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Friday, December 10, 2010

Is There a Fox in My Henhouse?

A fox (well, we're pretty sure it's a fox) has been attacking my poor chickens - he has bitten two of the meat bird hens and they have had to be put down. A friend has set a trap....it's a wee bit stressful. Poor chickens....

(He's actually not IN the henhouse, he can't get in there....but he's hanging out down close to the barn.)

At the same time I found the poor chicken, Ginger was looking like a MAJOR puffball, with all her hair standing on end. She had been down at the barn too.....something (as in a fox?) tried to get her. Thank goodness she wasn't hurt worse. I'll get some pics up of her poor lil face soon.

She wasn't hurt badly, but I'm thinking by the way she was clinging on to me, she had the you-know-what scared out of her....

So she is confined to the house....where she is quickly driving da Wolf and me totally crazy! She's bouncing off walls and flying up and down the stairs....and she darn well insists on laying right in the middle of da Wolf's blanket, so there is no room for him. He won't force her to move, as he realizes that she truly does rule this home!

Because there is a trap set at the barn, da Wolf is no longer allowed out in the yard, for fear he will set off the trap and hurt his nose. So, instead of being in the yard, where he always is....he is now allowed out on the other side of the house, where he is Never Allowed on his own. (I mean the road side)  This has resulted in massive confusion for da Wolf, who spends much of his time pacing around. Worse, he Knows there's something he wants to get his teeth into down at the barn and he's not allowed to go do his job!

Ginger keeps getting on my kitchen countertops, and I cannot stand that! I'm walking around with a water squirt bottle to spray at her when I catch her. (Anybody have hints for me as to what I can do to get her to stop?)

I need a couple cups of tea or a couple glasses of beer! Sphere: Related Content

7 comments:

umbrellalady said...

We had a weasel in my parents barn once. Hopefully it is not that - they are a bit harder to get.

The only way to stop the cat - is to accept it. I have had cats non-stop for years and the only time they stay off the counters is when I am home - must be a survival thing.

Anonymous said...

Oh man sounds like a wild house you have for the moment but that makes life so interesting. So sorry about your chickens. Hope you get the wolf soon.
vickie

Cedar View Paint Horses said...

I'd guess coyotes over foxes. I recall you having a few posts with coyotes in them, and foxes and coyotes don't get along. With all the snow you've gotten you must be able to see tracks?

Anti Rand said...

What to do about Ginger and the counter-tops? Scold her and gently brush her off the counter. It won't take Ginger long to figure out that she can hop up there ... then just when you go to grab the bottle, jump off. In the end, however, she is a cat. Cats are not dogs. Cats respond to perceived abuse with abuse in kind and they tend never, ever to quit dishing out what they feel they're getting. Be patient, keep scolding and gently nudging off the counter. Eventually, she will figure it out.

Aunt Krissy said...

Put mice traps on the counter top where the favorite place to jump on it at. Or never forget that you have meat thawing on the counter, or a stick of un-covered butter and wash the counter tops often.

Linda Foley said...

Oh I missed this! Poor Ginger - POOR ANNIE! LOL I feel for you!

Annie said...

I have now heard of pretty much a fool proof way to teach cats to not jump on counters. I am going to make a blog post out of it, as the process is a bit too long for just a comment.

But it cured Ginger of that little problem!

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