Foxy Season!

[rick]

My neighbour saw a fox in the street yesterday and the bin bags had been rummaged through down the road for the first time I've noticed since last year. They'll be having their cubs soon and chicken dinner will do very nicely!

 

[bigyetiman]

A fox went round our lake in broad daylight yesterday pm and grabbed a Canada Goose which had wandered away from the others.
Hens are under house arrest much to their disgust as they assume if OH is around they are allowed out to roam

 

[rick]

Canada goose! Yum! I think its Mid June that the risk drops off to normal again. Foxes are beautiful and if they can nab a few wild water birds in good supply, well - enough to go around. Hopefully, our chooks and ducks are off the menu with a bit of caution and luck.

 

[bigyetiman]

Never eaten Canada Goose, but we do partake of the eggs. Our farm geese who live on the lake take to laying eggs here there and everywhere including in the Canada Goose nests, and on the manure heap ! The Canada Geese are much more tidy and professional about it.
Does make a nice omelette a goose egg

 

[Margaid]

'Nuff said!


https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-47551786

 

[bigyetiman]

Respect to those girls 08

 

[Sandrine]

Yes unfortunately for the first in all the years we have had chickens, a fox made it through to our garden in broad daylight around 2.30pm maybe 3pm and caught my Dusty (bantam pekin). Tiny (bantam ancona) flew away I think but she was nowhere to be seen so guessing she's probably got caught eventually too. Only 10 / 15 mins of not watching them roam in the garden and they were gone! Just like that... ?

 

[Marigold]

oh dear, so sorry, Sandrine. Poor Dusty and Tiny. Unfortunately, if there are foxes around with cubs to feed, you're not even safe when out in the garden with them - as some of the stories in this section relate, foxes will snatch a hen right from under the human's nose.

 

[bigyetiman]

So sorry to hear that Sandrine. We had a duck around our lake grabbed in broad daylight whilst OH was feeding the others on the island.
Our neighbour had hens grabbed the other day about 2.30pm. It grabbed two and several others literally died of fright in front of her.
A lot of them are so used to people now that even a human around is no deterrent for these cunning varmints.
We had a Peregrine grab a pigeon the other day and it dropped onto the grass near the chicken run and ate it, the hens quite cheerfully stood in a semi circle and watched the whole feast from start to finish !

 

[Marigold]

I wonder if they had scary dreams afterwards - like our dog does after watching David Attenborough programmes about lions, tigers, etc!