On Monday I didn't want to get out of bed, it was warm, I was sleepy so it was half past seven before I was trekking across the road in my dressing gown to let my chickens out (one of the many peculiarities of my street is that the gardens are across the road from the house). I was stopped in my tracks however by the sight of a fox and chicken dodging round a car not 6 ft apart from each other. I chased the fox away and the chicken disappeared up the street. Feeling responsible I knocked up two of the neighbours but neither claimed ownership.
So I carried on seeing to my chickens, until I heard a chicken commotion from two gardens away. Clearly the fox had come back.Like the cavalry coming to save the day, I was in time to scare the fox into dropping the chicken that was in his mouth, and make him run away. There was a scattering of feathers all over the garden, but no bodies thank goodness. The chicken that had been in the fox's mouth was surprisingly perky, but I picked her up and shut her in an empty hen house along with another one and one that seemed very traumatised. I fetched them food and water but by then the traumatised one was stretched out on her side looking as if death was imminent and she did indeed die during the morning. During the day however 4 other chickens came out of hiding. Still Kevin's flock which had been in the region of 12-15 birds was down to 6.
As a result, all the chicken keepers in the street, decided to keep their birds shut up in their runs for the day instead of giving them the run of the garden as they usually do.This morning however, even that precaution wasn't enough, as the fox managed to leap to the top of Nicky's 7ft fence and then find a weak spot in the netting and actually get into her chicken run. Fortunately he was spotted before he had time to do more than terrify them. Her two new chickens, who were actually bleeding, have been put into secure confinement for the day, whilst her other three chickens have sought refuge in my run.
I tried to take a photo of them, but they seem to be in shock and are spending their time huddled under the floor of the hen house.
But whilst I was taking photos I thought you might like to see pictures of the chicks who are getting on for 10 weeks old now. Here is the Orpington who is now the size of a bantam,
And this is the Brahma who has the most ridiculous feathery legs and seems to be a bit of a slower developer than the Orpington.
Note I haven't given them names yet, I am really hoping that they are both female so that we can keep them. So far so good.
The ex battery hens are also looking much better.
One of them in particular had a bright red bald bottom when she arrived rather like a gibbon (or is it baboon?) but is now beginning to get a decent covering of feathers.
However, I don't think that my run is adequately fox proof. I partially roofed it last year, but the pvc panels gave way under the winter's snow and the rest of the roof is just netting, more aimed at keeping chickens in than foxes out. Sorting out the chicken run roof, was on my list of jobs to do before winter, so I don't mind that it has moved sharply up the priority list. I am going to strengthen it with more wood and then half of it will be pvc, to give the girls protection from the rain and snow of winter, and the other half will be covered in chicken wire. One of my chicken keeping neighbours has offered to pick me up 4 pieces of 8ft long timber when he goes to buy his own chicken run strengthening wood. Until that arrives, I thought I should cut back some of the forsythia which hangs over the run. I set out with the secateurs and cut enthusiastically,until I realised that the pile of branches was so large I had trapped myself into a corner.
Hmm.
Not to worry , we jungle veterans know that the only thing to do in these circumstances, is to cut a alternative path out, which I did.
Having done this immense pile of pruning (which is by no means finished)
is no bad thing as it will make it much easier to get that corner of the garden under control next spring. So it is an ill wind as they say.
Still I was glad when it started raining and I could honourably retreat inside to a cup of tea and the computer.
