Fox buried neighbor's chicken in my garden this morning

[DaisyNoelle]

We caught this fox out yesterday in late morning with the last of the neighbor's (free ranging) chickens. Of their 10 babies from last summer they've lost all 10 to predators. It was too late to save the chicken, so we watched Mrs. Fox while she rested a while. After a bit of rest, or thinking, she picked up her meal and trotted off, but came back within a minute and went directly to my raised garden bed to dig a hole and carefully stuff the chicken in and cover it up.

What I am amazed at is that she seemed to realize that the soil in the raised bed was soft and diggable, which our normal soil around here is not - it is filled with rocks and quite hard to dig in. How did she know? Did the softer soil smell different? I was pretty clever of her.

She covered it up thoroughly although it isn't buried deeply. I'm really hoping she'll come back to retrieve her stored meal before I need to use that bed this spring!

 

[Tired old Rooster]

Nah. She just figured she would frame you for the murder and take the heat off her. Good thing you got evidence of her crime.

 

[aart]

How did she know? Did the softer soil smell different?

Could be she's been there before.....and the smell could be a factor for sure.

 

[FunClucks]

What else has she buried in your garden? You may never know... (LOL)

 

[Tired old Rooster]

What else has she buried in your garden? You may never know... (LOL)

Jimmy Hoffa's favorite rooster?

 

[Geena]

How did she know?

Animals are able figure these things out very quickly. The same way robins always prefer to dig for worms in my garden, the squirrel buries his walnuts there and #$&! neighbor's cats try to poop there.

 

[BlueBaby]

Since she hasn't figured out how to keep her flock safe, I sure hope that she doesn't try to get any more.

 

[Tired old Rooster]

Since she hasn't figured out how to keep her flock safe, I sure hope that she doesn't try to get any more.

Perhaps you could help her figure out something? Or is she the neighbor you avoid, or watch and laugh at?

 

[BlueBaby]

Perhaps you could help her figure out something? Or is she the neighbor you avoid, or watch and laugh at?

It's not my neighbor, but one of my neighbors did loose their whole flock to predators a couple of years ago. I refuse to sell her any of my chick's, as I feel like it would be giving them a death sentence and feeding the predators.

 

[centrarchid]

We have that go on here too. My dogs rob the caches at every opportunity. It is by robbing the caches my dogs come into possession of chickens from our neighbors nearly 1/2 mile away.