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Sunday, September 18, 2011

All gone

OK, So I have been away all week for work. Mr Duck gets 10/10 for looking after the tomato seedlings and 1/10 for looking after the chooks.

My poor darlings. Their cage door wasn't locked one night and a fox got them all. Except the big fella. Who is is deep shock.......propped up on pillows being fed through a syringe.....

Poor Winky
Poor Camila
Poor Victoria
Poor Paris
Poor Dipsy

and poor Big Fella.


(heehee, I suspect that big fat rotund faverolle was too heavy for the fox! Score one for the fat arsed big bottomed girls!

13 comments:

dixiebelle said...

Oh my, that is awful. Hope the last one pulls through OK...

Is it just that I am noticing it more now we are about to get our own chickens, or are there more cases of fox attacks in suburbia?

The Duck Herder said...

Hi Dixiebelle - This time of year I think it is a bit more common - the foxes are hungry! On the one hand, statistically there are more foxes per square km in Canberra than there are in the bush....on the other, we are lucky because they tend to only grab chookies during the night.....as opposed to any time during the day in the country....which at least means you can let the girls safely free range during the day and just lock them up at night. Most of my friends who live out of town loose their chooks to foxes during the day.....and this was certainly my experience on the little farm I grew up on ......

:-(

Unknown said...

Oh Duckie - so sorry for you! We're away for the weekend and I worry so much about my girls - I'm thinking of installing chook cam!

Hope your other little girl pulls through. My sole survivor from a similar attack a couple of years ago went on to have a couple of very good years,and it turned her in to a tough little number who really stood up for herself.

Feeling for you - lots of hugs
Greenie x

dr momi said...

So sorry to hear this. I left the chicken coop door open a couple nights ago. ---I was just lucky. I know we have a fox that makes regular rounds.

Anonymous said...

Boo. Poor girls - I know last time we had a fox cleanout the only one left alive was my big Orpington and I don't think she ever got over the shock. Foxes are so devious!

Unknown said...

so sorry to hear this! Hope you are ok and that the fox gets whats comin to him.

Linda Woodrow said...

1/10?

Jane said...

so sorry to hear about the fate of your chooks. Fortunately we don't have anything to really threaten our 'girls', but i can imagine how devastated i would be. Hope the big fella survives. Jx

Valley View said...

In October you have all the vixens start having litters, the dog-foxes do the hunting for a couple of weeks. The period of increased hunting activtiy lasts about a month. There is about a months break before the vixens start teaching the cubs to hunt - you'll notice the number of chook attacks again increases as they are good to learn on.

The cook is getting some Plymoth Rock hens next weekend to join with our rooster - she can incubate you some more Chooks if you would like.

I didn't tell you this morning - but on my way in I saw a white goose walking down the edge of the road between Williamsdale and Royalla -I wonder where it was going?

cheers

BVVF

Queen of the Tea Cosies said...

oh dear oh dear oh dear
That is terrible.

Poor poor chooks.
Lucky lucky fox.
unhappy unhappy you.

You have been lost to me since I revamped my web/blog business and now I have just found you again to see what happens when one leaves for a bit.

Hello again
Loani

The Duck Herder said...

Oh, thank you so much all my lovely dear sweet gorgeous bloggy friends. Poor Big Fella expired this morning. I am chookless! (But not duckless - oh NO, never that)

And THANKYOU MR BVVF - I would like that very much. I will tend to my garden a little, and repair all my over scratched garden beds and then take you and the cook right up on that offer!

Thanks guys. I really appreciate it.

:-)

Jacqueline said...

oh no, that's just too awful. I'm so sorry Duckie and sorry to be so far behind, my head is firmly wedged up my arse writing my thesis. Poor chooks. I have a broodie or two if you'd like some spring chicks hatched (hope that's not insensitive) Jacqui

Melinda said...

I'm so sorry to hear this Ducky. how awful for you. We lost one and had one injured before Easter this year, and had a fox in the yard in broad daylight only a few weeks ago.

Our girls are now well and truly locked up unless we are able to be outside and supervise them.