Ready to go to their new home (the solid colored one is the runt).
The bad new is we are down to two laying hens. The fox came again last night and took a barred rock.
We found the carcass on the other side of the big tractor with the head missing and only the breast meat eaten. So either he was interrupted (I had let the dogs out at 10:30 but didn't hear anything) or it is just being wasteful now that it is well fed.
I fed the dogs the rest of the carcass so it wouldn't be a total waste. Rigor mortis had passed and the flys had already laid eggs so I am thinking it happened early last night. Rob found the evidence this morning at 7:30.
The last barred rock hen had been attacked as well but had gotten away. But she has a broken toe and some skin off her backside. I am hoping I can nurse her back to health and have made a make shift hospital house for her from the old dog house and a crate on the outside.
I can't help feeling that I have failed my hens. They depended on me for food, shelter, and safety. I failed at safety in trying to let them free range more. They were just walking over the plastic fencing for their outside run of their tractor though. I will need to do better.
The last black hen has decided to stick with the turkeys. Wise choice as I think the turkeys are too big for the fox to take.
Of course this makes the young laying hens all the more important. I am keeping them in garage for now, but I need to get them outside soon. I hope to have the predator situation resolved by then.
The goats could care less about what is happening to the chickens.
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