The Poultry Keeper

LisaLou · Joined: 10 Sep 2005 Posts: 109 Location: Herts

I'm so sad to have to post this. I've not been around much recently due to pressures of work. I've been enjoying my girls so much and had recently got hold of another coop and wire etc to extend the run.

The girls have been in the run a lot during the week recently as I was worried about something happening to them while I was out at work.

On Friday morning my little boy called me into his room because he could see something white hanging from the fence in the run. I knew straight away that something had happened to the girls so I threw some clothes on and ran down the garden to see what had happened.

A fox had been in the run overnight and had killed all 4 of my wonderful girls.

Pheobe, my white chook was hanging from the fence. At first, I couldn't see the other three and assumed that the fox had taken them but eventually realised that they were still in the run but were so covered in mud and straw that they just looked like piles of mud.

I have no idea how the fox got in. I have checked the fence and there are no holes. There is no sign of digging around the outside of the run. I can only assume that it squeezed in over the top of the gate between the netting and top of the fence. It's a gap of about 20cm square and was held tight against the frame of the run with a bamboo pole. The pole was on the floor and I know I didn't leave it like that when I shut the girls up on Thursday night.

The fox managed to force the door to the coop open and there are muddy paw prints and scratches all over the roof.

I thought I had done everything to stop this happening. I followed all the rules making the fence really secure and digging it well into the ground, a sturdy lockable door on the coop, mesh over the top of the coop and run. I have two dogs and I thought that them marking the territory round the garden would help.

Summayah - I am so sorry. I have agonised over posting this because I know how much your girls meant to you but I felt it was important that you know what has happened and that I have let you down. I can't tell you how sorry I am. I'm sure that your girls had a really good life with me before this. They were loved and wanted so much. I loved the short time I had with them.

CP · Posted: Tue Feb 28, 2006 2:03 am Post subject:

So sorry to hear your sad news LisaLou. All you can do is your best to protect them from a fox attack. It is a bad time of the year because they have cubs to feed at the moment.

Really really sorry. (((hugs))) from me & AR
and to summayah (((hugs))) as we know how much you missed them.

madslg · Joined: 16 Nov 2005 Posts: 298 Location: Farnham

I really sympathise.... Crying or Very sad

Been there myself recently as you may know....

Aussie Chick · Posted: Tue Feb 28, 2006 7:53 am Post subject:

aaaaawwwwwww.........Really sorry to read this LisaLou and Summayah.....(((((hugs)))))

George · Joined: 14 Apr 2005 Posts: 5661 Location: London

I'm really sorry for you both, as CP says, this time of year when they have cubs to feed they will exploit any weakness

Sad

jooles · Posted: Tue Feb 28, 2006 9:42 am Post subject:

Ohh! What a dreadful thing to have happened. You have all my sympathy.

(((hugs))) to both Lisa and Summayah.

LisaLou · Joined: 10 Sep 2005 Posts: 109 Location: Herts

Thank you all.

What I don't understand is why the fox didn't take any of the girls away? I could have almost understood what happened if it was doing it to get food?

George · Joined: 14 Apr 2005 Posts: 5661 Location: London

They get into a killing frenzy and kill everything, then perhaps it got disturbed and did a runner without taking anything

LisaLou · Joined: 10 Sep 2005 Posts: 109 Location: Herts

I suppose so but it's just so mindless and violent.

I'm just so unbelievably sad. I'm not sleeping very well either, every time I close my eyes I get an image of what it looked like in the run when I went down to see what had happened on Friday morning. It's horrible.

CP · Posted: Tue Feb 28, 2006 10:04 am Post subject:

LisaLou · Joined: 10 Sep 2005 Posts: 109 Location: Herts

Oh that's the worst part. She was my favourite, she was a pretty feisty bird and I just know she would have put up a really good fight.

It's horrible horrible horrible and I wish I could stop thinking about it. Sad

CP · Posted: Tue Feb 28, 2006 10:26 am Post subject:

There have been several on here who have had the same thing happen recently. It's really awful & I do sympathize with all of you. Crying or Very sad

I've not had one myself but have witnessed the aftermath of a fox attack on a friends flock. It is just horrible & seemingly senseless.

I had a really good look round our own defences this morning. It really worries me & I'm constantly discussing with AR if there's anything else we should be doing.

I posted on another thread several weeks ago that we use several other deterrents. Hanging human hair in little bags, male wee around the perimeter fence, radio on in the coop, etc. But we do also have a 6' plus high fence, dug in round the bottom & floppy at the top, a bolt on the pop hole, but we aren't able to have an electric fence set up due to the nature of our run.

I think possibly the only good thing to come out of the AI situation will be better security for our birds as they will all be confined.

Issy · Joined: 22 Nov 2005 Posts: 371 Location: somerset

So sorry for both of you, what a horrid thing to happen. It sounds like you did your best but foxes are starving at this time of year and will take risks that they wouldn't normally.

jaydee67 · Posted: Tue Feb 28, 2006 12:04 pm Post subject:

(((hugs)))

thewinkingtiger · Joined: 31 Aug 2005 Posts: 936 Location: East Yorkshire, UK

That is SO So sad. I'm so sorry for you both.
LisaLou - it must have been horrific for you.

Love to you and Summayah

Debs