Weasels are small, slender predators found across various landscapes. These agile creatures are known for their ability to navigate tight spaces and their highly active nature, leading many to wonder about their diet, especially concerning poultry and eggs near human habitats.
Weasel Dietary Habits
Weasels are carnivores with a diverse and opportunistic diet, driven by their high metabolism. They typically consume about one-third to half of their own body weight daily to sustain energy levels. Their primary prey consists of small mammals like mice, voles, rats, and rabbits, which they adeptly hunt by pursuing them into burrows.
Beyond small mammals, weasels incorporate birds, insects, frogs, lizards, and fish into their diet. When other food sources are scarce or easily accessible, they readily prey on bird eggs. Eggs, a concentrated energy source, become a valuable part of their diet when available, especially in poultry coops.
How Weasels Consume Eggs
Weasels are skilled at accessing confined spaces, enabling them to enter chicken coops or wild bird nests. Their flexible bodies allow them to squeeze through openings as small as one inch, making many typical coop barriers ineffective. This provides them direct access to eggs.
When consuming eggs, weasels typically create a single, clean hole in the shell. They then lick out the contents by tipping the egg, leaving behind a relatively intact shell with a distinct opening. A common sign of weasel predation is minimal disturbance to the nest despite repeated egg loss over several days.
Protecting Poultry from Predators
Protecting backyard poultry from weasels requires securing enclosures. Standard chicken wire is insufficient, as weasels can easily squeeze through its larger openings or tear it. Instead, all openings, including ventilation areas and windows, should be covered with galvanized hardware cloth, ideally with a mesh size of 1/4-inch or 1/2-inch.
To prevent weasels from digging under the coop, hardware cloth should be buried at least 12 to 24 inches deep around the perimeter. An additional “skirt” of hardware cloth extending outward 12 to 24 inches from the base can deter digging attempts. Elevating the coop off the ground can also prevent weasels from gnawing through wooden floors or using existing rodent tunnels for entry.
Ensuring all doors and access points have sturdy, weasel-proof latches is important, as weasels are intelligent and persistent. Regularly inspecting the coop for any new gaps or weak spots is an ongoing task. Removing attractants like spilled feed and ensuring chickens are securely locked inside their coop at dusk, when weasels are most active, significantly reduces the risk of predation.