We have bad news from Sunday. The fox is back and attacked Tulip, our gentlest chicken and one of Anna's favorites. We actually saw the attack, which happened at noon, in broad daylight. I looked out the window and saw a red fox running low in the pasture right toward the sheep shed. Even the sheep were huddled in the shed - they know a predator when they see one. We ran out and scared the fox off Tulip, and it ran right through the fence like it wasn't even there. The openings are maybe 5 inches square, the most. We had no idea they could fit through so easily.
Tulip is recovering now, getting antibiotic shots in addition to having the wound cleaned twice each day with betadyne and neosporin. Here is a photo of Tulip and some of her friends from March. She is the beautiful black chicken...
All the chickens and Buttercup are being kept in a small chicken wire enclosure for the next few weeks so they are safe. Anna is making sure that they get plenty of treats - apples, oats, leftover pasta and greens - to keep them as happy as possible since they can't scritch-scratch all over the pasture like usual. We set a trap, covered it with branches and leaves and baited it with chicken (from the store!), but at some point, even if we don't trap the fox, it will move on if there is no food source for it here. I'd prefer to trap it, though.
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