Brock

It's rare to see a badger in daylight.
It was still bright last night when one slithered over the Churchyard wall and down into the Ukrainian village, an attack from the village side of the field.
Another rarity.
In my experience badgers are much more dangerous than foxes.
They are more common than foxes
They are stronger than foxes
And unlike foxes, you can't get away with blasting them to kingdom come with a 12 bore shotgun.

I caught the badger after it had tried to attack two elderly and retired hens safe in their own caged run.
Several mouthfuls of feathers had been pulled through the bars but the two OAPs luckily remained unscathed .
It slinked away up and over the  dry stone wall like  a ghost only to return sometime in the night, when it somehow managed to get through the roof of Ukrainian house number 6, killing the last three " crackhead whores" sheltering inside.
House number six has been a safe haven on the field for the past 7 years
It took its time, as there wasn't a body to be seen by morning. Just small clumps of bloody feathers.

Working again tonight.... This one in one off shift pattern is a killer




45 comments:

  1. the shocks of nature we love it, we can hate it, but we can not tame it, it can be heart breaking but leave us in wonder at the same time

    ReplyDelete
  2. Oh no, I'm sorry to hear that...

    ReplyDelete
  3. Anonymous10:33 am

    Poor old cluckers. I hope the darn thing doesn't come back.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Sorry to hear this John, there's not much you can do to protect your hens from a Badger, they have a strength and a determination that more that far outdoes any fox ... and like you say you can't just blast them away.

    If you need to borrow a really secure run, we have an Eglu with run that is currently vacant, it would hold four normal sized hens or around six bantams.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks sue
      I have reinforced the coops this morning
      What really worries me is the fact he was there in the light

      Delete
  5. Anonymous10:55 am

    John, life can be disenchanting at times. I didn't like Tommy Brock either. Bastard.

    To put a better spin on it, though not comforting: At least SOMEONE got fed. As to the crack whores: Destiny will be met.

    Looking forward to the joys of this Sunday afternoon. And I haven't even checked my lottery numbers yet.

    Flopsy, Mopsy, Cottontail and Peter greetings,

    U

    ReplyDelete
  6. And life goes on....as it ought to.

    ReplyDelete
  7. And people still think they're cute! Tell that to the farmers who watch their cattle stricken and dying from the terrible bovine disease they (the badgers) inflict.
    Sorry about the carp shifts - if it's any consolation, I'm back to work Tuesday and dreading it every bit as much. x

    ReplyDelete
  8. I can remember my grandfather going after a badger that was after his aged hunting dog, one of the only times I ever saw my grandfather mad. I think a 12 gauge was involved.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. They are protected in the uk....and cannot be touched

      Delete
  9. It's even rarer to see a beaver in daylight, in my experience.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I saw a beaver once
      Though I couldn't be quite sure what it was
      It was very dark at the time

      Delete
    2. I was going to make a bad-taste joke about 'Cock', but I think Rachel has spoilt my pitch.

      Sometimes it's hard to be a woman.... (derdle erdle der...)

      Delete
    3. The cock joke was in the previous post.

      Delete
  10. Possibly a high-powered air rifle would fix matters, then hang the offending carcass in a nearby tree. Occasionally one needs to be cruel to be kind!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. 'High-powered air-rifle' my arse. 'Cruel to be kind', my arse as well. If you are going to shoot the things, then do it properly, and know exactly what you are doing before you try. It takes experience.

      Delete
    2. I repeat; a good high-powered air rifle will do the job, but they are expensive!

      Delete
  11. Just sick! Hate to hear it....blast him by any means possible!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It's not fucking sick, it's country life - grow up.

      Delete
    2. This comment has been removed by the author.

      Delete
    3. Tom Stephenson - that's rather a rude and harsh comment to make, if you don't mind me saying so. Perhaps confine your remarks to your own blog and followers?

      Delete
    4. I'm kind of with Tom on this one...a) circle of life b) you can't go around killing things because they cause a disruption to your human lifestyle - predation is never very pretty but all creatures need to eat and are driven by their own need for survival. I think only humans and perhaps a few of their very close relatives kill for fun. I'm also fairly sure that John wouldn't have an issue with Tom having an opinion... he's pretty pragmatic you know :)

      Delete
  12. I will think of you when you are working tonight. I will dedicate my football commentary to you.

    Badgers are bad news.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. 'Badgers are bad news' my arse as well - farmers are bad news too, but badgers don't produce food for us - they're almost inedible.

      Delete
    2. You know all about badgers do you, my arse?

      Delete
  13. Are you thinking it might be rabid because of its bold and unusual behavior? That would be a big deal here and the health department would attempt to trap it.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Luckily no rabies here in the uk Joanne......
      I suspect he was just very hungry and very young.

      Delete
  14. I'll send a wolf over...should do the trick.
    Jane x

    ReplyDelete
  15. I shan't alert Brian May to this posting - at least not for the moment.

    ReplyDelete
  16. I'm so sorry.

    Maybe the remaining stock could stay in your room...kidding.

    ReplyDelete
  17. See you later! and I was on last night! arghh! xxx Sue

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I was on duty Friday Aarrrrrrrrthhhhhhhhhhhjjjjjj

      Delete
    2. Anonymous8:36 pm

      How many of your followers do you know "for real?"
      Wondering...

      Delete
  18. Sounds like Al Quaida is training animals now (real animals, not just lower forms of human life).

    ReplyDelete
  19. I ran over one once in the woods, it ran out in front of the truck on a one lane dirt road. I got out to see if it was alive, it chased me back into the truck and left in a huff.

    ReplyDelete
  20. Nature is beautiful and cruel, both. I am sorry about your hens. Yet the badgers must eat also. Why are they protected - were the numbers dwindling?

    ReplyDelete
  21. Strange this post is totally unrelated to what I was searching yahoo for, but it was listed on the first page. I guess your doing something right if yahoo likes you enough to put you on the first page of a non related search...Cccam Server

    ReplyDelete
  22. It happens. It needs to happen - and it makes my heart hurt.

    ReplyDelete
  23. John, the one on and one off shifts are inhumane in my mind. Your body just can't adapt. Out here in California, we got all exited when a wolverine appeared after a hundred year absence. I hope your reinforced coop does the trick. Good luck!

    ReplyDelete
  24. I caught a fox with my bare hands once which impressed the hell out of my Father in Law but I would hate to try that with a badger. Mind you, with hindsight I am never going to try it again with a fox.

    I am sure the law allows you to defend your livestock so, if you catch it in the act, you could get away with shooting it. A 12 bore loaded with SG would tear a badger in half not that I could, for one minute, imagine you doing it!

    ReplyDelete
  25. Wow you've opened a can of worms judging by the comments ! I love how Sue lives near enough to lend you an Eglu.
    sorry the last of the crackhead Whores have gone x

    ReplyDelete
  26. I'm also sorry to read that the CWs met their demise.

    ReplyDelete
  27. I have a totally unrealistic image of badgers I think. I didn't know they killed chooks! When I was a young kid in Kent we had a badger set in the woods next to my house I was bewitched by them. Sorry about the crack heads, I liked hearing about them but I have to say nature is as nature does.

    Jo in Auckland, NZ

    ReplyDelete

I love all comments Except abusive ones from arseholes