Found this in my garage dead

[Pappy]

I believe this is an Ermine. Basically a weasel. They turn white in the winter and have that little black tip on the tail. My cat patrols around the chicken coop and I bet he was near it or his mother was. 

My coop is pretty much predator proof. I have hardware cloth all over it and also on the ground around the perimeter 2' out and then covered with stone. My doors do not have any big gaps in it just about a quarter of an inch if that. 

[cando]

Although I'm not real squeamish, I was expecting a family heirloom

[Petee]

This is the time of year when the wild mothers are pregnant and or already have babies and are looking harder and farther for extra food.  I lost a hen last week to some kind of a weasel so hubby had to cut down the area which the hens can get out into during the day which is safer.  No eggs yet but no more lost hens.

[Pappy]

7 hours ago, Petee said:

This is the time of year when the wild mothers are pregnant and or already have babies and are looking harder and farther for extra food.  I lost a hen last week to some kind of a weasel so hubby had to cut down the area which the hens can get out into during the day which is safer.  No eggs yet but no more lost hens.

I have been getting 5 to 7 eggs a day for about a week now. Before that it was 1 or 2

[Petee]

6 hours ago, Pappy said:

I have been getting 5 to 7 eggs a day for about a week now. Before that it was 1 or 2

Congratulations!  I have hopes!

[Polo]

Your cats are certainly earning their keep!

[fedup]

Looks like AOC

[Petee]

Outdoor cats that have their Rabies Shots and a protected dry place to live are worth their weight in gold as far as keeping vermin down.  

[Pappy]

On 2/25/2026 at 12:47 PM, Petee said:

Congratulations!  I have hopes!

I have been feeding them chicken mash and also I bought a bag of corn. That is corn that has been taken off the cob. My chickens love it.  They say to feed this to them in the winter. It gives them carbs for energy and helps keep them warm I guess. 

I throw a scoop in about once a week or twice and they will eat it along with the mash. They have food all day they are out of the coop and I also have a big square block I believe it is meal worm treats. I got it at rural king. I threw that in and they peck at that all the time it is very small now. It has been in for quite awhile. I do not even remember when I bought it

[Petee]

I totally forgot about the Meal Worms!  They are great for getting eggs.  Gotta put them on my order.

[Pappy]

On 2/26/2026 at 5:52 PM, Petee said:

Outdoor cats that have their Rabies Shots and a protected dry place to live are worth their weight in gold as far as keeping vermin down.  

He is great at keeping the mice etc away. He lives in a heated garage at night when he wants to come in. He has his shots. He was a stray who adopted us. 

Some morons in a red side by side drove to the end of our road and threw a bunch of cats out. The neighbor at the end of the lane saw the vehicle go by and then heard a lady yell get out scram.

Well I am not sure what happened to the rest but Tiger as we call him made it back down the road to our house and my granddaughter fed him some pizza she had. After that he stuck around and now he is my buddy. He follows me all around outside.

 I have a two chairs in the garage. One for him and the other is mine. I have a heated cat bed on his and I installed an electric heater in the garage and during the summer he has his own fan. He is spoiled. 

[Petee]

Isn't it a shame what people do to innocent animals?  But you got a buddy out of it and he found a wonderful home where no one will ever abuse him again.  Be sure to get his rabies shot and a neuter job!  You two will live a long happy life together.