Imagine my surprise to walk out to the barn in the afternoon to gather eggs and feed the animals and find not one, but two hens, murdered by minks. One was in just on the path by the gate to the corral and one was stuck in a hole at the bottom right of the photo below. The mink must have been living underneath the feedroom floor and the chicken was too big to pull through a hole into its sub-floor dwelling. It was then I decided that the raised platform floor had to go. Saturday a got the sawzall and cut out the 2x12 flooring. It was quite a job.
There was a strong smell of urine AND many chicken heads and feathers strewn about. I'm thinking the mink were either living underneath there or making it a daytime hideout from which they could pop out and kill our flock.
Fortunately, it was tax-free day at our local hardware store. I made up a form around the floor. Then, we got 21 bags of concrete and poured the concrete mix within the form, using a board to smooth out the concrete until the entire form was filled. It's called the dry-pour concrete method and it is much easier on your back. The photo below shows us misting the initial time in order to just turn the concrete dark grey and begin the process. Each hour after this and for the next 4 hours, you switch from mist to shower and spray the area. The concrete absorbs the water and sets.
We swept up the cobwebs and mess that rats make in the barn and then moved everything back in the feedroom.
At least we've removed the minks' hideout. Now, we focus on trapping and eradicating them before they finish off our flock.
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