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Produce => Kept Animals => Topic started by: gunnerbee on May 24, 2008, 23:45:49

Title: Bloody fox had one of my hens
Post by: gunnerbee on May 24, 2008, 23:45:49
somehow got under the run without digging and pawed it out underneath, feathers everywhere, no chicken, the others huddled in the corner. not happy  :( :( :( :(
Title: Re: Bloody fox had one of my hens
Post by: betula on May 24, 2008, 23:54:51
Poor chicken
Title: Re: Bloody fox had one of my hens
Post by: Poet on May 25, 2008, 00:16:33
are you sure it was a fox?  mink, weasels etc can squeeze thru the smallest gaps and will kill and eat a chicken.

sorry for your loss and the poor chicken.
Title: Re: Bloody fox had one of my hens
Post by: northener on May 25, 2008, 07:54:09
Sorry to hear that. Sounds like a stoat, if it was a fox i'm sure it would have killed the lot. What time of day was it?
Title: Re: Bloody fox had one of my hens
Post by: cocopops on May 27, 2008, 18:43:49
On another thread I mentioned that we have just had our first hens.  Our neighbours (farmers), and a good friend who has amazed us with his knowledge of hens both gave us really good advice.

Our neighbour, Nadine, said an electric fence is a must, placed at about 8" above the ground.  Our friend, Malcolm, said that even a stoat or weasel will touch it's tail on the fence whilst trying to get under the mesh.  His other advice was to dig the mesh 4" into the ground.  He needed to go to see his parents, leaving the hens, and put the electric fence up before he left so less problems for his sister who is taking care of them.

Other friends lots 15 chicks and 2 hens to something similar last year, it is awful.

I hope you manage to solve the problem as it is so sad to loose a hen this way.