Wisconsin "Cheeseheads"

[irishrovr]

So, I saw the fox in the garden this morning when I went over to sit vigil. It was headed towards the coop but saw me and turned tail. It disappeared at the fence line but I can't see where it got through. I think I saw it in the distance a couple of times later in the day but it never came close again.

I sat for the better part of the day in the tractor shed by a window. Four hens went into the back yard while two holdouts stayed outside. (I wonder why it is always TWO that want to become fox bait?) Couldn't shag them into either the coop or the yard with any kind of goodie at all.

A lot of interesting things happen in nature when one sits quietly for a long period of time. I don't think I have the patience to hunt in a blind or a tree stand. I saw the egg-sucking cat skulking around as well as the hole-digging gopher (or whatever it is) - the cat didn't fall for the bait in the live trap. I startled a few birds who flew down to roost on the branch in front of the window. The fox, though, is too foxy.

Tomorrow is another day - me v fox!

 

[Kildare49]

It will come every day. I was fortunate to track & retrieve the last chicken before the fox could eat it.
Thats a game changer. It was my OE cockerel. A very large bird that required a very determined fox.

 

[Firstchic]

Here is some more info. She was laying on the ground of the coop and I went in to pick her up...very docile bird, brought her into the house to get my son to look at her leg and foot, the leg has a few bruises on it and the toes are swollen up about one more size. When she stands, she does not put weight on it. What does everyone think.....do chickens have bones in their toes, I do not see anything sticking out anywhere.

 

[cuties]

I am glad I have big dogs.
newchick, if you use chicken wire I would think their toes would get stuck while moving...
thos of you who use wire in your tractors, what do you use?
Don't worry firstchick, we are not all cold hearted
Although some think I am cold hearted fornnot feeding the good stuff to my family. We buy ours at the store. I can't meet it and eat it.
kids are very busy outside playing!!!

 

[irishrovr]

I am glad I have big dogs.
newchick, if you use chicken wire I would think their toes would get stuck while moving...
thos of you who use wire in your tractors, what do you use?
Don't worry firstchick, we are not all cold hearted

Although some think I am cold hearted fornnot feeding the good stuff to my family. We buy ours at the store. I can't meet it and eat it.
kids are very busy outside playing!!!

My dad always told me not to give names to the roosters. He said it's too hard to kill them and eat them if you do. He was right!

 

[irishrovr]

It will come every day. I was fortunate to track & retrieve the last chicken before the fox could eat it.
Thats a game changer. It was my OE cockerel. A very large bird that required a very determined fox.

The fox that is prowling around my hens looks like this one - kind of scruffy and brownish/yellowish. Not at all as beautiful as the red fox I've seen nearby. His/her days are numbered.



Oh, yes and it stinks, too. A lot like a skunk but not as powerful.

 

[jvls1942]

if the toes are broken, they will stick out at the wrong angle.. Usually if the leg is broken, it will appear bent..
if you suspect it is just bruised, leave it alone for a day or two.. or you can try an ice pack ..
chickens can heal themselves from some rather severe injuries..
when you sew one up, don't become a seamstress.. just craw the cut closed, ALMOST closed.
leave it open a little so it can drain,, a scar won't bother the chicken.. she was not going to pose for Playboy anyhow..

cull means to thin the herd.. does not always mean to kill.. you can pick out the less desirables and sell them or give them away..
on byc many people use cull because they don't have the guts to say kill, dispatch,off, or destroy..

I just got back from a 60 mile round trip .. I bought 17 full frown guineas..

I think most of them are males,, but I am quite sure there are at least 7 hens.. no matter, I will turn the males loose first ..after a couple of weeks in the turkey tractor..
they spent their whole life in a coop..no free rangers were they..
those are the hardest kind to train..
they don't know enough to turn around and come back.

the family we bought them from has 12 children,, 2 to 18 years old.

we have a different policy here,, name it, or no name,
when the time comes, heat eat and enjoy..
we will even eat your pets ..

...........jiminwisc...........

 

[babylady4]

I feel bad, for both fox and chickens..... The fox should be shedding out its winter coat right now, and probably has a den of babies nearby. Might be why it looked ragged.

Softy at heart here.

 

[Firstchic]

Thank you for that information. Just went out to the coop and she had climbed the ladder and is laying on the floor of the coop. Probably will be full of chicken poo tomorrow a.m. with the others on the roost above her. So, I guess, she must be able to get around.....we now have her named-Gimpy.

 

[Kildare49]

Best of luck on the hunt Irish. I hope your hen makes a full recovery. She is a survivor and should pass on some good traits to her chicks.