Sunday, June 23, 2013

Crazy Like a Fox

Maybe not crazy like a fox but more like craziness from the fox.
I have been in bit of a downer since we lost our last hen, the past week. We have had them picked off one by one for about three months.
In my mind, I felt it hard to complain when honestly I knew better. This isn't my first day around chickens and I totally understand what varmint they attract. 
We had a few things that me and the old man did not agree on and as a result we are now without chickens.
I initially wanted to keep the chickens pinned up. 
That was a little bit of selfishness on my part as am an avid barefooter. Now I am an avid 
flip-flopper. I also like to think I can have a little garden spot. 
Now a little garden spot has to be fenced in. 
but...
Mostly, I remember what a fight it was to keep creatures of all kind from killing them.
When I was growing up, Daddy bought about a hundred through mail order. They had a large coop and a large, too large pen. Daddy had worked on covering the top but never quite got that completed. A lot of difference was the fact that there was quite a few rooster(too many).
Roosters aim to take care of their hens. We also had several good old country dogs.
 With all that there was still one or two that would get picked off along the way.
~~
Once we started turning our girls out they were very pleasant to have scratching and pecking around.



 but they did not have a rooster and we had become without a dog some time back. 
So the poor  girls where defenseless.










Nothing is so sad as looking at a coop with no hens.
I should have set some traps when we lost the first hen.





I was thinking possum or raccoon. 
There is no shortage of those around here either but instead we have foxes.
You see her looking at me looking at her.
I was surprised how they weren't  scared of me and Jack 



and what about Shabby Cat?
She was quite bothered by them but they didn't pay her much mind at all.







When I thought it was just one and it went on into the woods, 
I began to hear it call(that's what I say it was doing) the others in. 
She made a chirping barking sound and it was very similar to a bird. 
It had probably been out there doing this many times in the evening and 
I just mistakenly thought it was a bird.



It's eating something here but we haven't had a hen in almost two weeks.
I think they have a stash they are coming back to.
We found some chicken feathers laying around that wasn't there before.

I'm thinking it's time to get another dog, a good outdoor dog. Maybe set some traps until then.
we had talked about getting some more chickens.
First, I think me and the old man better get handle on the situation.
~~
Thanks for stopping by and sharing in my woes of the day.
In all things ...
BE BLESSED  

6 comments:

  1. oh wow! I can't believe you got photographs of them! Something got my parents chickens, but they'd do it at night and my parents could never catch them. So glad to find your blog, new follower!

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    1. I can't believe I got them with the camera either. I'm no photographer. They got the first one or two at night but we started paying better attention to getting them in earlier and not taking them for granted; so instead they have started coming in earlier. I can't believe they have no fear of us. Thanks for visiting and following. Have a great week.

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  2. Oh my goodness! In 7 years of living on this farm, I have only seen 1 fox... they are so pretty, but so deadly with poultry! Arg. Raccoons were a problem with our meat chickens this year and I got all "annie, get your gun" on those rascals.

    Hope you figure out a plan of action soon!

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    1. I have lived most of my life on a farm and hadn't seen but one I can remember either. I do think it's because we always had the dogs outside. For sure, my husband is intending to remedy us of this situation or if it comes down to it me but we will have to bate them off from the back of the house since we have neighbors just over the hill. Thanks for dropping by for a visit. Hope your week is blessed.

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  3. why the cheeky lil bugger.....just standing there posing pretty.
    I can't believe you captured that. crazy indeed.

    my grandparents always had the chicken coop right beside where they kept the hounds chained up. those old dogs would raise a stink of an alarm as soon as any varmint got within smelling distance. what a racket some nights were: hounds barking, foxes chirping, coyotes howling....and the frenzied chickens clucking about. LOL

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  4. That's what I'm talking about. My brother has had hounds. I like them too. Yeah, we've got to get a dog soon.

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