RIP chickens

[Julian]

I was on my way off to Pete's Airgun Farm this morning with my dad for a bit of target shooting when I got a call from Charlotte, currently in Wales.  She'd had a call from our next door neighbours - their eight-year-old heard a slight kerfuffle at about 6am which turned out to be foxes in our chicken run.  By the time our neighbours got to the window, the foxes were already on their way out. 

We've got one of these chicken houses (scroll down for "the Caldicote" and that's what we've got) and we paved the garden before putting it down so that foxes couldn't dig underneath.  It's taken them a year but they've found the one weak spot:  the nest box. 

The external door of the nest box is held on with two swivel fasteners, the idea being that this is easy access for egg collection.  Unfortunately, the foxes have learned to open these bolts (and they were quite stiff!)  Once they'd turned the fastener by 90^o, they were able to get the door out the way and into the hen house.  The chooks had no chance. 

All four decapitated, none of them taken away or eaten (although they had a nibble on Adela).  It wouldn't have made any difference if we'd been in: it looks like it was a fairly instant job.  I'm going to drop a line to Southmead Poultry and let them know that their fox-proof henhouse isn't urban-fox-proof.

It's illegal to shoot a fox with an air rifle, but 'kin hell, it's seriously tempting right now.   

[dasmoth]

 

[TimO]

I suspect that the foxes were disturbed, possibly by your neighbours, as I can't see them going to that effort just for the pleasure of killing the chickens.  Unfortunately this is what foxes will do, given the chance, however slight that chance is.

[Butterfly]

 
Sorry to hear that. Poor chickens.

[Adam]

 

Commiserations. I would have assumed a fox would try and get in by pushing through the netting to loosen it, so they're very cunning to have sussed out the fasteners on the nest box.

[Julian]

They tried pushing through the netting for a good few weeks before giving it up as a bad job, and that was last January.  They've also tried jumping up and down on the run to see if it gave in, which it didn't.  After the first few weeks and multiple attempts, they stopped coming round so I thought they'd given up - apparently not. 

[nicknack]

They were just regrouping and probably getting some useful advice from the wise old badger.

[bobb]

That's a shame. If you get some more, is there any way you can padlock the fasteners or something?

Oh - and sue Southmead Poultry!!

[Julian]

We don't actually use the nest box door to get at the eggs - it's easier just to open the lid.  So if we get some more, I'll bolt the door shut.

I don't think it's Southmead's fault.  Foxes round their way don't have bloody engineering qualifications.

[clarion]

[hellymedic]

 
Comiserations

[GruB]

Where in the law does it say it is illegal to shoot a fox with an air rifle?

[rogerzilla]

Wouldn't kill it though, just cause a lot of suffering.

My parents use an electric fence, which is effective as long as it's turned on.

[Martin109]

They've probably got a forum for foxes, yaff I expect, with section titles like 'The Knowledge' (how to get at those chooks), 'Vulnerabilities of Southmeand's 'Caldicot' Design for Beginners' etc etc

[Wowbagger]

That's really pissing off, Julian. Where was the Ealing Hunt when you needed it?

[Sergeant Pluck]

Sorry to read of this, Julian 

How are the quails taking it?

[Welsh Man]

 

Pity for chooks !!!!!!!!!!!

[Notsototalnewbie]

Really sorry to hear this guys 

[andrewc]

Sad news 

[hairyhippy]

Trap 'em and kill 'em.

[Charlotte]

Trap 'em and kill 'em.

Right now, my peaceful veggie principles are in serious danger of being compromised on just this front.

The current contenders for wreaking foxy DETH on the four legged perps is a laser-sighted compound bow or a trap and a length of four by two. Sadly, the former is also a bit illegal.

[Kathy]

This is very sad and sorry news, and I haz an extreme miserable on your behalf.

However, a poinging Kitty-Fert is wondering how you have disposed of the gibbley bits and whether we ought to have cleared freezer space?  

Fancy a curry this week?

(Plz to refer back to previous point of extreme sadness should this comment be considered Bad Taste).

[Mike J]

Sorry to hear this

[rower40]

Never underestimate the ingenuity of the animal kingdom.

I heard the story (a long time ago, so I may have got some details wrong) of a farmer who sued his neighbour, the then railway infrastructure owner BR, for the damage to his crops inflicted by the rabbits living in a railway embankment.

BR called in the pest control experts, who built a rabbit-proof fence.   This was buried to a depth of 18 inches, shaped like an inverted T so that any tunnelling would have to start 3 feet away from the fence, and 3 feet high.

The crop damage continued.

When the pest control experts came back, they actually saw a rabbit climbing the chicken-wire fence.  Which completely re-wrote the "what rabbits can and can't do" chapter of the pest control book.  "If I hadn't seen it with my own eyes, I wouldn't have believed it", stated the main fencing bloke.

V sorry to hear of the chickens' plight.  And for it to happen when you were both so far away.

[alexb]

As the owner of a dog that regularly climbs trees I can assure you that canines can and do have the capacity to be a good deal more surprising than you expect.

Commiserations.