About Me

My photo
I am a 42 year old woman that is about as happy and content as one person can be. My husband of 21 years and our 15 year old daughter live on five and a half acres out in the country. We moved from the city four years ago and never looked back. I homeschool our daughter. We also love our animals. Our daughter has a miniature horse and two rabbits. We also have a border collie, two cats (again), two pot belly pigs, four peafowl, three emus, 2 llamas and an undetermined number of chickens, lets just say ohhh about 200. I have many breeds, from layers to fancy chickens. I love poultry shows, I love fowl in general as I have come to find out through having more than just chickens. Chickens will always be my first love though. I do show some of my birds occasionally.

Thursday, June 5, 2008

Update On Fox Situation

It has been two days since the fox (or foxes probably) have made a kill here. I bet they are wondering as they sit staring out from the wheat fields cover with their beady eyes where all the meals on legs went to.

We are in operation LOCKDOWN here on our little plot of paradise.

I really hated to do it to them. I mean, what is the since in being a chicken if you can't free range? Cooped up with all your friends, and maybe some that are not your friends. All day, staring out at the green green grass.

It is for their own good. As their owner I must do what I feel is best for them. Right now everyone has to stay safe. I cannot watch out there all the time. I do have other things I need to be doing.

They express their displeasure over the development. Lots of whining and crying. I tell them to go ahead, they have every right to whine and cry, but I have to do what I have to do, even if they don't understand why.

I got out the huge heavy roll of this really strong netting given to me by the neighbor. It stretches like you wouldn't believe. I keep a lot of the baling twine from the hay I buy. You never know when it will come in handy. This day it did. I got the roll going across the chicken pen floor. (This is the main pen, the dog pen that was there when we moved here) It is big enough to keep everyone comfortabley without them bumping into each other constantly. I began to cut off strips of the baling twine and tie the netting to the top of the chain link fence. It took until dark, but I got it completely covered. Bell, Gabby, and a Red Star escaped from this enclosure the next day. I wrangled them up and put them back. I hadn't had a chance to staple the netting to the backside of the garage yet, so they figured a way out yesterday. Not so today though. I got out there this morning and got the job finished.

You may be wondering what ever happened to the carcass I doctored and threw back over the fence just where the fox was trying to pull it through the fence. Well, its unfortunately still there. I must have missed my window of opportunity when the fox came back for it while Shelby was watching while I doctored the carcass. Fox can be carrion eaters though. I imagine they might get pretty desperate here soon. Two days now, and no meals for the kiddies, much less themselves. Maybe they will take it soon.

With everyone in pens I have to go out before everyone wakes up good and get fresh food and water for them. I don't want them lurking at the gate trying to get out as I get them taken care of.

Not to mention the heat, it has been something else here. We are having August weather in June this year here. The highs have reached the nineties every day and the heat index has been over a hundred every day. So I am happy to get out there early and tend everyone.

You ever have one of these types things happen? I took part of the morning and cleaned out the three Serama cages. I also moved them to a better location. I had fresh shavings in there, scrubbed out water dishes. Fresh food in their dishes. I had lined them up together and put a nicely fitted tarp over the top of them to shade them from the daytime hot sun. So nice and clean.

Someone forgot to turn off the hose when they were done with it this morning. Yeah, that would be me. Oops. I use a nozzle so I don't waste water. The pressure built up with no release blistered out a weak spot in the hose. I had gone in to do indoor chores for the day. I look out about thirty minutes ago...and found the house had burst. It couldnt burst out the side and spray anywhere but...you guessed it...

on those three cages. The tarp? Oh it was blown off by the increasing wind! Another time of me getting sidetracked I had not fastened the tarp down to the cages before going in.

So now I had uncovered chickens, wet chickens, wet pens, wet food, wet pine shavings.

SIGH...

Well at least its sunny and dry today. It will dry out the shavings in no time, even if they are covered. Had to replace the food though.

All in all, because they had been uncovered and were in the sun I guess it was good??? that the hose burst there, to keep them cool til my silly self got back out there to see what had happened. ;)

I have been less stressed since everyone is penned. I am not worrying myself all day, peeking out windows and opening doors to look out here and there throughout the day. I know they are all safe.

The eggs won't be as rich because they are not free ranging and eating grass and bugs, but it is better than no chickens left at all to give me eggs.

It won't be this way forever. Everyone will just have to be patient and wait it out. Eventually the fox will get desperate and take the bait. It won't have any other choice if it wants to eat here.

Time for me to get up from here and do some things. Laundry waits for no one. ;) I got a grocery list to make out also. Y'all have a good afternoon. I will see about getting some pictures of the poor pitiful souls locked away for their own good to post here soon. Not right now, its blue blazin' hot out there.

Mama used to say, " Its hotter n' three hells out there today!" I have caught myself saying that now.

Mama gets hot real easy. She doesnt like to get hot at all. ;)

 

10 comments:

Anonymous said...

Oh Kelly, this is so hard on you.  Try to take as good care of yourself as you do the animals!

Anonymous said...

Oh man I would DIE in that heat!  It's 60 here and I'm loving it!  It's raining but at least it's not hot.  I would rather have snow then 90 degrees!  UGH!  your poor chickens in that heat!  lol  Doesn't reach mid 90's here often but it does happen!  I do remember it hitting 98 degrees once and I didn't step foot outside that entire day! lol  

Anonymous said...

I hope you soon get those critters so you can once again let your chicks out to do as they please. Sorry that happened to the water hose so that made more work for you. I hope the emus and goats are safe also. If they were to gang up on them they could destroy them. Helen

Anonymous said...

hoping the foxes are gone for good

Becky

Anonymous said...

You are doing the smart thing.  That story made me smile about forgetting.  I have my 'senior' moments too. I really hate having to do the same thing twice. I used to call them blonde moments which is ridiculous since I've always had black hair.

Come on fox, just a little bite.  Take the whole thing back to the den if you wanna.

XOXO
Nelishia
http://journals.aol.com/nelishianatl/Prayingandbelieving/



Anonymous said...

You're so funny. Man I wish that fox would go on already and eat the damn thing. I know you hate to lock everyone up, but like you said you don't wanna see anymore die. It's gotten really hot here too.. overnight. We were running heat one day and the A/C the next.
Take care and Hugs, Chrissie

Anonymous said...

Its hotter the what your mama says here too and a hot dry wind blowing hard yesterday and today. Drying out everything even more. Bet the fox can't wait much longer. Paula

Anonymous said...

Kelly I hope "Operation Lockdown" will soon be over and you catch the fox one way or another ~  I hope they take that carcass and you can let your chicks out to free range ~ Ally x

Anonymous said...

As Nelishia said, senior moments....I've been walking away from the sink more and more with the water left running. I can't hear it so I forget I turned the damn thing on...

Hope the Fox situations clears itself up soon. As for heat...Pickles is utterly miserable. She hates the sound of the fans and can't be outside for long with her blk fur or she literally roast. So she sulks and pouts under my computer waiting for it to cool down. (Hugs) Indigo

Anonymous said...

I know our "kids" don't understand why we do what we do but that is our job as their keepers.  They won't realize how long it is and will be just soooo happy to once again roam free.  Maybe the fox found another place to get her meal and won't bother coming back.  Baling twine is my best friend...next to duct tape of course!!  :)
xxx
Lisa

Followers