Fox Attack and Obituary

[Rachel96]

I am sad to report the loss of three birds last night due to a fox attack - the first in over a year. The fox broke in to the rooster's yard.

Bard (light barred Plymouth Rock), Domino (black and white Frizzle), and Wimpy (buff Frizzle) were lost.


Forensics (aka my mother and I), determined that Bard and Domino died valiently fighting the predator. Wimpy, true to character and name, attempted to run away and died of fright.

This is a particularly sad event as Bard and Domino were my two breeding birds. I doubt I will be able to find a suitable replacement for Domino. Wimpy, the Super Amazing Autism Therapy Chicken, was the friendliest rooster I have ever met, and his friends the children at my church and homeschooling group, and the autistic community, will feel his loss.

from Rachel.

 

[MEchickenfarmer33]

so sad

sorry for your losses . they sounded like great birds and they lived a good life

 

[mommissan]

So sorry.

 

[satay]

Oh Rachel, Sorry for your loss.

 

[satay]

Rachel if i was closer i would give you a couple of my frizzle roosters. Let me know if you would like some eggs once they are laying again and i'll send you some down.

 

[DHU3454198]

Sorry how do you know it was a fox? Yesterday something bit one of my 6 week babies head 1/2 off and she must of ran in her house and died and her 3 pals have vanished ..The rooster and the 4 big girls BIG are all fine .no one is talking ....this was in the day time while we were at graduation for a few hours.. What did this!!

 

[Rachel96]

I don't know that it was a fox but to be honest it's the only predator around here that could do that sort of work. I don't imagine a koala bothering and they're vegetarian anyway, I've never heard of a kangaroo killing chickens, and bandicoots, possums, and rabbits are too small. Foxes are pretty common around here, although not so much in this weather. We had quite a few fox attacks last year, and so have other people we know - sometimes the foxes even come during the day with the people right there! I've never had that happen, though, only at night. At any rate, does it matter what did it-- they're dead now all the same.

 

[Jaxon4141]

Sorry you had to lose such valuable birds. How come you didn't have these birds in a secure location?

 

[Rachel96]

I thought it was! There was a 1.5m metal fence into the ground on one side, 1.5m wire fences into the ground on two more sides, and a 1.8m wire fence into the ground on the other side, with wire across the top. I'd checked it several times to make sure that there were no gaps in the fences, ground, or top where a fox could get in. Luckily this means I do know exactly where the fox DID get in - the wire's been ripped and bent in one corner.

At least I have the comfort of knowing that this was the least secure location my birds are kept. My father likes building makeshift enclosures on various sections of our property, so that the chickens can clear the overgrown plants ready for it to be turned into a productive area of the garden. He usually moves his own birds around like this - this was the first (and LAST) time he has managed to convince me to put my own birds in one of his enclosures.

Usually the roosters would be in with their girls, with a very secure night-time coop, but I have a lot of point-of-lay pullets at the moment and I've been told by a couple of people that pullets are less likely to start laying if they've got a rooster continually trying to mate with them, so I moved the roosters out. Luckily they all got on all right... or unluckily, considering that I'd have only lost one if they'd been in seperate coops.

 

[Rachel96]

By the way, they probably weren't all that valuable. I breed birds for my own use and that of my friends' -- my roosters, Domino and Wimpy at least, were probably nothing approaching purebred-ness, and their children definately aren't!

There was a fair bit of sentimental value attached. Domino and Wimpy I'd had for a while, and since I got them at about 18 weeks, and Bard was the youngest, only about 28 weeks now. I had high hopes for him. Apart from Domino, who was a little proud and standoffish, the three roosters were all quite friendly and like to be held. I've heard so many stories about nasty, mean, flighty roosters that I'm a little worried I won't be able to get such friendly boys again.