still hard.

Then Monday I noticed that my chicken watching days were over. They were going over to the neighbours property. I mean geezzzz! They have 4 acres of land and they have to go to the neighbours?

Not even an hour had gone by with my decision when I heard them making a racket worse than usual. A mink! He killed the mille fleur rooster. I was not impressed. I grabbed the first thing I could find. A baseball bat. The only thing was that he was gone under our winter tires. I was able to whack him in the ribs and butt. The only problem is that to a mink that's like patting them on the head. They are the toughest creatures you can imagine. He escaped to kill another day.

I thought that maybe I had done enough damage to him that he might not come back.

No such luck!

That night I made sure I locked up the chickens in their pens. It's mink proof. Cement floors and mink wire. (what keeps minks in...keeps them out!)

Yesterday Dave got home from work and was greeted with a bloody and feather carnage. The mink had somehow gotten in the chicken coop and killed 13 chickens!!!! Half of my flock is gone. Mostly layers and a few roosters, including the beautiful rooster we hatched out this year called Hawky. We were going to keep him. We also lost Grisette. She was hatched out this year also. She hadn't started laying yet. She was so pretty and our favourite new one.

Grisette

We borrowed two live mink traps from a mink rancher and set them at the chicken coop. That evening when I was getting J. ready for bed, the girls started freaking out again. I looked out the window and there was the mink going right for the pen. Ignoring the trap completely.

I yelled to Dave and he ran out with his shotgun.

Well needless to say a headless mink doesn't do much damage.

The chickens are now safe again and we've patched up the holes in the old wood. Some of it was rotten and he had dug a whole through.

But it's been a long week of sadness.

On the bright side, the mink only got a few of my new pullets, the rest were older ones. The rest are ok and Foghorn Leghorn is a hero. I think he fought the mink off. Because when mink get in a hen pen then don't stop killing until everyone is dead. Yet something stopped it. Foghorn is a bit worse for wear, but alive. I think he's going to be blind in one eye.

Mink are one of the only animals that kill just for sport. They rip the head off the victim and drink the blood, then leave the body there.

Ok, it wasn't a short post. Sorry. I should have also put a disclaimer at the beginning.

"This post will contain scenes of a bloody and graphic nature. Viewer discretion is advised."

Have a Blessed Day

Lisa