Oi what a morning! I went out and fed the peeps, cats, all that stuff and went into the house for an hour or so - went out and the chickees were just so happy at the salad bar (all the green nubbins in the grass - not sure what kind of plant it is but they love it!!!) I decided that they could stay out another hour to free range. Later thought - I should bring them in and feed chicken crumbles. They think it is a treat and I don't have to play ring around the big tree chasing them to get into the coops.
So I walk out of the house and per chance look up and see a fluffy tail with a white tip on an animal not much bigger than mutant Earl our big stray - Only it is not Earl because he was sleeping on the step and this thing has a chickee in his mouth!
So, I jump off the stairs, and run into the woods like a beserk Viking Valkyrie Shouting and screaming. Grab a branch off of one of the myrtle trees ( they bust off easily ) and Fling it at that creature. Who has just stopped and my chicken - not sure which one it is - is on the ground and it looks as if it is going in for the kill! Heck No! The branch just misses the creature - it runs one way and my rooster runs the other. He is now tailess - poor baby. I was not sure where the other chickens are so I am running in the trails in our woods searching, freaking out! I still don't know if it was a fox or a dog - It was small like a fox and had a fox like tail but it was more buff colored than reddish - so I could have been a dog!
I Hear my hubby and my son - Son finds 4 of 5 hens and the tailess rooster now in the side yard. Hubby goes to see if he can find this bold chicken stealing predator.
Meanwhile poor rooster baby lodged himself in a tangle of vines so I also had to pull him out of that mess.
Daughter Marissa grabbed a towel, wrapped him up like a baby and brought him in the house - he was in shock and I wanted to see if he was okay.
Feathers are everywhere outside!
Hubby Andy went out to the road and found our missing pullet. The girls were all fine and Mr. Roo must have sacrificed himself for the girls.
He is fine but his beautiful tail is going to have to wait through a molt to be replaced. I think he enjoyed the attention and stopped freaking out after a while of being cuddled and petted. He has a bald spot and I did not see any holes in him but the creature must have had him by the feathers.
I put him back into the coop. Then Dot the GLW layed her first Egg and not to be undone - Adidas our barred rock layed her fourth egg in four days!
I wish I had my tippmann outside but I think I would have lost the roo if I had stopped for the paintball gun - Our woods is our paintball park.
Caroline
So I walk out of the house and per chance look up and see a fluffy tail with a white tip on an animal not much bigger than mutant Earl our big stray - Only it is not Earl because he was sleeping on the step and this thing has a chickee in his mouth!
So, I jump off the stairs, and run into the woods like a beserk Viking Valkyrie Shouting and screaming. Grab a branch off of one of the myrtle trees ( they bust off easily ) and Fling it at that creature. Who has just stopped and my chicken - not sure which one it is - is on the ground and it looks as if it is going in for the kill! Heck No! The branch just misses the creature - it runs one way and my rooster runs the other. He is now tailess - poor baby. I was not sure where the other chickens are so I am running in the trails in our woods searching, freaking out! I still don't know if it was a fox or a dog - It was small like a fox and had a fox like tail but it was more buff colored than reddish - so I could have been a dog!
I Hear my hubby and my son - Son finds 4 of 5 hens and the tailess rooster now in the side yard. Hubby goes to see if he can find this bold chicken stealing predator.
Meanwhile poor rooster baby lodged himself in a tangle of vines so I also had to pull him out of that mess.
Daughter Marissa grabbed a towel, wrapped him up like a baby and brought him in the house - he was in shock and I wanted to see if he was okay.
Feathers are everywhere outside!
Hubby Andy went out to the road and found our missing pullet. The girls were all fine and Mr. Roo must have sacrificed himself for the girls.
He is fine but his beautiful tail is going to have to wait through a molt to be replaced. I think he enjoyed the attention and stopped freaking out after a while of being cuddled and petted. He has a bald spot and I did not see any holes in him but the creature must have had him by the feathers.
I put him back into the coop. Then Dot the GLW layed her first Egg and not to be undone - Adidas our barred rock layed her fourth egg in four days!
I wish I had my tippmann outside but I think I would have lost the roo if I had stopped for the paintball gun - Our woods is our paintball park.
Caroline
