Again the field borders have been cleared of cover and again fencing has been re erected and repaired. It has taken me four hours straight to complete the necessary jobs and the upshot of all the toil is the sobering fact that although a little more secure the field remains a sort of laid out buffet to a persistent predator.Now I have a choice here....I can invest on some robust and expensive fencing and have every hen, duck and goose safely enclosed in small, secure and claustrophobic enclosures or I can continue with my original idea of proper free range animals, living a chaotic and more natural existence warts and all.
After some thought about all this ( when I was cleaning the ducklings out with the babies crammed shyly in a bucket!- above pic!) I know I will continue with my present set up.
However Losing Lily has been a bit of a blow
This evening we went to see Stephen Fry in his live one man show/autobiography plug....ok it was at the Scala....and it was via satellite link from the festival Hall, London, but it was nice to see the Grand Dame of British stage, screen and television flexing his considerable brain live in an effortless show of pith,self effacing anecdote and gentle sycophancy.Fry is safe pair of hands when it comes to performing.
He is likable and accepting of his own considerable intelligence and simply gives the audience what they want,- namely a jolly good set of amusing stories...extremely well told...
If I could free range at all. I would take my losses and go that route too. :O)
ReplyDeleteOur 3 girls live in a totally wire 10x20 pen. They have laying boxes in the pen. one end does have a roof so they can get out the rain. In the dead of winter we can put up a sheet of styrofoam insulate to keep the north wind off their boxes.. That works here with our winters...
we are not talking about the winter from Alaska of last year that was a whole different game but we don't get that 99.9 % of the time...
I don't blame you a bit, I so wish my girls could run totally free.
I adore Steven Fry! xxx
ReplyDeleteBye Lily... You're totally free range now, girl!
ReplyDeleteI'm sorry for the trauma, John. That photo of the feathers in the grass was pretty shocking. I hope she was just late and it will be a one time event. All your birds really do have a wonderful life and I'm glad you're going to try and see if you can find some way to make it work. I'm rooting for you!
(...happy to offer myself to the fox if you really think it would help... :-) Dia
The ducklings are darling! When is Dan coming for them? You may not be able to let them go, pretty soon.
ReplyDeleteFree range is better, it's more you! I guess you have to keep your eyes open as your heart.
We've yet to be bothered by foxes, but I'm sure it may happen at one point. A neighbour who keeps their chickens in a tiny fox proof pen says she has seen them sniffing around hers, but mine run free all day and have yet to be bothered. I'm hoping my relatively high chicken wire fence and the fact my neighbours dogs are frequently sniffing around and marking territory will deter them from a daylight raid. They are country rather than urban foxes, so I'm a little hopeful.
ReplyDeleteKerry and I have talked it through and we've decided that if they do get attacked then so be it - we'd rather they had a shortened life of free ranging than a long life cooped up in their 6x10 foot pen.
I still hope it doesn't happen though!
Poor Lily. What adorable ducklings! I absolutely love Stephen Fry. I like the fact that he is freakishly intelligent and sooooo posh, but so funny. I love when they sit him next to Johnny Vegas and they get on so well!
ReplyDeleteMy four girls have the freedom of my garden & love it. If Mr Fox gets them ( so far so good ) I'll be terribly sad & wouldn't get more hens - but I won't cage them in - it was never my intention to.
ReplyDeleteThe answer may be electric fencing around the perimeter the chap here
ReplyDeletehttp://www.ukcountrystore.co.uk/index.html
is v. v. helpfull.
carol
ReplyDeletebeen down that route!
they work for a good while but generally poultry fencing only covers 100 metres with one charger!
I need a whole acre covering!
hey ho