The Bastard and Phyllis Diller ( with update)

Not so white and fluffy..Phyllis post attack
11.40 am
Today "The Bastard" got into the run of the smallest and most vulnerable hens I own. (" The Bastard" regular readers may remember, is the feral cat that has been leading Albert a somewhat merry dance over the past few months.) With small rabbits is short supply, I have seen him lurking around Phyllis Diller's run, but he has always kept his distance until this morning.
This morning he saw that I had not replaced the overhead door to the run properly and had grabbed his chance for a small fluffy white feathered meal.
I heard the commotion from the back kitchen, and as I reached the field, two of the geese and both cockerels had driven the Bastard off from the run. In his panic to flee, the cat had dropped Phyllis into the mud , where she lay shocked and covered in dirt, so I scooped her up and hurried back to the cottage......as I went I could see " The Bastard " standing on the Church wall, his tail whipping angrily from side to side.
Attacked hens don't do very well,
So very quickly I checked her over, cleaned a couple of bites on her neck and back and after I gave her some antibiotic, I smartly wrapped her in a tea towel and lay her quietly on a cushion next to the hastily lit log burner.
That was three hours ago and Phyllis is still lying quietly in the dark next to the fire. Her head is moving a little more and she's looking a little more alert , so I will take her out soon and return her to a warm nesting box
I have a feeling she will survive.
Hey ho

19.45 pm
I have just staggered over to the field with my wellies sliding everywhere in the mud to check on Phyllis in her coop.
She shares the hut with one other refugee ( a warren called Bodica..who used to live in the old Still House in the village)
I peeped in with a flashlight to see both hens cuddled up and fast asleep together
Phyllis is fine!

69 comments:

  1. May she be fine. I hate it so hard when one of my hens gets hurt. They are so vulnerable. I am glad you could save her with the help of your brave geese and cockerels.

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    1. Funny that the geese have seen the bastard many times and no reaction..when he grabs a hen they go mad!

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  2. Awwww bless her x

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  3. Being a nurse, you knew just what to do. I've found that chickens easily go into shock, so very little handling is best. Why though, do you think, when one is injured, the others pick or pile on them?

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    1. They sense alarm and distress
      And go for it

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  4. Anonymous3:53 pm

    Poor Phyllis...I hope she does well and doesn't suffer from PTSD.

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  5. Poor little thing ..... fingers crossed she's ok

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  6. She looks quiet and safe in your house.

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    1. Keep them warm and quiet that's the trick

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  7. Phyllis has a cool hairstyle or should that be featherstyle and you sir, well as we approach Christmas - you are The Saviour!

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  8. I hope she makes it okay. Reminds me of Gertie - that pained look.

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  9. Thank goodness you got to her in time.

    Jean x

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  10. awwwwww poor baby.
    I love the way the family came running to save her.

    cheers, parsnip
    It has been a tough week for me. Two vets two different ideas. We think Watson had a stroke last weekend.
    More on Fridays post.

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  11. I hope the geese got in a peck or 2. Fingers crossed that Phyliss survives.

    Maybe William will stand guard?

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  12. The Bastard.
    I know it was only doing what comes naturally, but still.
    Fingers crossed for Phyllis.

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  13. Good job the other animals alerted you to the danger. Poor Phyllis. I do hope that she recovers. You have given her the best chance. x

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  14. Poor little one. Good job you were around to rescue her. Hope she manages to recover.

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  15. Whoa poor Phyllis, is she one of the Cram Legbars you got recently? I do hope she makes a good and full recovery xx

    That cat needs re-homing, preferably on board a cruise ship!

    Donna, hens will peck at anything red coloured - probably why a lot of the plastic feeders/drinkers have red bases/parts where the hen needs to feed or drink from. My little darlings pecked at my first ripe tomato, grown in a pot outdoors and not fenced off from them. They quite liked the yellow ones too when they found they where sweeter than the red ones!

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  16. Does the Bastard belongs to someone and can that someone be held accountable for any damages his cat could do?

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    1. Jon, he's lived on the periphery of the village for two years
      No one owns him

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  17. Do feral cats count as vermin?

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  18. Poor Phyllis, I hope she is soon on the mend.
    Twiggy

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  19. Replies
    1. Andi....I have just checked on her with a torch
      She's cuddled up with her coop mate , bruised, battered but ok

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  20. Sometimes I hate nature. The cat is a product of his circumstances and upbringing just like people are. And he has to eat, like we all do.

    That said, I am so sad for Phyllis and for you, John. I hope Phyllis recovers completely.

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  21. I am glad that when I got to the end of the post she is still with us.

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  22. I do hope so John. One of my geese, a few years ago, almost killed an elderly white bantam - I never thought she would survive, but after two or three days in a quiet hut on her own, in clean straw and with good food, she was as perky as ever and lived a good few years longer - so fingers crossed.

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    1. Pat...just checked on her
      She looks buggered but very much alive

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  23. Just a thought but I could do with practising with my air rifle.....big cat hunting sounds ideal

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  24. Anonymous7:44 pm

    :( for Phyllis.
    Hope she's still ok.

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  25. She is definitely a Phyllis Diller. You have too much excitement John in your neck of the woods :)

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  26. Anonymous8:00 pm

    Personally I'd go with John Wooldridge's idea of the air rifle. Or a good crossbow perhaps...
    Hope Phyllis pulls through the trauma OK.

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  27. Best wishes to Phyllis Diller -- she has a very apt name indeed.

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  28. I hope the two geese and the cockerels had extra rations tonight. Or a hug and a kiss.

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  29. awwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww, a happy ending.

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  30. Love that you have a bird named Bodica.....that one would have taken care of the bastid if she was like her namesake.

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    1. Not my choice Mike
      Bodica came from the lady at the still house who lost most of her hens to a fox, Bodica was the only survivor...how apt

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  31. Poor chickadee, its a good thing you were there and could do your 999 response. Hope you put this reflection in your NMC portfolio....lol!

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  32. YAY! Best news I've heard all day!!

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  33. Every being needs someone to care for and to be cared for by someone. You have lots of both. Glad you were there for her.

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    1. You are as soft a pudding as I am

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    2. A fine sentiment. Feed the Bastard, or stop teasing him with chickens. I'd be there to care for the Bastards - like us, eating chickens, and lambs, and cows, and... Gosh what Bastards we are with our factories of meat... Time for dinner.

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  34. So glad you managed to rescue Phyllis...I have my own chicken problems at the moment, but thankfully they are not of the "nasty bastard" trying to eat them kind.

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  35. Poor hungry Bastard. Who is there to care for him?

    Oh... the chickens, maybe.

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  36. Maybe introduce the Bastard to the fellow living in the van. He can feed the damn cat scraps, and maybe eventually make a companion of it. Or at least keep it from desperate attacks on your birds. Three cheers for the guard birds!

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    1. Or maybe the Bastard should eat the fellow in the van? Or vice-versa? Everybody has to eat something, or someone. I am pondering the difference between a sweet cuddly kept pussy cat that eats meat from a tin and a feral cat that eats what it can find. Would Albert become a Bastard if John didn't feed him? And would Chris? Hmm...

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    2. I think John should adopt the feral cat or at least feed it; then it might not attack the hens. Hopefully. And it would provide lots of blog material. That's important too :)

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    3. Jenny I don't want him around as he's incredibly agressive to Albert.
      Albert isn't a big cat, and already has a gammy leg ( he was hit by a car when he was a kitten and badly fractured it)
      ,he is terribly bullied by the larger bastard

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    4. I realize that, John, I'm just feeling sorry for him living on his own in all kinds of weather. I know cats can be very aggressive, but it seems this fellow has every reason to be so, trying to make his way in the world alone.

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  37. Glad the geese and cockerels were able to drive the cat off.
    Good to hear that Phylis is doing well, too.

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  38. the Bastard apparently did not know the adage about family: If you attack one of our own, God help you.

    Yay for hey ho.

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  39. i used to want a couple of backyard chooks but my husband said no. i'm beginning to think he did me a favour!
    so glad phyllis is ok

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  40. Thank heavens! Set a live trap and put that wacko on a fast train going far far away.

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  41. Glad someone had Phyllis's back.....

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  42. Get a humane trap, John, and catch the bastard. Have him neutered and you would be doing the entire village a favor, I'm sure. Glad Ms. Diller is doing fine. What a life you lead!

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  43. Would the RSPCA not collect the Cat as the ¨ poor ¨ think is living rough , surely someone should take responsibility for this animal .
    Hope Phillips is feeling tickety boo today

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    1. The feral cat has lived locally for a long time now, so I presume someone is feeding him. It's at least 2 years since he first turned up.
      He's an expert rabbit killer, so I suspect he's not gone too hungry

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  44. Whew! A close call. I'm glad to hear Phyllis didn't meet her maker.

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  45. Thank goodness for the geese and cockerels. I love it than when the chips are down 'family' pulls together and sees off attackers.

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