Grantham hen house massacre

[OliveOil]

Yep Mr and Mrs Fox and all their family by the looks of it had a whale of a time.

Took Friendly, Blonde, no name, Lucky, Mickey, Lady Di, 3 baby brahmas, another one with no name. 

Feathers everywhere, no sign of bodies but what a mess!

Did a quick head count and i still have 12 chooks but most of them are small and not my best egg layers!

[OliveOil]

[northener]

Oh sorry to hear that Olive. How did the others manage to get away?

[cambourne7]

eak not good.

[OliveOil]

I imagine the culprits were full after 8 birds... they seem fine the rest anyway... Will move them over the weekend and get the auto pop hole put on.

[Marymary]

OO that's terrible you must have been really upset - I know I would be.  How did they get in?  I shut mine up at dusk but often worry about foxes being on the prowl earlier.

Lost one of mine today, natural causes.  She was a 5 year old hybrid who laid an enormous egg virtually every day of her life.  Called Happy Chicken cos she was.

[teresa]

OO,
I am so sorry I know how you love your hens, :'(
be carefull now they know where to get a meal they might be back >:(

[Paulines7]

I am sorry to hear of your loss Olive Oil but do not think it is a fox.  Foxes tend to kill all of them and then take only one chicken.  I suppose if it was a dog fox with the vixen you could possibly have lost two.  I have never ever heard of ten being taken by foxes. 

Do you have a lock on your chicken shed?  It sounds to me that it could be human thieves. 

[northener]

I'd always been told that Pauline but last year a bloke on our site had all 20 or so took in one night. Just feathers all over, they had buried both chickens and eggs on various plots on the site, people were unearthing them throughout the year. Weird sly things.

[prink13]

OO - so sorry to hear this news, you and the kids must be very upset, it's just horrible.

Kathi

[OliveOil]

They came back for Winnie and Beattie - my parents are going to be really upset.. haven't toldthem yet but will have to today when i go down.

[Paulines7]

I am sorry to hear about Winnie and Beattie.   :(

I think you are going to have to make those left a lot more secure Olive Oil.  There are many predators that take chickens and these include stoats, weasels, minks, dogs, feral cats, badgers, polecats, birds of prey as well as foxes and humans. 

http://www.poultry.allotment.org.uk/Poultry/Free_Range_Poultry/Fencing_Pasture.php

[Heldi]

OO I'm really sorry to read about this. You must feel devastated to lose so many of your feathered friends.

[OliveOil]

Took over an hour to catch the last 2 remaining to put them in the other run with double fencing with the little hens... but they are there and safer now.

[Paulines7]

Oh, they are a b****r to catch aren't they unless you pick them up when they are roosting.   

Putting them in with the young ones is a good idea for not only will they be doubly secure but there is less chance of bullying as the older ones will not be in their own territory. 

[OliveOil]

hI Pauline... they are settled in the new place... Aggie has once again got her confidence back and is ruling the roost there so all back to normal... no eggs yet though! Although this weather doesnt help.

[Mr Smith]

OO, Im not to far away from you  and we all know the Fox problem can't really blame Reynard if he get to your chickens :)