No chickens, and a hole dug under the fence...
I was away last evening, and when I got home around 10:30, I heard some clucking from the chicken pen. Against my better judgement, I didnt investigate.
Hindsight is always 20/20.
I found lots of feathers and an empty pen this morning. I know it wasn't the dogs, because I saw them sleeping in the barn when I came home!
I'm pretty sure this is the hole where the culprit entered the pen, although the smaller hole might be from its offspring.
Jim saw a fox running in the fields the other day, so my guess is that she is now quite satisfied with herself.
And I will now have to buy eggs .
I declare war!
Oh Alica, This just makes me sick! All of them? Foxes are so bad when they have babies. I guess they are bad all of the time. I could hear them outside the other night. So sorry you have to buy eggs.
ReplyDeleteWhat a sad start to the morning. Poor hens. I am so sorry.
Oh no! I'm sorry for your troubles. How many chickens did you lose? I hope you'll be able to replace them fairly quickly, though I'm sorry you have to do it at all.
ReplyDeleteI only had 6 left, but they're all gone now. :( I'd like to replace them...but now that the fox knows where they are, it might just happen again. So we'll see!
DeleteOh Alica, I'm so sorry. What a sick feeling this must be for you and your family.
ReplyDeleteMy neighbour lost all his chickens to foxes. I'm not sure how can a person fortify a chicken pen when there are foxes around because they dig to get at their prey. Good for you for declaring war on them. Hugs dear friend.
Julia
Dig your fencing down into at least 1 foot deep, some would say 18" is more like it; fencing to just ground level isn't enough where I live (with more coyote than fox, raccoons & skunks also enjoy chicken dinner). You could also rig a door that automatically closes the coop at sundown (solar powered).
ReplyDeleteBut our first, last, & best defence has always been The Saint, our GSD who patrols endlessly & mercilessly slays anything that broaches her territories. Touch wood, so far we've never lost a chicken or a rabbit.
Sorry about your chickens. :-(
Oh dear. How many did you lose? If the dogs were out, would they have prevented it? -Jenn
ReplyDeleteMommas will do amazing things to make sure their babies are fed. Sorry about your hens, really sorry! But that's quite a hole. Fox has won this round but I'm betting you have some tools available on your side of the fence.
ReplyDeleteOr a skunk. Sigh!
ReplyDeleteoh no! What a loss and disappointment - especially if you're not sure you can fox-proof the pen well enough. I've heard my best friend (a farmer who has chickens) talk about how hard it is to keep chickens protected from predators. So sorry, Alica.
ReplyDelete