The Poultry Keeper

nigel · Posted: Sat Jul 05, 2008 5:00 am Post subject: Fox

sometime between eight and ten last night, and in daylight damn it a fox got into my goose pen. At least I'm assuming it was a fox. He managed to kill three of my ten Skånegås. My two biggest ganders and one of my geese.

It must have been a terrible fight, Basil my dominant male was around 25lb of goose and his wing tips were just a bloody mess where he had been trying to fight off whatever it was. It also killed another big male Whitestripe and dragged the goose into the hedge we found the carcass just missing a head.

I feel so bad, looking at the evidence there was one god awful fight and I didn't hear a thing. The seven remaining are just wandering round kind of lost and dazed not sure what to do, they are lost without dear old Basil,

You were a big gruff old bugger, but so gentle and I miss you Basil

Sylvia · Posted: Sat Jul 05, 2008 7:07 am Post subject:

Oh Nigel, so sorry to hear about Basil must have been a horrible thing to find, can almost see the tears in your post.

RIP Basil and I hope your flock soon settle.

Sylvia

milkmaid · Joined: 19 Apr 2005 Posts: 7367 Location: isle of lewis

nigel i'm sorry
Crying or Very sad

(((((hug)))))

jaydee67 · Posted: Sat Jul 05, 2008 9:11 am Post subject:

What a horrible thing to find! I'm sorry Nigel!

mojo · Posted: Sat Jul 05, 2008 9:43 am Post subject:

HI Nigel sp sorry about your loses..........silly question......do you have wolverines near you?? as am told they tend to bite heads off as they go for thoats and are are so strong they cut heads off ............also did the carcass smell foxy?.............get the traps set for tonight /and/or the rifle as if its a fox it will possibly return to carry on attacks

nigel · Posted: Sat Jul 05, 2008 10:21 am Post subject:

the carcasses didn't smell foxy at all. When a fox got one of our growers last year - you could smell that.

I don't know if we have wolverines this far south, could a wolverine drag a 15lb goose 100m? I'll do some googling on wolverines.

CP · Posted: Sat Jul 05, 2008 12:11 pm Post subject:

So sorry Nigel. Crying or Very sad

Did a Google myself & found this.

In Sweden, wolverines are restricted to remote areas in the northwest (Pasitschniak-Arts and Larivière 1995). The numbers appear to be increasing; however, the distribution is very irregular (Bjärvall 1982).

and -

http://library.thinkquest.org/3500/Wolverine.html

and -

http://www.naturetravels.co.uk/wildlife.htm

But no doubt you've found some info that will help identify what attacked them. Mad

What about a lynx?

Pekinout · Joined: 29 Apr 2008 Posts: 1185 Location: Cornwall

Thats really terrible, I'm really sorry to hear of the carnage.

Do you not keep your geese in locked sheds at night?

Woodburner · Posted: Sat Jul 05, 2008 1:53 pm Post subject:

EGirl · Joined: 01 Nov 2007 Posts: 1271 Location: Dublin, Ireland

So so sorry Nigel. Poor Basil.... crybaby

nigel · Posted: Sat Jul 05, 2008 4:15 pm Post subject:

It's not likely to be wolverine we're too far south. Same story for lynx though we get very occasional reports they've been seen locally but no one believes them. It's either fox or one of my near neighbours dogs...

if I ever see either it's bang bang I'm afraid.

Gilly C · Joined: 22 Jun 2006 Posts: 2620 Location: South Cumbria

so sorry Nigel (((Hugs))) it is something I dread as we have lots of foxes and badgers around us

Pekinout · Joined: 29 Apr 2008 Posts: 1185 Location: Cornwall

I do apologise I didnt read it said in the daytime.

Have you thought about getting a Llama? They protect sheep and chicken quite well and fend off foxes. They wouldn't be much good against lynx though.

Hope you shoot the culprit whatever it is.

Pekinout · Joined: 29 Apr 2008 Posts: 1185 Location: Cornwall

I assumed between 8 and 10pm it would be night, but forgot daylight hours are longer in Sweden.

stephen · Posted: Sat Jul 05, 2008 5:54 pm Post subject:

Yeah, it's still quite light at 2am in the morning at the moment.