So the chickens were out, as usual, and the boy and I went out to run a quick errand. We came home half an hour later and as the car pulled up to the house I saw this HUGE, bright red fox streaking down the fence line and out to the safety of the field. Boy ran for the rifle and actually had the thing in his sights, but the idiot didn't pop the magazine in all the way and there was nothing in the barrel. So, the fox got away and I was left trying to assess the damage.
I immediately found all five of the Comets and four of the Sussex. Unfortunately, I found a body and poofs of feathers shortly after. At this point I'm panicking a bit, but when I came back down there was another Sussex waiting for me, with five still missing. About an hour later an injured girl came limping up to the group. She had some bad punctures on her back and ribs, so I took her inside, washed her off, and daubed on some antibiotics before isolating her. We searched again and found nothing. I eventually gave up on the other four.
Then, several hours later a sad little boy came hobbling up, still feisty enough to run away from me. His leg is one giant bruise, but his injuries seem to be less severe than the pullet's. He's now cuddled up next to her in the brooder with his own antibiotics. I went back out to look as it got dark and found the body of a boy who apparently died while trying to get back to the coop. There's still one girl missing.
I mostly just needed to share this as I'm stressed out and sad and not sure what to do now. Is it possible the pullet is still out there, or is it more likely that the fox ate her? It didn't have anything in its mouth when it made a run for it. Should I be doing anything else for the injured pair? I was actually just a few weeks away from putting up a run for them. Looks like I'll be expediting it.
I immediately found all five of the Comets and four of the Sussex. Unfortunately, I found a body and poofs of feathers shortly after. At this point I'm panicking a bit, but when I came back down there was another Sussex waiting for me, with five still missing. About an hour later an injured girl came limping up to the group. She had some bad punctures on her back and ribs, so I took her inside, washed her off, and daubed on some antibiotics before isolating her. We searched again and found nothing. I eventually gave up on the other four.
Then, several hours later a sad little boy came hobbling up, still feisty enough to run away from me. His leg is one giant bruise, but his injuries seem to be less severe than the pullet's. He's now cuddled up next to her in the brooder with his own antibiotics. I went back out to look as it got dark and found the body of a boy who apparently died while trying to get back to the coop. There's still one girl missing.
I mostly just needed to share this as I'm stressed out and sad and not sure what to do now. Is it possible the pullet is still out there, or is it more likely that the fox ate her? It didn't have anything in its mouth when it made a run for it. Should I be doing anything else for the injured pair? I was actually just a few weeks away from putting up a run for them. Looks like I'll be expediting it.