Signs of a ferret appearing in a poultry house

The ferret, like many small predators, prefers the mass slaughter of birds.
For him, the most important thing is the hunting process itself, and not how many carcasses the animal can eat. The first sign of a ferret appearing in the poultry house is the behavior of the birds. If the chickens do not leave their roosts, a predator has made its way to them at night. In this case, you should act immediately: a ferret can destroy the entire population of chickens in a poultry house in a few forays. The animal kills all the birds because it considers the premises to be its own. In this way, the animal prepares supplies for itself.

Even if laying hens are reintroduced into an empty house, the ferret can again enter the room.

Many farmers wonder how to catch a ferret in a chicken coop. To do this, you can use various methods of catching small predators.

Most often, these sweet creatures behave like rippers in the chicken coop. They destroy all living chickens, but they can eat no more than one chicken.

If you come to the chicken coop in the morning and see that your farm is in no hurry to leave its roost, then this is a sure sign that an uninvited guest has begun to visit you. If appropriate measures are not taken in a timely manner, then one “beautiful” morning you may find all your laying hens dead with their heads separated.

This just indicates that the raids of ferrets, martens, weasels, foxes or minks have begun. By killing domestic chickens, predators are trying to replenish their food supplies and it is worth noting that your chicken coop no longer belongs to you, the predator considers it its own, so rest assured that it will come back again and again.

Tip: If your chicken coop is infested with rats and you need to get rid of them, we recommend that you get a ferret. Yes, exactly a ferret. It is guaranteed to rid your area of ​​rodents, but will not harm the chickens. Ferrets and weasels will never become mischievous where they live, but they will even be able to feast on the neighbor’s chickens.

These predators usually hunt:

• small rodents;
• reptiles;
• birds;
• reptiles;
• fish.

They are unable to digest food of plant origin due to their physiological characteristics, so they are forced to obtain all the necessary vitamins by eating meat.

The ferret leads an active nocturnal lifestyle. Therefore, you can catch him red-handed only in the dark or in the morning, observing the behavior of the birds, if they survived. If you enter the chicken coop and the birds do not leave their roosts, you can assume with 100% certainty that unwanted guests came to them at night. Just because of this nuance, inconspicuous at first glance, one should think about taking preventive measures.

If the chickens are chained to their roosts in the morning, we can assume that a ferret was wandering around the chicken coop at night

Having tasted chicken at least once, the ferret considers the entire nursery to be his property. For him, it turns into a strategic reserve for the future. Even if you replace the killed bird with a new population of birds, the problem will not disappear. The petty thief will definitely find a way to kill the renewed flock of chickens. Therefore, it is better to think about how to catch a ferret in a chicken coop.

If there is no need to resort to such drastic measures as installing traps, you can try to protect the poultry house using feasible measures. One of the most important preventive measures to protect a chicken coop from martens and other members of the mustelid family, which includes the ferret, is to concrete the floor. You can also lay a special mesh under the floor and be sure to seal all the holes.

The concrete floor will protect the nursery from the penetration of animals through holes

One of the most important protections for a chicken coop from foxes, ferrets and other living creatures is to clear the area: the adjacent area should be cleared of any boxes or haylofts. Animals can hide in a pile of stones or boards, in tall grass and any premises located next to the chicken coop. They especially love places with high humidity levels.

The area around the chicken coop

Since the ferret does not make forays into the barn during the daytime, he can attack a bird located far from the yard. Accordingly, the area for birds to walk should be carefully fenced. You can surround the entire space with buried sheets of iron or slate, and surround the summer enclosures with fine mesh.

Be a caring owner so that one tragic morning you don’t have to see a pile of corpses in the middle of the barn. Keep your birds in well-protected pens during the day, and move them to a well-locked coop at night. Once the animal has made several unsuccessful attempts to attack the house, it will lose all interest in resuming attempts. And caring bird owners will be able to sleep peacefully, being in full confidence in the safety of the chicken population.

Signs of predators

Perhaps every second poultry farmer has encountered the problem of night robberies. The style of this small predator is to attack until the last bird is killed. Therefore, if a ferret has been to a poultry house at least once, he will never forget the way there.

Traces of a ferret on a farm

Intoxicated by the abundance of prey, it can even strangle geese. Since he is unable to carry such a large trophy into the forest, he leaves the half-eaten carcasses in the chicken coop.

With a fairly small body size, which reaches a maximum of 45 cm in length, it can easily kill a huge number of domestic birds in one walk. Like the weasel, he lives in conditions of complete impunity, since the owner usually finds out about their visit after the fact. Therefore, the problem of how to protect domestic chickens from weasels and ferrets is especially relevant in a number of other concerns about home-grown pets.

Ferret exterior

The ferret's attack style is quite aggressive: it sneaks up unnoticed, overtakes the victim with a sudden jump, strangles it with its paws, and then starts eating. He prefers small chickens as a dessert, but the basis of his diet is chickens. If I don’t eat it, I’ll take a bite – this saying clearly demonstrates his style.

Greed drives him to the point of absurdity: after night visits, many birds remain dead, but uneaten. When eating birds, he does not touch their heads, but manages to gnaw at the throat in the most destructive way: the soft tissues begin to decompose very quickly and depreciate the value of the entire carcass as a whole. Therefore, it is almost impossible to use a dead bird after his arrival for culinary purposes.

The ferret feels at ease in the chicken coop

How to catch a ferret in a chicken coop? How to get rid of affection? The fox in the hen house is an equally important problem. We will now try to answer these questions.

The ferret is a very smart, cunning and cautious animal, so you will need to carefully prepare and make every effort to hunt a ferret.

• It is worth noting that it is much easier to prevent his raids on your personal territory. To do this, it is necessary to build a chicken coop on a pile foundation.
• We recommend fencing nearby areas with a net, having previously dug it into the ground at least 60 - 70 centimeters.
• It would also not be superfluous to cover the walls of the chicken coop with sheets of iron.

If the animal has already paved a path to your land, then more radical measures should be taken.

Installation of traps

Most often, unusually placed traps attract the attention of martens, ferrets and weasels, so they overcome them without much effort. We strongly recommend that you attract the predator's attention. To do this, you can scatter bird feathers in a trap, then the animal will show curiosity and you will be able to catch it.

Of course, the most successful method will be to use dead chicken carcasses as bait. For example, you lay out the carcasses and build a trap around it, placing traps around it. On the way to the delicacies, the predator will safely overcome all obstacles, but, having grabbed the prey, it will begin to back away.

When setting traps, it is necessary to have gloves on your hands, and it is better, in general, to soak the trap in manure or spruce decoction before hunting to rid the trap of human smell.

This hunting method has a drawback and it lies in the fact that the predator, like a spy, never follows one route, so it is impossible to guess its path

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Pets

Most predators are very susceptible to various kinds of odors, so it makes sense to place a dog house next to the chicken coop. It is unlikely that a dog's hunt for an animal will be successful, but what will scare it off is 100%.

For the same purpose, in the attic where chickens live, you can hang goat skins, which have a very specific smell that will signal danger to the animal.

There are a large number of ideas that you can implement yourself using your hands. For hunting, we need a box or bucket, under which we place a stop and put the bait inside. Having shown interest in the bait, the animal heads to the epicenter of events, knocks down the stop and finds itself in a trap. But it is worth noting that this method is not always effective.

ferret traps

A dead bird is ideal for bait. She is placed on the ground and traps are placed around her. Even if the ferret can avoid the traps, after dragging the prey, it will end up in a trap. The fact is that a predator usually drags its victims, backing away.

Before installing a trap or cage, they should be thoroughly treated to remove human odor. For these purposes you can use:

• pine decoction;
• infusion of wormwood;
• manure.

If traps are installed around the perimeter of the yard, the movement of all pets should be restricted. Not only ferrets, but also dogs and cats may be interested in meat.

Before getting rid of a ferret in a chicken coop using a trap, you need to seal all the cracks and holes in the room, except where the trap is. To install the trap correctly, you should watch a training video, otherwise you may violate safety regulations.

Characteristics of a domestic ferret

To get rid of ferrets and weasels, many farmers use dogs and cats. Specially trained dogs are released around the perimeter of the yard on a long chain. The animal patrols poultry houses at night, excluding possible attacks by predators.

Properly trained cats can be locked in a coop at night. They do not harm poultry, but are good at hunting rats and ferrets.

Pets in control of ferrets

Some farmers take domestic breeds of ferrets to guard their chicken coops. Ferrets are excellent at hunting small rodents and scaring away their wild counterparts. However, both cats and domestic ferrets should not be allowed into a poultry house where there are chickens: this may cause the animals’ hunting instincts to awaken.

Dogs are prohibited from being locked in poultry houses: in confined spaces, animals experience stress and can attack chickens.

The ferret is a playful and inquisitive animal

Before you get a predatory or exotic pet at home, you should understand what difficulties and joys it will bring to a measured life. So, among the positive aspects of keeping a ferret in an apartment, the following aspects can be highlighted:

• the animals are active and sociable, with due attention from the owner they will be attached to him;
• Ferrets are very playful;
• are small in size;
• ferrets do not make loud sounds;
• these pets sleep almost all day, so when you leave for work, you will not feel guilty for leaving your pet alone;
• You can walk your ferret outside by wearing a special leash;
• pets quickly get used to their cage;
• the fur of these animals is hypoallergenic.

The disadvantages of keeping a ferret come down to the following aspects:

• ferrets, like cats, mark territory, so there will be a specific smell in the apartment;
• the need for castration/sterilization;
• ferrets have perinatal glands, the secretion of which has an unpleasant odor, but, fortunately, it quickly disappears;
• ferrets constantly dig for something, bite and can damage furniture, wires, clothes, and various objects;
• Ferrets require specific nutrition, which has strict requirements;
• Such nimble and active animals have a habit of hiding everything that is in bad shape.

1. Before purchasing, you need to decide on the gender of the animal. According to this criterion, pets vary in size, as well as behavioral characteristics. Males are larger, more imposing and aggressive. Parenting may be difficult. But females are distinguished by their flexible character and independence.

2. The acceptable age for purchasing a puppy is 1 month. But experts do not recommend taking the cub away from its mother early, since she imparts certain survival skills to it. The optimal age for purchase is 2-3 months, since it is during this period that ferrets quickly get used to being handled and are easy to train.

3. You should also pay attention to the appearance of the puppy. A healthy ferret will have good fur (soft, clean, no bald spots), be slightly well-fed and cheerful. Vibrices should be elastic, not brittle. The nose of a healthy individual is wet and cold, and the eyes are clean. Any discharge from the mucous membranes should alert you.

We invite you to familiarize yourself with: Raccoon raccoon ⭐ Photo, description, habitat, food, enemies ✔

Another feature of ferrets is their curiosity, which can lead to various troubles associated with injuries, poisoning, conflicts with dogs on the street and other dangers.

By the way, about the ferret’s relationship with other pets. If you already have a cat or dog at home, then you need to know that ferrets tend to be leaders in relationships with other animals. Ferrets are highly intelligent and quick-witted, which is why they exhibit strong leadership qualities.

If we talk about the relationship between a ferret and a dog, then the relationship between a ferret and a large guard breed dog develops better, they become true friends and get along well with each other. Relationships with miniature dogs of decorative breeds are more complicated, this is due to the fact that small dogs are more excitable, and ferrets often offend them.

A domestic ferret and a cat, in this relationship, not everything is so simple; either loyal friendship or irreconcilable enmity, or complete indifference to each other can arise between them.

Much depends on the owner. To avoid jealousy and competition between pets for your love and attention, devote the same amount of time to each and encourage friendship between them.

The ferret's relationships with birds, rodents and reptiles are the most risky. Under natural conditions, all of the listed inhabitants are prey for the ferret.

Of course, there are exceptions when ferrets are great friends with rodents, for example, rats, but it is still recommended to remove cages with birds, reptiles and rodents out of the reach of the ferret.

You should not get a ferret if you have small children. Ferrets have quite sharp teeth and claws and can bite and scratch a child severely. Young children often perceive pets as toys, and while a cat or dog can patiently accept the child's various manipulations of itself, a ferret may react aggressively to the child's concern.

If your children are already grown up, or there are no children in your family, then the ferret is a completely safe pet, no more dangerous than a dog or cat.

Keep a ferret at home and not go crazy. It's possible, just be careful

Author Anastasia Radionova

Updated: 04.11.2018 15:15 Published: 19.10.2018 16:00

Zoosphere » Interesting

Black eyes, charming ears and nose - this fluffy sausage will leave few people indifferent. However, the cute appearance of the animal should not allow you to be deceived. We must not forget that this is a predator whose lifestyle is constant activity (except, of course, for the moments when he sleeps with his teeth against the wall). Therefore, get ready for the fact that during waking hours your pet will require a lot of attention, bread and circuses from you!

7 shared

By the way, about bread. Ferret nutrition is a separate issue that needs to be approached very seriously. You shouldn't feed your ferret the same food you eat, and rodent food isn't a good idea either. If you are not ready to organize a buffet of raw meat, offal, bones and cartilage for the animal every day, it is better to immediately stock up on specialized food for ferrets.

Of course, it would be nice to buy your ward his own home, where he can feel safe and calmly take a nap for an hour or two... or all eighteen (this is the average amount of sleep for these animals). It is preferable that access in and out of the cage is always open, since the ferret needs to move a lot when he is alert, and restricting his freedom will not do him any good.

Got a ferret? You can forget about your own quiet movement around the house. Now every step you take is accompanied by the possibility of stepping on a restless hairy pipe, so from now on you look at your feet and nowhere else!

There are also positive aspects: now, if you lose your keys, wallet, comb or anything else, you know who to ask! It is doubtful that you will get an answer, of course: ferrets do not give up their hiding places under pain of torture, but you can search manually. Most likely, you will find there even something you weren’t looking for.

Underwater rocks. When purchasing a female ferret, it is better to immediately take care of sterilization, because... The female rarely comes out of estrus on her own.

Ferrets have a special smell that not everyone likes. Regular washing once every two weeks usually helps get rid of this problem, and you can also purchase a special anti-ferret odor spray at pet stores.

Ferrets are one of those animals that love to bite. Just as you have to stop kittens from scratching, you will have to stop your ferret from chewing your limbs. However, this should be done in liberal ways, for example, you should not hit him on the nose for this - this is a fragile and very sensitive organ.

Consider finding a veterinarian close to your home who has relevant experience with these animals.

In general, keeping a ferret requires responsibility and care, so you should not have one in a house where there are small children. Handling a pet requires a certain level of consciousness.

If difficulties do not frighten you, go ahead, find a new friend and a sea of ​​positive impressions!

Photo: beaphar.ru

Get rid of all things that could endanger your ferret.

Also try to get rid of plastic and rubber surfaces in the ferret's habitat. These soft materials are especially attractive to ferrets. They simply love to taste them, and they can bite off small pieces and swallow them. Such poisonings threaten intestinal volvulus and intestinal blockage.

Do not leave the washing machine door open, the ferret can get into it, and you risk washing the ferret with your clothes, obviously, he is unlikely to survive after that. There are also rubber parts that ferrets are so partial to. And if you don’t wash your ferret, you will definitely lose a working washing machine.

Ferret in the apartment - keep the windows and vents, as well as the doors to the street, closed, otherwise the ferret will run away, or even worse, break if it falls from a height.

Ferret in an apartment - house plants will have to be removed to a place where the ferret cannot reach them. Ferrets love to rummage in the ground, and the root system of the plant can suffer from this; the ferret can break the pot and scatter dirt everywhere.

The ferret is in the apartment, so do not forget about the precautions. You need to be very careful in the apartment while the ferret climbs wherever he pleases. Before you sit down, stand up, close or open something, move or push something in, check if your nimble friend is there.

There are a large number of reviews about keeping ferrets in an apartment. These reviews will help you decide if you should get a ferret.

So, in this article you learned about what conditions need to be created in the apartment so that the ferret is safe and feels comfortable. In the article “Ferret Health” we will talk about how to properly care for and monitor the health of these charming creatures.

Pets

Considering the animal’s nocturnal lifestyle, you can try to watch for it in the dark. However, the animal is quite dexterous and nimble, and catching it alone is quite problematic. In addition, it is necessary to provide for not only the safety of chickens, but also your own.

If you want to fight a predator alone, you must proceed according to the following scheme:

• when you see a ferret, throw a fairly heavy old coat or raincoat over it;
• then wrap it up and place it in a pre-prepared cage;
• to get it out of there, you should protect your hands with very thick gloves and only then touch the animal;
• If a predator somehow manages to bite a trapper, it is necessary to pinch the animal’s nose and place a small piece of wood in its jaw.

To avoid bites, it is necessary to place a wooden stick between the sharp teeth.
The further fate of the thief depends only on the mood of the farmer. This method is not the most pleasant, since the anal glands of the animal emit a strong stench at the moment of fright.

Despite the damage that ferrets cause to poultry farms, one should be aware that the animals act according to their nature. There is no deliberate malice in their actions. You need to think several times before harming an animal in a fit of rage.

The most humane option is to release the ferret away from residential buildings.

Walking and swimming

Now let's learn in more detail how to care for the animal, how to walk and bathe it.

Walking with ferrets is not necessarily their vital necessity, but they really enjoy this process. After all, in an apartment they are deprived of much, but on the street they can delve into the ground and dig holes to their heart's content.

You need to take baths once a month. This is necessary to get rid of the specific smell of the animal and to maintain hygiene. Some individuals simply love to swim and even float in the bath, while others begin to get nervous just from the sight of water. But you need to bathe and therefore you should adhere to several rules:

• when bathing an animal for the first time, you need to hold it tightly so that it does not slip out of your hands and get injured;
• you don’t need to take in a lot of liquid;
• The animals must be washed with special shampoos and not allowed to get into the eyes or ears;
• After bathing, clean the nose and ears with cotton swabs and wipe dry.

You can watch this process in the video.

In general, keeping ferrets is not difficult if you know their behavior, how to care for and feed them. But people who breed these animals for the purpose of selling babies may have problems in the apartment - this is the presence of an unpleasant odor, because the male is actively breeding and marking his territory.

Pros and cons of ferrets as pets. Criterias of choice

You can make a device for catching ferrets with your own hands. The simplest type of trap is a regular box or bucket with a support. A piece of meat is placed in the center, preferably with a lot of blood. The animal usually knocks out the support with a careless movement when it grabs the bait. However, such a trap should be checked several times a day. If you don't act quickly enough, your ferret may escape.

There is also a more advanced design for catching small predators. It is usually used if they want to catch a ferret alive in order to tame the animal. For this trap you will need:

• a cage with a front door that lowers vertically;
• bait;
• rope;
• external lever.

Before getting rid of a wild ferret or weasel, you need to determine from which side the animal is getting into the chicken coop. To do this, the day before you should sprinkle the ground around the chicken coop with ash or sand and see where the traces remain. A bleeding piece of meat is hung from one end of the rope, the other is tied to the cage door, after which the resulting loop is thrown onto the external lever.

As soon as the predator grabs a piece of meat, the door will close under its own weight and the animal will be trapped. This method of catching animals has several disadvantages:

• The bait may attract other domestic or wild animals.
• In some cases, the ferret prefers live chickens to meat.
• If you incorrectly calculate the proportions of meat, the ferret will be able to escape and will no longer approach such a structure.

In the northern regions, homemade ice traps are used to catch the predator. The materials for such a trap will cost practically nothing, and it is extremely easy to make. To catch one ferret you will need the following tools:

• 10 l bucket;
• bait;
• water.

A metal container is filled with water and left outside the house overnight. The next morning, an ice block is pulled out of the bucket, at the end of which a hole with a diameter of 10 cm is drilled. The tunnel should not be through. Bait is placed in the hole or bird's blood is poured into it. Once the ferret crawls into the trap, he will not be able to crawl back out.

This method often ends in death for the animal. The ferret either suffocates in the narrow passage or dies from the cold.

Ferret: a funny animal or a source of headaches for owners?

Contents hide

There can be no doubt that ferrets themselves are very funny animals. However, it should be immediately recognized that they are not suitable as pets for everyone. For example, if you have small children, you will have to hold off on the idea of ​​getting this fluffy forest beauty: take care of the hands and especially the fingers of your little ones. Well, if your family composition allows you to get this pet, read our article. Perhaps she will help you choose.

Ferrets are very demanding creatures. Do not take into account the fact that the ferret sleeps all day and becomes more active towards night. Don't assume that a ferret is low maintenance for this reason. In fact, it will turn out just the opposite: your pets will need a lot of care and attention. They love noisy, active games, including interactive games, and preferably in the evening. And at night, a cage with a ferret promises to become a source of increased noise in your apartment.

If your lifestyle does not allow you to devote two to three hours every day to your pet to play with him and train him, refrain from buying, do not make the animal unhappy. Without your attention, your ferret will soon become a formidable destructive force, especially if it escapes from its cage.

A ferret can become very attached to one owner. It may very well happen that your ferret will choose one owner for himself, and will simply tolerate the rest of the people around him. Perhaps these “other people” will be very disappointed in the choice, since they expected to get a common family favorite.

A ferret's cage will emit a rather unpleasant odor if it is not cleaned promptly. The ferret itself does not smell, but its waste products may well fill your home with an unforgettable “ferret scent.” The problem can be solved with modern detergents. If you don’t want to lose all the friends in your house, you will have to completely clean and treat your pet’s cage at least once a day. The washing process itself will require some effort on your part.

Ferrets love to hide things. Ferrets are generally cute and at times even charming, except for one thing - they are born thieves. Their passion for stealing and hiding things is ineradicable. If in the morning you did not find the keys to your car in the usual place, then you can only sympathize, especially when you are in a hurry to get to work. Finding a place where you can discover the loss will be very, very problematic.

Ferrets are unusually active creatures. If your imagination paints a picture of you sitting down with a bag of chips in front of the TV, and the ferret sleeping peacefully on your lap, then in reality everything will be different. As soon as the ferret settles in your apartment, the first thing he will do is explore all the nooks and crannies. It will not be possible to ignore the new restless tenant, and soon it will become unclear which of you is the owner and which is the pet. However, if it is you who win this fight, and the ferret agrees with this position, then who knows? Perhaps he will actually sleep on your lap someday, during a break between his hectic activities. In any case, this will not happen overnight.

Ferrets are unusually biting animals. From a very young age, ferrets need socialization. If you simply leave the animal to while away its days in a cage, it will grow up embittered and incredibly biting, which is facilitated by its incredibly needle-sharp teeth. A ferret can bite just like that, not just out of fear or surprise. It is preferable to choose a pet not from a pet store, but from experienced breeders who release ferrets into the world already well trained.

Ferrets live quite a long time. In captivity, if properly cared for, our furry friends live for ten years or more. Therefore, a ferret is a long-lasting toy, if such a metaphor is appropriate. When planning to purchase a ferret, think: you may not have small children right now. What will happen in a year? Three? Five years? It is unlikely that you will be cruel and get rid of your restless pet, causing him additional suffering.

Who will you leave your ferret with in case of absence or departure? If your lifestyle requires frequent absences (business trips, travel, etc.), then a ferret is not your choice. This furry animal is very worried when it does not see the person it loves for a long time. Some animals even become seriously depressed about this, so keep this in mind.

Let's summarize. Yes, a ferret can make a good pet. But: you must have enough free time; For the sake of your pet, you are ready to change some of your habits and even your lifestyle. If all this does not scare you, then you will probably become friends with the ferret. Well, if after reading this article you decide that an extra headache is completely unnecessary, then so be it. Stop your choice on another candidate for pets, since there are plenty to choose from.

Original Post: Are Ferrets Fun Pets Or A Lot Of Hassle? Source and photo: