Post by Decatur on Jan 6, 2011 19:41:55 GMT -5
Lone Mink Decimates Colorado Chicken Flock
It took 25 dead chickens for a family of Berthoud, Colorado, farmers to realize it had a mink problem. The attacks occurred just in time for Christmas.
From the Berthoud Recorder:
Over the course of two nights 25 of Busch’s flock of 30 chickens were killed; some disappeared, the remaining decapitated. Nine were killed the first night, and they suspected Major, a feral/tamed cat they have adopted as the culprit. But the second night when 16 more of the flock was found killed in the same manor – and Major was accounted for – the Busch’s knew that they had a big problem.
Only after setting up a live trap did they discover a mink was to blame. They also realized mink are much more vicious than they appear.
Mink can become bold when their curiosity is aroused, and are fearless when confronted. This little mink approached people step for step when the trap was approached, and proved short tempered with its predicament.
It's yet another example of why predator management is necessary. It's not uncommon for a mink to "surplus kill" when hunting on farms. As in the Berthoud story, the mink killed many more chickens than it could possibly eat.
It took 25 dead chickens for a family of Berthoud, Colorado, farmers to realize it had a mink problem. The attacks occurred just in time for Christmas.
From the Berthoud Recorder:
Over the course of two nights 25 of Busch’s flock of 30 chickens were killed; some disappeared, the remaining decapitated. Nine were killed the first night, and they suspected Major, a feral/tamed cat they have adopted as the culprit. But the second night when 16 more of the flock was found killed in the same manor – and Major was accounted for – the Busch’s knew that they had a big problem.
Only after setting up a live trap did they discover a mink was to blame. They also realized mink are much more vicious than they appear.
Mink can become bold when their curiosity is aroused, and are fearless when confronted. This little mink approached people step for step when the trap was approached, and proved short tempered with its predicament.
It's yet another example of why predator management is necessary. It's not uncommon for a mink to "surplus kill" when hunting on farms. As in the Berthoud story, the mink killed many more chickens than it could possibly eat.
