Well, It's just past midnight and the whole house is wide awake!Tonight it was a fox , it burrowed under the one broody box and despite being reinforced, it broke through the floor and ripped Blanche through the smallest of holes.
The dogs and I heard the commotion as she was dragged away and even heard the plaintive cries of her single white chick, and although I was quick to run over to the field, all was silent when I got to the box.I couldn't find my torch but luckily dug out a neurological testing pen torch in one of my uniforms...so was able to locate the traumatised chick hiding in the grass. I popped it into the incubator in the kitchen........and covered the whole thing with a tea towel as all of the dogs watched with interest.
sigh.........Blanche was my best broody hen.....she had raised chicks successfully for nearly five years .....and even brought Halleh the duck into the world........the circle of life continues eh..........
Many thanks to the neighbours too by the way....they were woken by the commotion too and banged on their windows in an effort to scare away the fox
x
Sorry to hear about Blanche.
ReplyDeleteOh my God, that is horrible. I don't know if I could stand raising chickens. You must be so mad about this. I would be furious. Good luck with the rest.. I hope this doesn't happen again. Damn!
ReplyDeleteNearly 10 am here - coffe time and I'm having a little look at blog posts and - Oh dear, you do the most awful things to my emotions first thing in the morning.
ReplyDeleteI keep reading (on many of the blogs I go to) about chook - house raiding foxes - is there such a thing (without having to spend a small fortune on it(as a fox proof hen house?
Cathy
Ooh, poor Blanche.
ReplyDeleteSly fox.
It's turned me off wanting to raise chickens.
~Jo
Sorry about this John, but I'm glad the chick was saved and part of Blanche lives on....
ReplyDeleteSorry about Blanche. It is always something on the farm, isn't it? Have you a hen that will teach the chick, the ways of the world? Or do you have a house chick now?
ReplyDeleteDamn.
ReplyDeleteDamn foxes. 2.30 in the pm here, nearly time for a cuppa. So sorry about Blanche, she sounds like she was a really special sort of hen. I hope you can find a foster mother for the chick.
ReplyDeleteYour foxes are a lot more industrious than ours or a lot hungrier. Lately there is a smallish critter trying to dig in our coop. The longer I have chickens the less upset I get over losing a chicken and more upset about having to figure our how to anti-preditor the coop.
ReplyDeleteSo sorry to hear about this. I live in bit of a rural area but not on a farm; we have one or two small foxes running the property, and I practically die to catch a glimpse of them. I have never really thought about your side of it before though; I'm sure it would give me a whole different opinion of them.
ReplyDeleteYou have such a wonderful attitude. I can see how your professional and personal life seem to be a perfect match. It's all about caring and giving and life; you inspire me. Thank you!
Are cage traps legal over there?
ReplyDeleteOh John, I'm so sorry. Poor lttle thing. Let's hope her offspring survives.
ReplyDeleteYou may think I am kidding but...if you urinate around the perimeter of your hen house it will deter the varmits. They are terrified of man and his..uh..scent. Try it, but wait till the neighbors go to bed
ReplyDeleteHorrible. I lost a whole run-full to a fox once. He killed all 12, and just took one away. That was the last time I kept chickens, but I'm just about to start again.
ReplyDeletegeorge
ReplyDeleteno the traps you talk about are illegal. although are used (I have a friend that was fined because he used one)
you are allowed to shoot them, however.
From now on all the broody boxes will be kept in the cottage garden!
Sorry to hear about Blanche John. Bloody foxes.
ReplyDeleteIf all foxes ate was rats and rabbits we would all be better off. Mr or Mrs Fox will have quite a few little foxes to feed this time of year so I imagine it'll be back soon.
ReplyDeleteWill the chick receive counseling?
That's so sad. My daughter in Sheffield had hens and they were gradually all taken by foxes.
ReplyDeleteI'm so sorry for your loss of Blanche. xoxoxo
ReplyDeleteThats terrible. When hubby works nights he says he sees more and more foxes these days. I suppose thats the hunting ban.
ReplyDeleteHere we're allowed to capture foxes and then relocate, but not allowed to shoot them. We have a big red fox living on our property right now and am so glad I don't have chicks to tempt her! So very sorry about Blanche.
ReplyDeletePoor Blanche, to be snatched in the middle of the night when you think you're safe.
ReplyDeleteOn a happier note: has Beyonce wiggled her butt yet?
It's a bit of a clout when a hen is lost. We lost our main egg laying hen the other day to fly strike. The manner of her dying was beyond words. But she did leave a chick behind, and I do so hope that the chick is a hen so we can keep her in the flock. We have lost various other hens by various means, but this loss was dire, and I can quite understand your feelings on the subject.
ReplyDeleteNever a dull moment at your place.....Poor Blanche! So sorry, and hope the little chick will be ok! xo
ReplyDeleteI had no idea foxes could get through such a reinforced coop.
ReplyDeleteSorry to hear of your loss, John. :(
Poor Blanche! I hope one of your other hens will take the chick under her wing.
ReplyDeleteOn the urination comment, that works to a point. My neighbour at my old place used to do that around his garden to keep deer at bay (he grew lots of corn). After a few years, the deer ignored the scent and were undeterred as they munched on the corn.
His across-the-street neighbour, who keeps chickens, found that having dogs has made the foxes wary of coming too close. Of course, one of the dogs occasionally forgets himself and kills a chicken, so the chickens aren't quite as free range as they were before. The foxes also have a large field by her house where they catch plenty of rabbits and rodents.
megan
Oh dear John, so sorry to read this. Hope the little chick is going to be OK. S x x x
ReplyDeleteI know predators have to eat and are doing what comes natural to them, but that doesn't make it any easier to swallow when we loose our pets to them.
ReplyDeleteSO sorry John. The loss of a hen is devastating, particularly when a chick is involved. It does harden my heart against foxes.
ReplyDeletehey man..we could hear it over here!
ReplyDeleteAh, crap!
ReplyDeleteJohn, maybe you can get one of those baby slings and keep chickie-woo-woo in there. Poor poor chickie needs a new mommy.
Farmer
Bloody foxes, hard to keep out.
ReplyDeleteHeavy guage weldmesh wire is the best thing to kep the sods out.
Sorry to hear about Blanche.
ReplyDeleteI never thought that hens may not be safe when locked up at night as the foxes round here always strike in the daytime.
So sorry, just goes to show how difficult it is to keep foxes out. Friend of ours uses electric netting around the hen houses as well as putting the hens away at night. It would take Fantastic Mr Fox to tunnel under that lot. Having said that he still sometimes loses a hen to the fox when they fly out of the pens during daylight.
ReplyDelete