Tweety- Those chicks look very tame and sweet, I bet they will grow up to be big, pesky love bugs!
Our day started out rough today. The mail lady stopped by at 10 with a package that was my new used saddle for my walking horse mare and I unpacked it and hung it on the porch railing. DH came downstairs and I said "Oh, come out and see the saddle, it just came in the mail." He said he wanted to get a cup of coffee first and I said just come out real quick and look at it and then grab a cup of coffee. Well, thank heavens we went out to look at the saddle. We were looking at it on the railing and I heard the geese start carrying on in the back pasture so I looked up a coyote was jumping around on top of my gander!!!! So I start screaming and run down the stairs, grab a shovel, kick my slippers off and start running as fast as my legs can carry me through the wet muck with DH in hot pursuit. So I am yelling at the top of my lungs which scares the coyote who grabs the gander by the neck and starts dragging him up the hill. Fortunately he got to the back fence line and couldn't get through the fence with the gander in his mouth so he panicked and dropped him and poor Sebastian comes running as fast as his big orange feet could carry him right into my arms. DH scared the coyote away who was still trying to decide if he should come back after his goose dinner.
Poor boy had a punctured air sac so we called all around looking for a vet that would see him and Town and Country Animal Hospital in Louisburg (who is our horses veterinarian) said they could see him so we packed him and Sybil his goose up in the back of the jeep and he got some sutures and pain meds and antibiotics and is home recovering. They took wonderful care of him at Town and Country and I am so glad he is going to be ok. Guess we are in the market for a gun now and this coyote better not come back. The geese are in a pen with electric fence but I let them free range when we are home but I don't let them out til mid morning to avoid any nocturnal predators that might be winding down for the day.
If anyone has info on livestock guardian dogs we are thinking that might not be a bad idea. We have talked about using portable electric pens to free range the birds but I am worried that may not be practical and a dog might be a better investment.
A big, big thank you to Renee for getting back to us so quick because I knew she had a great chicken vet in Lawrence but couldn't remember their name.
Coyote, not cool. FYI, I am a hunter, have gun, will travel.