Bad News First

Yeah, so lets just get this out of the way and move on. :(

What was it, Monday I think. I looked out into the back half of the property and saw a reddish yellowish lump in the back laying on the ground. Sigh...I got out the binoculars..yep..sure enough. It was a dead Red Star. The Red Stars are some of the new layers...hard losing one of them as they are laying full force right now. They are great egg layers.

I grab a jacket and shoes...out I go in my nightgown. Everyone was surprised to see me so early and several followed for a little bit. Halfway there they lost interest in my travels.

I got back there and the all the signs pointed towards a bird killing the chicken. When a bird kills they go for the breast meat...they tear out the intestines and they are strung out but not eaten. Sorry, didnt mean to get graphic, but that is how you usually find a chicken eaten by an owl or a hawk. There was so much of the meat gone, down to the bone, I had to wonder...what bird would eat SO much.

Well, it may have very well been a bird the first night, I don't know...but the second night...was devastating. There were no bodies left behind...just signs of a struggle and many many pulled out feathers...in three spots. THREE birds were taken in the night.

Faith is gone.

A yellow banded Silver Phoenix Rooster.

and

Another Red Star.

All in one night.

Then, to make matters even worse, when I went to uncover the pens to feed and water...I found one of my two white Serama hens dead.

Faith had been killed right behind their pen, so I am assuming she was frightened to death or frightened so badly from all the commotion she was running into the wire and broke her neck.

I was so sad, and then I got mad.

Mad drives me...at times it is a motivator. I got out screws, boards, tools. I went over to where Derbys old house siding lay...and I started seperating parts out and chunking them over the fencing. I pulled the truck around and loaded up all usable pieces...and I got to work.

I took those two frames that Ian built for me, put braces on the sides, then put two roosts in each frame. I pulled them to the back...set them side by side. I began pulling pieces of siding out of the truck...I began nailing and drilling and screwing in screws. I put sides on those frames...I put a roof on that house and covered it with tarp til I can find out where the heck Ian stashed my roll of tarpaper. It took all day, but I got a new house built. Every chicken was going inside an enclosure this night, and for every night to follow til I got my predator.

I mixed up my secret recipe and put it out by the fence line after dark. I caught ALL birds out of an enclosure and put them inside one or another. I was considerate enough to put roosters in certain ones that would get along.

I took the silkie trio out of the nest boxes and put them in a cage and on the porch for the night. I took Tiny, Chanteclear and Blue and they were in a box, in a cage, and Blue roosted on top of Bonnie and Clydes enclosure in the porch.

No free meals tonight. No sir.

Needless to say...since I worked all of Tuesday on this...I didnt get any birds washed...so..last night I got three washed and blow dried...that is for a seperate happier entry though...which is to follow this one.

I havent gotten anything to take the secret recipe yet...I am waiting til first light this morning...and will check again this morning.

For those that feel sorry for the predator. I realize the animal is just doing what it has to do to survive...but once any predator finds a food source..they WILL continue to come back, until the food source is GONE. Can't have it.