|
|
Post by Polarengineer on Jan 21, 2023 16:34:47 GMT 1
I'm down to 3 hens now thanks to this little bugger.
|
|
JohnnyD
Member
Mayenne (53) When Covid allows..........Which isn't very often these days........
Posts: 1,911
|
Post by JohnnyD on Jan 21, 2023 17:00:33 GMT 1
Oh dear........do you lock them up at night?
|
|
|
|
Post by mysty on Jan 21, 2023 17:13:34 GMT 1
You cannot lay all the blame on the fox we all have to eat.  |
|
|
|
Post by houpla on Jan 21, 2023 18:00:04 GMT 1
So sorry, PE. Are your surviving girls alright? Mine will never quite get over seeing most of their mates égorged by a marten and then one decapitated by a buzzard. If the fox made off with yours, perhaps at least they were spared some trauma?
|
|
exile
Member
Massif Central
Posts: 2,559
|
Post by exile on Jan 21, 2023 18:07:44 GMT 1
Foxes have a nasty habit of killing several chickens but only leaving with one. Presumably leaving the others to mature.
|
|
|
|
Post by Polarengineer on Jan 21, 2023 18:30:21 GMT 1
Aah, what you do not realise is that the bugger in the vid is on the night shift. The day shift is the deadly one. I had 15 chickens and the first raid wiped out 4, two days later at 2 pm, he grabbed many others while I was staring him in the face, not at all scared of me, my shouting and stone throwing. The last raid, also about mid afternoon, he took down 3, but I was quicker and chased him off. The three stiff legged chooks laying prone and still, suddenly got up and headed indoors. All injured, but not fately. He hasn't done the day run again yet, but the chooks won't come out at all. Meantime, no eggs.
|
|
|
|
Post by houpla on Jan 21, 2023 19:15:33 GMT 1
Be prepared to find more casualties due to shock  Are you on good terms with your local hunt? They'll probably organise a battue if you ask. |
|
|
|
Post by cernunnos on Jan 21, 2023 19:31:36 GMT 1
Aah, what you do not realise is that the bugger in the vid is on the night shift. The day shift is the deadly one. I had 15 chickens and the first raid wiped out 4, two days later at 2 pm, he grabbed many others while I was staring him in the face, not at all scared of me, my shouting and stone throwing. The last raid, also about mid afternoon, he took down 3, but I was quicker and chased him off. The three stiff legged chooks laying prone and still, suddenly got up and headed indoors. All injured, but not fately. He hasn't done the day run again yet, but the chooks won't come out at all. Meantime, no eggs. Weird that , if the chickens are well protected , then the fox/or whatever won't be able to get in and kill them ?
We only have 6 chickens , but for years. |
|
|
|
Post by houpla on Jan 21, 2023 22:33:43 GMT 1
With respect, that's cobblers, cernunnos. My girls are in a fenced parc with a supposedly vermin-proof poulailler but after many years of no problem at all, they've been attacked by a neighbour's hunting dogs that jumped the 1.5m fence (twice), a marten that got in through a 2.5cm hole, a fox that jumped in when one of the girls left it too late to get in the hut one night (OK..that was my fault!) and finally a buzzard that just swooped out of nowhere and beheaded Oven-Ready, my poule handicapée.
Just as PE has experienced, I was in the parc with them in broad daylight when the marten came back for more.....
So let's not get all smug and complacent, hein? Eventually some hungry, desperate predator will decide that your set-up leaves something to be desired!
|
|
|
|
Post by pcpa on Jan 21, 2023 22:58:50 GMT 1
he grabbed many others while I was staring him in the face, not at all scared of me He is taunting you and he even knows the camera is there, he laid a cable right in front of it! You could have warned us that that was all the action to be seen or cut down the recorded length, I watched another 2 minutes of nothing at all hoping for some chicken action  |
|
|
|
Post by houpla on Jan 21, 2023 23:17:08 GMT 1
To quote Aardvark, 'Ghoul'....  |
|
|
|
Post by Polarengineer on Jan 22, 2023 5:23:35 GMT 1
Sorry about not editing the video, I'm new to this youtube lark.
Bye the way, in the past I too have lost many chooks to martens and buzzards. Being on the edge of the forest does not help. My next chicken run will have a 2 m high fence, a low wall sunk partly into the ground and a wire roof over the whole plot.
The last fox raid was when I also lost one duck who could not get in the pond as it was iced over. She flew off and never came back. Two days later the other duck gave up waiting for her and flew off as well. So no ducks no eggs. A redesign of the whole setup is required.
|
|
|
|
Post by cernunnos on Jan 22, 2023 10:55:08 GMT 1
With respect, that's cobblers, cernunnos. My girls are in a fenced parc with a supposedly vermin-proof poulailler but after many years of no problem at all, they've been attacked by a neighbour's hunting dogs that jumped the 1.5m fence (twice), a marten that got in through a 2.5cm hole, a fox that jumped in when one of the girls left it too late to get in the hut one night (OK.. that was my fault!) and finally a buzzard that just swooped out of nowhere and beheaded Oven-Ready, my poule handicapée. Just as PE has experienced, I was in the parc with them in broad daylight when the marten came back for more..... So let's not get all smug and complacent, hein? Eventually some hungry, desperate predator will decide that your set-up leaves something to be desired! We have all of the above except for the hunting dogs, non-chasse us . The buzzard problem was solved by planting buddleia in the pen , shade and protection from raptors. The fox walks around the run and the marten looks down from the rafters .
We have a lovely French cobbler , so will take that as a compliment . |
|
|
|
Post by mangetout on Jan 22, 2023 12:37:15 GMT 1
Do hens lay in this cold?
|
|
|
|
Post by houpla on Jan 22, 2023 12:45:54 GMT 1
They do as long as they're not moulting or suffering from shock. Oddly, they seemed more prone to going off lay during the heatwaves last summer, but that can be linked to a red mite infestation.
|
|
Are you on good terms with your local hunt? They'll probably organise a battue if you ask.
