Please HELP :(

[Hornbeam]

PLEASE HELP

Can anyone please help and give me some much needed advice? Please.

Two days ago my beautiful 5 years old cockerel, Harry, was murdered by a fox whilst guarding my Dorking as she was laying. I had just watched him walk over the hill towards her in the barn. A couple of minutes later, I heard him call out, which I presumed was because my Sussex was further away and not following him, she then went over and started shouting. I went out and shouted them both and my Sussex came back and carried on eating. Harry stayed at the barn. A few minutes after that I went out to give them their lunch and found a mass of Harry's feathers. I was absolutely mortified. I dropped everything on the floor, ran around shouting him, tracked the trail of feathers and after ploughing my way through huge nettles, being stung to hell and climbing down a 10' drop into a ditch, I saw him lay there. I thought he was lay there injured. I ran over and picked him up and he had no head. I'm absolutely gutted. I'm sobbing as I'm typing this. I'm devastated. I carried him back and wrapped him in my hoodie. I then had to find my Dorking and she was still in the hutch having laid her egg. I think she was pretty traumatised as she must have heard what happened. I brought my Dorking and Sussex back to near their run and I've put up a chicken netting to stop them going down near the barn now. It's all overgrown and I was part way through doing it the day before this happened but the belt on my mower came off so I couldn't finish it. I'm behind with it because I'm recovering from being poorly. I feel so, so guilty. I'm gutted. Now I have the issue of trying to keep them this side of the fencing. My Dorking is an absolute nightmare when it comes to her laying days. She spends around 3 hours running around squawking until she decides where she's going to lay. This morning she's created holy hell by running round and escaping through the netting, so I've put her in the run and closed the door. I've put my Sussex in there too and she's screaming now. I don't know what to do for the best and I just need some advice and help off people in the know please. I only had my Harry, and my Sussex, Snowie and my Dorking, Treacle as I've lost two over the last year to peritonitis, which was horrendous too! Now I've only got my two girls and I don't know what to do. I've had them all since being chicks 5 years ago and they have always free ranged, walking around near our barn, messing on the manure heap, walking around the garden, sleeping under various trees and bushes. They had a great life and now this. What do I do? When one lays now the other is on her own and doesn't know what to do. It's a nightmare. I'm really on the verge of calling it a day. It's absolutely heart breaking but I love having them and I give them everything I can. I had a fox strike two years ago in the early afternoon of July and it snatched one of my young Dorkings. I never got her back. That was in the garden as I watched them all walk down the garden having had their lunch, to rest under the apple tree. What do I do? I've thought about getting more but at the moment this is so stressful for me and them. Do I keep them in the run until they've laid every day then let them out? Do I let them carry on free ranging everywhere or do I let them free range where I've sectioned it off in our garden? Please, if anyone can help, please tell me what's the best for them? I'm broken at the moment after losing Harry and I'm just trying to protect the two ladies I have left. My Sussex is 5 and my Dorking 3.

 

[Feather queen]

PLEASE HELP

Can anyone please help and give me some much needed advice? Please.

Two days ago my beautiful 5 years old cockerel, Harry, was murdered by a fox whilst guarding my Dorking as she was laying. I had just watched him walk over the hill towards her in the barn. A couple of minutes later, I heard him call out, which I presumed was because my Sussex was further away and not following him, she then went over and started shouting. I went out and shouted them both and my Sussex came back and carried on eating. Harry stayed at the barn. A few minutes after that I went out to give them their lunch and found a mass of Harry's feathers. I was absolutely mortified. I dropped everything on the floor, ran around shouting him, tracked the trail of feathers and after ploughing my way through huge nettles, being stung to hell and climbing down a 10' drop into a ditch, I saw him lay there. I thought he was lay there injured. I ran over and picked him up and he had no head. I'm absolutely gutted. I'm sobbing as I'm typing this. I'm devastated. I carried him back and wrapped him in my hoodie. I then had to find my Dorking and she was still in the hutch having laid her egg. I think she was pretty traumatised as she must have heard what happened. I brought my Dorking and Sussex back to near their run and I've put up a chicken netting to stop them going down near the barn now. It's all overgrown and I was part way through doing it the day before this happened but the belt on my mower came off so I couldn't finish it. I'm behind with it because I'm recovering from being poorly. I feel so, so guilty. I'm gutted. Now I have the issue of trying to keep them this side of the fencing. My Dorking is an absolute nightmare when it comes to her laying days. She spends around 3 hours running around squawking until she decides where she's going to lay. This morning she's created holy hell by running round and escaping through the netting, so I've put her in the run and closed the door. I've put my Sussex in there too and she's screaming now. I don't know what to do for the best and I just need some advice and help off people in the know please. I only had my Harry, and my Sussex, Snowie and my Dorking, Treacle as I've lost two over the last year to peritonitis, which was horrendous too! Now I've only got my two girls and I don't know what to do. I've had them all since being chicks 5 years ago and they have always free ranged, walking around near our barn, messing on the manure heap, walking around the garden, sleeping under various trees and bushes. They had a great life and now this. What do I do? When one lays now the other is on her own and doesn't know what to do. It's a nightmare. I'm really on the verge of calling it a day. It's absolutely heart breaking but I love having them and I give them everything I can. I had a fox strike two years ago in the early afternoon of July and it snatched one of my young Dorkings. I never got her back. That was in the garden as I watched them all walk down the garden having had their lunch, to rest under the apple tree. What do I do? I've thought about getting more but at the moment this is so stressful for me and them. Do I keep them in the run until they've laid every day then let them out? Do I let them carry on free ranging everywhere or do I let them free range where I've sectioned it off in our garden? Please, if anyone can help, please tell me what's the best for them? I'm broken at the moment after losing Harry and I'm just trying to protect the two ladies I have left. My Sussex is 5 and my Dorking 3.

I'm sorry for your loss,
Where ever you feel your chickens are safest, I know its not much help but follow your gut,
if you are looking for more chickens having Hamburgs is really good they are very aware of predators and let out a loud call to warn others, I have 2 silver spangled Hamburgs named luna and eclipse and they are amazing, kind chickens but are still very aware of their surroundings. If you want to make sure your chickens lay in your chicken coop in the future then it's best to keep new chickens locked up in the chicken coop for around 2 weeks as it becomes their safe place. In my experience making sure the chickens have laid their eggs before letting them out is a great way of letting them free range but still be able to be aware of their surroundings.

 

[NorthwoodsChick]

How tramatic for you and your flock. I am so very sorry for your loss.

 

[Folly's place]

I too am sorry for your loss, it's so hard sometimes.
This fox will continue to hope for more chickens, so your survivors need to be their predator proof coop and run for now. Is it really predator proof? Pictures will help here. No openings larger than 1/2" anywhere, and a dig proof floor makes 'predator proof', nothing less.
Please don't be so hard on yourself! Free ranging is great, until the day it's not, and most of us have had losses when our birds are outside, sometimes huge losses.
This fox might be raising kits, so has to hunt more often than at other times, also a factor. It might be possible to live trap this individual, or shoot if it's legal where you live.
When we had a bad daytime fox attack, I drove around and warned neighbors who had poultry within about a mile of our house, and one of them was able to get the sick mangy individual the next week.
Again, I'm so sorry,
Mary

 

[Hornbeam]

I'm sorry for your loss,
Where ever you feel your chickens are safest, I know its not much help but follow your gut,
if you are looking for more chickens having Hamburgs is really good they are very aware of predators and let out a loud call to warn others, I have 2 silver spangled Hamburgs named luna and eclipse and they are amazing, kind chickens but are still very aware of their surroundings. If you want to make sure your chickens lay in your chicken coop in the future then it's best to keep new chickens locked up in the chicken coop for around 2 weeks as it becomes their safe place. In my experience making sure the chickens have laid their eggs before letting them out is a great way of letting them free range but still be able to be aware of their surroundings.

Thank you for your advice and recommendations. I really appreciate it. At the moment I just feel very aware that the fox could come back. I'm constantly letting my dog out and sending him to where it happened. We've been out today and cut loads of stuff back, so it's wide open now. Still a lot to do but it can only help. Makes perfect sense to let them lay inside before letting them out, so I will adopt that method from now on. My Snowie lays probably 3 a week and Treacle lays every other day at the moment. I think I will keep them in then let them out. Thank you so much again.

 

[Hornbeam]

How tramatic for you and your flock. I am so very sorry for your loss.

Thank you. Very traumatic.

 

[Hornbeam]

I too am sorry for your loss, it's so hard sometimes.
This fox will continue to hope for more chickens, so your survivors need to be their predator proof coop and run for now. Is it really predator proof? Pictures will help here. No openings larger than 1/2" anywhere, and a dig proof floor makes 'predator proof', nothing less.
Please don't be so hard on yourself! Free ranging is great, until the day it's not, and most of us have had losses when our birds are outside, sometimes huge losses.
This fox might be raising kits, so has to hunt more often than at other times, also a factor. It might be possible to live trap this individual, or shoot if it's legal where you live.
When we had a bad daytime fox attack, I drove around and warned neighbors who had poultry within about a mile of our house, and one of them was able to get the sick mangy individual the next week.
Again, I'm so sorry,
Mary

Thank you so much for your advice. I do appreciate it. I am so aware right now of that damn fox. Their run and coop are definitely fox proof. It's like you say, free ranging is great until it's not! I have a feeling it does have young as it was out at 12 noon, which is usually only when they are extremely hungry. It just annoys me as there are millions of rabbits and rats and pheasants and all sorts of things it could get but it chose my Harry. I'm constantly letting my dog out at the moment and if it's around he will know. So will that!! Thanks again Mary.

 

[Folly's place]

Harry was probably not aware of the danger he was in until too late, unlike all those bunny survivors out there. And now maybe your hens are going to be more careful. Maybe.
Here after a predator event the survivors are much more alert to predators, although they are still chickens, and vulnerable.
Mary

 

[Hornbeam]

Harry was probably not aware of the danger he was in until too late, unlike all those bunny survivors out there. And now maybe your hens are going to be more careful. Maybe.
Here after a predator event the survivors are much more alert to predators, although they are still chickens, and vulnerable.
Mary

Thank you Mary. I must admit that the girls seem a lot more alert at the moment. The slightest thing and they are very aware. However, like you say, they are still vulnerable. I know exactly where Harry was stood whilst guarding Treacle and it looks like the fox sneaked up behind him. I just dread to think to be honest and maybe he was just stood waiting without a care in the world, like he did most days. It's just horrible. Thanks again Mary. Take care