More cunning than a fox thats just graduated from the cunning university.

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min200

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Awoke this morning to my daughter saying there was a fox in the chicken run.

A neighbour had called to her when she opened her bedroom window to tell her and in all fairness she was awake alot earlier than she normaly is.

So I jumped out of bed (not easy with a bad back!) threw on a pair of jeans and ran (hobbled) up the garden onto the plot sending the dog ahead of me with the command "go see" which sends her off barking thinking shes big and strong!

I grabbed a rake and headed for the coop to find 2 of my girls dead.  Not decapetated just killed.  Mr fox was gone so I started to look for the other bodies when one of my girls came creeping out of her coop thankfully unharmed....she is the only one left though. 

The blooming fox had made off with one girl and killed two for the hell of it but the most confusing thing is their run and coop is like fort knox.  I cannot see where the damn thing got in or out??????  No gaps or holes.  All fencing intact along with the roof. 

So with regret I am hanging up my chook shoes for a while.  Ive moved our last girl into the run & coop in the garden under the dogs protection and will have to see if I can find just one friend for her but thats it now until we move house.

The thing that gets me is I dont know how that damn fox got in and out and feel that its my fault that the girls got killed.  Its soo damn frustrating.

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Caralou

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Firstly it is NOT your fault. You provided warmth and security and foxes can be devious terrors. The surviving girl is most likely suffering from shock and some honey water and a safe dark place should help to perk her up a little and a new friend for her in a few days will help. I remember someone mentioning a fox kicking in an entire mesh panel to get into their run a few weeks ago so they can even find ways into what we think are impossible. I'm so sorry Min xxx

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madcat

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Oh Min - after building fort knox ....  I understand why you are so cross and angry and upset ... and everything.  Sometimes nature is so cruel ...   :(
All we need to make us really happy is something to be enthusiastic about (Charles Kingsley)

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min200

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Indeed it is.  The survivor is now eating and drinking so im hoping the shock wont kill her as well.  We are looking for a new house at the moment so will wait until we are in and I shall then build the most bullet proof coop and run that anyone has seen!

We want to hatch our own chicks so everything will have to be right before we do anything else with chooks.

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TeaPots

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Firstly it is NOT your fault. You provided warmth and security and foxes can be devious terrors. The surviving girl is most likely suffering from shock and some honey water and a safe dark place should help to perk her up a little and a new friend for her in a few days will help. I remember someone mentioning a fox kicking in an entire mesh panel to get into their run a few weeks ago so they can even find ways into what we think are impossible. I'm so sorry Min xxx

That was me...fox kicked in the panel to kill my precious ickle polands  :( :( :(  I feel guilty too. But realistically, we shouldnt, it is all nature, with all its cruelty alongside the beauty pleasure

Hotpots xx

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Trisha

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I'm so sorry to read this  :(

Fingers crossed that your surviving hen continues to make good progress and that she gets a new friend for company soon. x  

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penninehillbilly

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sorry to hear about your girls, we live on a farm, some of my girls were killed by a fox once, about 9-10am, local gamekeeper shot it, said it was probably an urban fox released into the wild, didn't know how to hunt so took the easy pickings. as to your run, a neighour lost 13 light sussex pullets in one night, just left there, the fox got in thru the tiniest of gaps between the netting and the hut. they seem to slide under or through anything. I fasten mine in the hut itself at night.

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Kate and her Ducks

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sorry to hear about your girls, we live on a farm, some of my girls were killed by a fox once, about 9-10am, local gamekeeper shot it, said it was probably an urban fox released into the wild, didn't know how to hunt so took the easy pickings.

I think that is unlikely, any fox, urban or rural will take the easy pickings, they don't want things to be hard and they do not hunt for sport. A fox that doesn't know how to hunt would go through your bins.

So sorry to hear about the attack Min. It's heart breaking when you find them. You did everything you could to protect them but as you say they can be more cunning than a fox that's just graduated from cunning university.
Be like a duck. Calm on the surface but always paddling like the dickens underneath.

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New shoot

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So sorry to hear your news Min.  Let's hope your surviving girl pulls through.

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min200

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The poor girl is in shock but has eaten a bit and drank as well so fingers crossed.  If she makes it I have been offered an exbatt to keep her company from next Sat.

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grumpydad

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try to get a companion as soon as you can, when we had 1 left she really went downhill quite quickly, she did not like being on her own, but really perked up when she had company.



xx
Had a VERY cunning Fox visit :(

Started by min200 on Chicken Chat

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Last post May 04, 2010, 13:53
by TeaPots
 

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