SAD DAYS AT THE COTTAGE

Last week was a very sad one as we had a fox invasion. We have had hens for going on 10 years & have never lost one to a fox, they have lived out their natural lives. Last week we had a fox break in to the hen house by pushing up the floor & pulling the hens out. We didn't have the run on but never imagined that this would happen when they were locked in at night.
Sadly, one of the hens was Tinkerbell, one of our first hens who we had had for 9 years who was a real pet.

Just one hen escaped the massacre - Fluffy Feet, pictured below.

 

We immediately added the run so that Mr Fox couldn't get under the house & temporarily moved the hen house up near the house & made a pen with electrified poultry netting.

Poor Fluffy Feet looked very depressed & just sat inside the house forlornly.

I decided that she needed some new friends to cheer her up, so Bluebell & Jessie have arrived to keep her company. They are young hens & have settled in very quickly, learning how to go up the ladder to bed in no time.

 On the second day that they were here one of them laid an egg so I'm looking forward to having lovely fresh eggs again. Fluffy isn't laying yet after winter but she is about 5 years years old now so won't lay as often as the younger girls.

We live near a free range egg farm & one of the fields has been cleared of chickens - I think that the fox must have been feasting there but is now looking further afield as my neighbour has lost half a dozen hens too. We are going to have to keep them penned in with the electrified fencing to keep the murderer out. In the meantime Toby is on fox watch!