Many poultry farmers know firsthand about such a problem as rodents or predators in a chicken coop, which cause enormous damage to the economy. Sometimes get rid of them is not easy.
In this article, effective methods of expulsion from the house of one of the representatives of the predatory brethren - the ferret will be considered.
About ferrets
Before you start the fight against the pest, let's take a closer look at it. The ferret is a predatory mammal that belongs to the mustelid family. It is a small animal with a long body (about half a meter) and a tail up to 20 cm long. It has disproportionately short limbs, so the body looks squat. Head - oval, elongated. 
The muzzle is dulled with a characteristic pattern in the form of a dark-colored mask. The body is covered with thick fur of various colors - from light beige to dark brown (there are albinos). Especially thick and fluffy wool - on the tail.
The animal is very active, brisk, deft. It moves easily through the trees, digs deep holes, swims well, can crawl into very narrow cracks.
Did you know? Besides the fact that ferrets have a long narrow body, they also have a very flexible spine, thanks to which they can penetrate the narrowest holes. Because of this ability, at various times a person used a small animal to help with the construction and equipment of various objects. So, in 1960, he was attracted to the design of the Boeing aircraft in order to lay wires. In order to lay the cable, ferret needed to prepare the marriage ceremony of Prince Charles and Princess Diana. Not so long ago, the animal was useful in the construction of the Large Hadron Collider.
The animal has a unique ability for a wild animal - it is absolutely not afraid of man. Therefore, for several millennia, he has even been kept as a pet. He is intelligent, can learn various tricks, does not take up much space. 
In general, the ferret is a pretty pretty and lovely creature, but for poultry farmers it can become a real punishment. Settling in the vicinity of human dwellings, he attacks domestic birds (especially merciless to chickens), eats eggs, sometimes leaving a completely devastated coop. His visits take place at night. During one entry into the house, he is able to destroy up to 15 birds.
Traces of appearance
You can understand that a predator comes to your hen house before you even find dead birds and crushed eggs. This can be done on a characteristic basis - when you first visit the chicken coop, the birds sit on their perches and are not going to leave them.
Important! After visiting once in your poultry house, the predator will already consider it its territory and will most likely come again and again until there are no birds left and then return after the launch of the new livestock. Therefore, at the first signs of the appearance of a pest, measures should be started to combat it..
Unfortunately, predator visits rarely take place without victims. Most often, the owner of the coop detects bloody footprints and beheaded, gnawed carcasses of birds. 
How to get rid of a ferret
There are several ways to fight predators. You can catch them, scare, use traps, folk remedies, special repellent devices. We propose to consider each of the methods in detail, having understood their strengths and weaknesses.
Catch
Ferret is quite difficult to catch alone, because he is very clever, smart and careful, besides has sharp teeth and claws, which can harm a person. Nevertheless, one of the ways to deal with it is to catch it hot. We'll have to watch out at night and when the ferret appears, catch it by hand, after having thrown on it an old coat or other heavy fabric and protected hands with gloves.
It will be useful for you to learn how to get rid of rats in the hen house.
It should be ahead of time to prepare the cage in which the captured animal is placed. What to do with it next - you decide. You can try to tame it and keep it in a cage as a pet or deal with it in another way, the most humane of which is to take the animal out a few kilometers from where you live. 
This method is not very reliable, because it will not be very easy to cope with dexterous animals. In addition, you can run into scratches and bites. Safer methods for you are traps and live traps.
Trap
In specialized stores sold traps designed specifically for ferrets and weasels. If the beast has already done Laz in the chicken coop, then the trap can be installed directly next to it or in it. Before you put it, you should get rid of the smell of a person, otherwise the animal will easily find it.
You can remove the smell by boiling the trap in water with spruce needles for 30 minutes or smearing it with chicken droppings. In the future, the trap can be taken only in tight gloves.
Also, traps can be arranged in the evening in the hen house, covering them with bird feathers. Either place them around the bait in the form of a chicken carcass. Traps will need to be cleaned in the morning, so that birds do not accidentally hurt about them. You can also try to find the predator's hole and set a trap near it. 
Life trap
The life trap can be purchased or made with your own hands. This will require a box or box slightly larger in size than a small animal, equipped with a self-closing door. A bait is placed inside it - part of the bloody chicken carcass. The door should be adjusted so that it falls at the moment when the predator enters the trap.
It is known that even with the help of pesticides, it is impossible to remove all pests in a certain place. Learn how to make a trap for rats and mice with your own hands.
Detailed schemes for the manufacture of traps for live bait - a lot. For example, you can see the version of its production in the video.
Video: live trap for the ferret, mink, weasel
Scare off
It is not necessary to catch a predator, it is enough just to turn it away from the plot. There are several options for how to forever scare the animal from your yard.
Pet use
In the process of scaring a ferret, dogs and cats can become your helpers. So, you can install a dog house in close proximity to a chicken coop or tie a dog near a manhole already done by a beast.
Important! You should not use poison to fight a ferret. This can be dangerous for your pets.
The dog, most likely, will not be able to catch the pest, but it is quite capable of scaring him off by barking or by its only odor. In addition, the dog will signal to you that there is an uninvited guest in the courtyard. 
Cats can also be used to scare away a ferret, but it should be understood that skirmishes between animals can have dire consequences for your pet.
Scarers
Today, in specialized stores, there is a wide range of modern devices that allow scaring predators:
- ultrasound;
- light and sound.
Familiarize yourself with the types and features of rodent scarers.
Ultrasonic devices affect animals by producing low-frequency sounds that are unpleasant for a predator’s ear. As a result, it does not come close to the place where the source of the discomfort is installed.
For example, one of these devices is "Fox". This is a small device with dimensions 74x118x22 mm. Besides the fact that it generates a high-frequency ultrasound, it also flashes a bright red light. Safe for people and pets (except hamsters). Due to the fact that the frequency of ultrasound is constantly changing, the pest does not occur to him addiction. 
Repeller "Fox" In addition to ferrets, it also acts on rats, mice, moles. "Lis" can work from the outlet or batteries. Mounted on a vertical surface or attached to a wall.
Other devices of the same principle of operation can be used: PR-4, Tornado, Typhoon LS 800, WK-600, Chiston-4 Biological Guard, Grad A, Greenmill. They differ in design and range.
The principle of operation of the light-sound repeller lies in the blinking and sound noise when the beast approaches. They are equipped with a motion sensor. The device starts to work at the moment when a warm-blooded creature comes into its radius of action - an infrared sensor works. After that, the device begins to generate sound and light that can scare the animal. Powered by mains and batteries. It has a compact size. Such a repeller may also include an ultrasound generator. For example, as a device "Tornado-1200". 
Repeller "Tornado-1200" It is designed for a range of 1.2 thousand square meters. When a ferret hears ultrasound and sees flashing light and loud sounds at the same time, it experiences anxiety and sometimes pain, therefore it tries to escape from this territory.
This model of the repeller can be mounted on the wall or hung from the ceiling. It comes with a remote control, through which the device can be controlled within a radius of 6 meters.
Consider the best methods of rodent control at home and in the garden, as well as familiarize yourself with all the subtleties of rodenticide use for exterminating rodents.
Folk methods
For many years of fighting pest, people resorted to a variety of ways. As a result, the most effective of them were identified:
- Hanging goatskins in the coop. They have a specific, unpleasant smell that scares the ferret.
- Damping the walls of the house with tar, the smell of which the beast does not tolerate, and therefore does not want to come close to the room.
- Arrangement of simple traps: for example, installing a large pot or a bucket on a support. Inside the design is a bait. When a ferret approaches a delicious delicacy, it will bring down the emphasis and its capacity will cover it.
Popular methods are much inferior in efficiency to modern deterring devices or traps, but they can be used in combination with any other method.Read about how to get a mole rat, vole, mice, shrew, vipers, snakes, ants, moles from the dacha, and also learn how to get rid of rats in a private house.
How to prevent the appearance
The penetration of a predator into a room where poultry live can be prevented. To do this, use the following recommendations:
- Since the ferret most often gets inside with the help of a tunnel, a reliable concrete floor or wooden, upholstered with metal should be installed.
- It is necessary to ensure that there are no cracks in the walls, between the walls and the roof, so that the roof is secure.
- If there is a ventilation system - put a grid in it to avoid penetration of the pest through the vent.
- If it is not possible to make a strong floor, it is necessary to insulate the house with a fine mesh that you need to dig into the ground for half a meter.
- Monitor the cleanliness of the site so that the ferret does not live near the home of domestic animals. Trash heaps, dumping old branches attract predators.
Thus, at first glance, a cute and fluffy rodent ferret can inflict irreparable damage to a private farm, ruining chicken coops and destroying poultry.Before you start chickens, you should take care of the precautionary measures that will keep the house away from the visits of a dangerous guest - equipment of a safe floor and walls, a fence, a cage or an open-air cage with a dog in the immediate vicinity of the bird's dwelling, etc.
Did you know? The ferrets began to be domesticated several thousand years ago. Artworks have survived to the present day, where these animals are depicted next to people who hold them on leashes or in their arms. Predators started to use as companions when hunting for rabbits and for the destruction of small domestic rodents.
If the enemy still gets into the habit of climbing into your yard, you should immediately start a fight with him, setting up traps, setting off pets, installing special repellents.
