THAT BLASTED FOX!!! He stalked our barn every night for three weeks when our baby goats were first born. He finally struck early evening. I am sooo mad at him! I went out to feed our meat birds who are in poultry netting behind the barn. I went out, opened the door of the main part of the barn to get the grain out and there in front of the door was a dead chicken. Just laying there, obviously newly dead. I stood in shock (not expecting a dead chicken). There was no obvious reason for its death though it appeared to have a broken neck. I wondered if she had gotten caught in the barn door and broken her neck that way.

Then, my heart came up to my throat when I realized it was “Peepers” mom. Peeper is our little 4 week old chick that our broody hen hatched out. She had sat on about 12 eggs, only two hatched, one chick died at day 3 for no apparent reason. This hen has been an amazing mom, so dedicated to her one little chick, teaching it, and PROTECTING it from the barn cat and the other chickens. Her constant clucking to Peeper has become a part of the barn yard. And there she was dead and Peeper searching frantically for her mom, being pecked and chased by the other hens and the barn cat. I took care of the hen and went back to my task of feeding the meat birds.

When I went around back of the barn, I knew that this had been no accident. One meat bird was dead and the predator obviously tried to pulll it through the fencing and couldn’t get it through so had abandoned it there all tangled.

I suspect the fox though perhaps a raccoon…..

Poor Peeper, looked all over the place for mom. When the sun set, Peeper was frantically looking in all of their sleeping spots but couldn’t find her mom. We put her in our cat carrier with a bedding of straw so she will be protected for the night. Poor Peeper…how will she survive without mom?

sigh………………………