Lost half my livestock the other night

[depreciator]

A fox killed two of my chooks.
In Marrickville - about 6klms from the city centre.
The two remaining chooks are very nervous, despite me telling them that the chook pen should be more fox proof now, so production is down.

 

[MarkB]

That sucks.

We had two hens when I was at High School (white leghorn and a black orpington). We lost the leghorn one night (not sure what took it). The orpington never again slept in the henhouse. It much preferred the company of the cat in the laundry.

Got a flock of 4 currently (3 x Dorking / 1 x Faverolle). They are secured every night (no foxes here, but stotes are a potential threat). We did have 5, but our Buff Orpington passed away about 6 weeks ago (old age).

Are you going to build your flock back up with a couple of pullets? Might be a good way of changing the dynamic while the others are unsettled and providing a distraction to the existing hens as well.

 

[topcropper]

They are cruel animals. They hunt for fun. I've seen em kill 60 chooks in one go, and probably just take away one carcass for themselves and the young uns.

Yeah, we had 60 chooks once, plus a milking cow and a few killers and a vege garden. Buy everything from the supermarket now


See ya's.

 

[depreciator]

TC, I would have preferred the fox took them instead of leaving them behind. That annoyed me.
Yes, I'll replace them. Probably this weekend. I like the idea of all the food scraps and garden stuff going somewhere useful. And I like the idea of getting eggs. I'm also thinking about getting a bee hive, now. I've had chooks forever in the inner west and now everybody is doing it so I need to stay ahead of the hipster pack.

 

[TMNT]

A fox killed two of my chooks.
In Marrickville - about 6klms from the city centre.
The two remaining chooks are very nervous, despite me telling them that the chook pen should be more fox proof now, so production is down.

I thought chooks have a memory span of a few seconds? (seriously)

a friend had her chooks neck bitten, and it was on a funny angle, but seemed to forget about it straight away and lived a normal life

 

[Corey Batt]

When I was growing up on a farm, we had around 30 chickens and it was my job to feed them.

One morning when I went out there, the whole pen was covered in feathers and blood, all well killed by foxes who burrowed under ground to get to them - as TC said the fox only took one chicken.

It was pretty common to hang skinned foxes from the fenceline on a heshen sack in a row as you caught them, to dissuade further trespasses - not sure how effective it was considering some would have rows of 8-10 in a section.

 

[MarkB]

I thought chooks have a memory span of a few seconds? (seriously)

One of my hens crouches down with her wings sort of bracing herself when I make a chook chook chook sound - so that I can pick her up.

Not very scientific, but if she didn't remember then how would she know to do it?

 

[Scott No Mates]

And I like the idea of getting eggs. I'm also thinking about getting a bee hive, now.

Absolutely a great move, there are all too few hives around nowadays. I know of a few bods nearby who have a box or two. Brilliant if you have a garden as well.

 

[depreciator]

That might be goldfish you're thinking about. Chooks have a memory.
I clip the wings of my chooks. That involves catching them and a bit of mucking around. Obviously it doesn't injure them, but they are always wary of me for some weeks after that.
I'm not surprised the remaining chooks are a bit spooked after the recent night of fox carnage. They have also taken to sleeping up as high as they can in the Monstera Deliciosa plant that grows in the chook run. They might not understand what happened, but they know that when the sun went down one night recently something bad happened.

 

[depreciator]

Absolutely a great move, there are all too few hives around nowadays. I know of a few bods nearby who have a box or two. Brilliant if you have a garden as well.

I went to a bee keeping talk one night recently at a caf? around the corner. The bloke running the night has a business where he puts hives all around Sydney. He had a dozen different honeys that he had harvested in the previous few days. It was amazing how different they all were depending on the plants flowering within flying distance of each hive.
Set up costs including the hive, gear and bees is probably around $600. They do a hands-on course which would be pretty good for $300.

 

[topcropper]

Handing out free jars of honey to all your mates and their wives would get you some brownie points.


See ya's.

 

[datto]

I've got a leghorn that sometimes makes itself known.

 

[Peter_Tersteeg]

Handing out free jars of honey to all your mates and their wives would get you some brownie points.


See ya's.

Honey's actually quite valuable and getting more so. The real value is in pollination of crops. Something like 60% of crops are pollinated by honey bees.

Dad was a commercial bee keeper, he retired about 10 months ago. At his peak he had a few thousand bee hives, I spent many summers working in various rural and outback locations with the bees.

The problem with chooks is that some K9s (foxes and terriers) will happily kill them because they enjoy it. My little terrier has spent the entire day trying to get into a chook cage.

 

[depreciator]

Honey's actually quite valuable and getting more so.

Maybe the blokes here who bang on about gold should get into stockpiling honey.

 

[TMNT]

That might be goldfish you're thinking about. Chooks have a memory.
.

you might be right on that one!

 

[DaveM]

I thought I had lost half my animals the other day, then I found Oscar asleep in the TV cabinet

 

[Peter_Tersteeg]

Maybe the blokes here who bang on about gold should get into stockpiling honey.

Dad has a stockpile for his retirement, it'll keep him in cash for a very long time. It never goes off either.

 

[lizzie]

Arrived home the other day to be met by a really worried look and the news that "some surgery may be required" ... instantly stressed that it was one of the menagerie of animals ... until this little fella was produced missing his middle section.

Wished it was one of the animals as I frantically sacrificed another Teddy for urgent repairs before Junior got home.

p.s. Sorry to hear about your chickens ... a friends entire coop was wiped out (10 chickens) by a fox, purely for fun.

 

[redwing]

A fox killed two of my chooks.
In Marrickville - about 6klms from the city centre.
The two remaining chooks are very nervous, despite me telling them that the chook pen should be more fox proof now, so production is down.

You have foxes

 

[Beanie Girl]

Tell those recalcitrant chooks that if they don't increase production NOW, they're going to be Christmas dinner

My partner quipped, 'As Joe Hockey might say, 'they got to be layers, not leaners!'