Thankyou and goodbye hen 1 and hen 2

Faith_2

Sarahsaver wrote:

squirrels by the way :rolleyes: excuse me! they eat flower bulbs and dig holes in the garden, and even damage trees. I dont like the grey ones, but obviously the red ones belong in the uk and should be protected.

I am annoyed that my chickens got killed. That's all.

I'm not surprised you're annoyed your chickens got killed! I'd be fuming! Especially as it seems the fox killed them just cos he could! I hope you get to replace them!

MATH

Faith wrote:

I'm not surprised you're annoyed your chickens got killed! I'd be fuming! Especially as it seems the fox killed them just cos he could! I hope you get to replace them!

This is wot foxes do! They will kill every hen but only take one, it's the way they are programmed. Having the odd fox caused casualty is part and parcel of keeping hens. Foul I know (sorry:o ) Closing the coops before dusk and making sure the run fences are sunk well into the ground (at least a foot and a half) should minimise the attacks.

Sorry for your loss Sarahsaver (although you sound quite matter of fact about it) as you say they have more than paid for themselves.

cheekymole

Poor, poor girlies. Here's a big hug for you Sarahsaver

Jay-Jay_4

zar wrote:

We have two cocks at the moment and one of them is very handsome but a right pain at crowing and going in the wrong henhouse and bullying all the others, so we are really hoping that when the fox comes this spring it'll have him first! .

My Mum's got about 30 hens and three cockerals at the moment. Everything was fine until 2 days ago when one attacked another and the place ended up looking like a slaughterhouse, blood everywhere. My Dad tried to break up the fight, one cockeral 'went for him', as he threw his arm out to protect himself the other one went for him and received an accidental 'punch' in return They're going to meet their makers in a few days.......

A neighbours dog got in last night too and got one of the hens. She's not injured just shaken and a bit featherless.

It's a nightmare isn't it? :rolleyes:

Alison_B

Oh, how horrible for you to find and deal with.

zar

Jay-Jay wrote:

My Mum's got about 30 hens and three cockerals at the moment. Everything was fine until 2 days ago when one attacked another and the place ended up looking like a slaughterhouse, blood everywhere.

:eek: Perhaps we'll have to dispatch of one of our 2 soon as well.

They're going to meet their makers in a few days.......

Oh well, you should invite yourself round for some lovely coq au vin out of the slow cooker! :drool:

(Unless you're veggie of course in which case no offence intended!)

Jay-Jay_4

zar wrote:

Oh well, you should invite yourself round for some lovely coq au vin out of the slow cooker! :drool:

I was offered one :eek: no thanks.... too squeamish to eat something that I've seen alive:o I'm not as brave as Sarah.

I told my Mum to make coq au vin...... just about to copy the recipe out for her

Alfietinker

Sorry to hear about your loss - we're getting chooks soon and we're trying to build the run as fox proof as possible. I must give the latches some thought....

Just a small point, and a bit off topic, but I found it interesting. I once saw a programme where they allowed a fox to attack a chicken coop and observed the fox's behaviour. It was to see why they kill lots of chickens but only take one to eat.

They discovered that left to its own devices, the fox will actually take all the chickens away with him. They filmed him take a chicken away and bury it. It would then come back for the others in turn. They observed that they fox was actually burying the birds to stockpile a food reserve - a bit like squirrels will bury nuts for later. They then disturbed the fox half way through, and he didn't come back again. Very intelligent I thought - and perhaps not as savage and indiscriminate as once thought?

Despite getting chooks (and not wanted them eaten!) I actually think foxes are fantastic creatures - very elegant, powerful and very underated.

Sorry, I know this isn't very MSE but I thought it was fascinating.

Sarahsaver

Their heads were totally missing will the fox have eaten them?
I feel a bit odd about poultry though, and couldnt quite bring myself to buy eggs earlier, and felt like a traitor when i bought a pigeon earlier (OH is cooking something romantic for valentine's day, couldn't get a partridge)
May get some of the black rock chickens though, they lay loads of eggs, and would match the flowers that would have grown in the garden if the hens had not eaten them! Had a BIG black and red theme going on. BTW chickens dont eat bamboo;) LOL

calleyw

Foxes are fact of life when you keep fowls.

I remember when I was about 15 my grandparents kept a gander and a couple of geese. Very good watch dogs even if they do make a mess everywhere.

They went missing and we could not find them for a couple a days. when I did find them all three of them had had there heads ripped off. Never found the heads not sure if they eat them or bury them or what.

Being a farmers a daugther and granddaugther I am use to animals being taken away for slaugther. But to kill not to eat but for bloodlust is something else and one reason why I detest foxes. They kill for the sake of it and will even take lambs.

Urban foxes are everwhere. More and more in cities for the reason that there are many rats in cities. Because of the left over and wasted food that is thrown away in bins. It is easier pickings and means they can have an easy life.


Yours


Calley