Allotment Gardening Advice Help Chat
Poultry and Pets => Chicken Chat => Topic started by: Tartuffe on May 04, 2009, 09:40
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I forgot to go back and shut my two beautiful girls up last night (we had guests so i got distracted from my routine) and the blooming fox got them both!.........................all I have is a garden full of feathers! I could howl (and have done so for the last hour) as it was totally my fault.
Bah blooming Bank Holiday Humbug :( :( :(
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I'm so sorry Tartuffe, that such a simple mistake has had such an horrible outcome :(
You can't change the past but you can change the future !
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Oh dear..................I am so sorry.
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That's such a harsh outcome for a simple error. Sorry for you tartuffe. :(
As aunt sally says, there's nothign you can do about it now and reliving it won't help you move on. Try and get away somewhere to help you get over the upset and anger and see if you want to try again. I hope so.
9 times out of 10, when a fox gets in, theres' somethign that could have been done differently to prevent it but it happens.
I hope you can feel better abotu yourself soon. :)
Rob
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Dont beat yourself up! It is such an easy mistake to make, specially if your routine was disrupted. I have automatic door openers to help prevent that happening.
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i am sorry also :( , theres been times when i have wanted to leave my girls to do as they please of a night time but that mite be the one time that the fox would finally get in my run and i cant risk that .
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Really sorry to hear your bad news :( :( :(
Dont give up though like I did for 10 years. Have lots of birds back now and get enormous pleasure from them.
BJ
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Oh what a terrible lesson you have been given. Time to pick yourself up and learn from that mistake. I know you will never do THAT again! I'm so sorry for your loss. :(
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I'm sorry Tartuffe - we lost one of our originals, Monica, to a fox in the spring last year because we left them on their own for about 10 minutes - they'd gone round the far side of the run so we couldn't see them and it was nearly twilight - a fox just saw his opportunity.
needless to say, the chickens are never allowed outside on their own now - if we can't be out there with them they are shut into the run.
Don't be hard on yourself, because if you never see the fox around, you don't realise how easy it can be for it to get them.
Just put it behind you - have a good cry then start again.
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Dont hate yourself! you have learnt from this so you need to move on after you have grieved for your girls!
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I'm so sorry, :(
As well as looking toward the future as Foxy mentioned auto door opener, i have a simple alarm which is set for 8:30 everynight, this might help.
CHIN UP!
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As an update.....................I managed to forgive myself and went out and bought some new girls, eventaully ending up with six - a magpie, a black rock, a nera, a bluebelle, a sussex star and a copper black maran. All went well for several months with me faithfully shutting them up every night...........................and they had free range during the day in the back garden.
I came home from work one wednesday afternoon at 3.30pm to find 5 of the six strewn around the garden and a very traumatised but unhurt bluebelle on the top of the shed roof......the fox had killed and beheaded my gorgeous girls in broad daylight.
I was then completely beside myself and ready to rehome the bluebelle once she had recovered as I just felt absolutely defeated......luckily my husband went out and bought me a skyline to prevent me from giving up, and I now dont let my precious girls out in the garden unless I am home and around -the girls have got very used to me shooing them back in the run when I go out to the shops, they must feel like 'fiddlers elbows' (in and out all the time!)but at least they are safe.
Im now back up to five, with the 6th and 7th arriving in the next few weeks!
I will not be beaten again! :tongue2:
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I would be making a cage trap if i had such an unwelcome visitor. It will be back without a doubt.
A pest controller with a .22 would be better if you can put up with a strange man sitting on the bottom of the bed every night for a week. :)
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While at my lottie today at dinner time i saw several fox`s wandering around without a care in the world :blink: certainly not shy these days the old fox ???
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If you can protect them with an electric net I've found this to be effective. It's a good idea to bait the net with a strip of bacon wrapped round it. I also have auto door openers and closers for my 4 houses which also switches the net on when the house is open and off when the doors are shut.
HF
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My friend was saying the other day that she forgot to lock up her girls and had to get out of bed and go out at about 1.00 am to lock them in. The first time you forget is when the fox calls :( it's very traumatic and I feel for you I really do :(
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Heavens above, what a nightmare.
When I first got my girls I was paranoid about foxes (thanks to this site!), so went to town on defenses, result is that my girls can't free range in the garden, which really bothers me as they are ex batts. But tales such as this just convince me that what I've done is the best for them.
We are rural and hear foxes all the time.
So sorry for all your losses.
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Heavens above, what a nightmare.
When I first got my girls I was paranoid about foxes (thanks to this site!), so went to town on defenses, result is that my girls can't free range in the garden, which really bothers me as they are ex batts. But tales such as this just convince me that what I've done is the best for them.
We are rural and hear foxes all the time.
So sorry for all your losses.
So sorry too, it's always so distressing when a moments loss of vigilence results in tragidy.
I think you've put your finger on something there flowerpower. We're also in a rural location and although we know we are surrounded by foxes we rarely see them in the day and they usually give people a wide berth. If they see us they usually disappear into a hedge. We've only ever lost 2 chx to a fox and that was when we used to allow them to free range in the fields next to their run with no protecting net or fences. Since then they've been behind a 1.2m electric net with no problems. I've even occasionally forgotten to lock their houses or given it a miss when we've been out for the evening with no losses though I wouldn't recommend it. I have auto door control now so this doesn't happen. The more wary nature of rural foxes and the availability of so much wild prey such as rabbits, mice & voles, wood pidgeon and pheasants I believe spares our chx.
The last line of defence is the fox deterant I spray around their net after a night at the pub.
Best of luck and for the future plan a fool proof system which doesn't depend on unerring human vigilence as one day as sure as eggs is eggs you'll forget or be unable to see to them. We all do it.
HF
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I am so sorry for your loss. What a nightmare.
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Ar tartuffe what a shame, bloomin Mr Fox they are needless killers arent they. I think we can all learn from your sad mistake though, my run is mr fox proof but I still wouldnt risk it . :(
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Well fancy meeting you here Nicky ;) Glad to hear that you have got some more chooks, the garden just isn't the same without when you are used to them. I have 6 copper black maran eggs (and 6 anconas) sitting in the incubator atm... Black Tans are taking over the universe!
Foxes are a blooming nuisance, I found fox poo by our hen house the other day, thankfully they were shut away and he didn't get too creative about getting in. It does make you think though.
ETA: its me mrs prizzybram (Rachael)