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BocBoc

Our girls have been murdered :( #Updated

By BocBoc, in Chickens, Eggs and Hatching

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BocBoc Frequent Layer

BocBoc

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I write this through teary eyes and with very shakey hands - Rofl, Psml and Lmao have all been murdered.

 

I went to let them out this morning - the eggport door is off and lying on the woodchips on the other side of the eglu. Feathers everywhere, one gingernut ranger is very dead in the corner of the garden, I can't find the other two, I presume they are dead too.

 

Has anyone else experienced foxes taking off the eggport door? I find it hard to believe and think human intervention may have occurred.

 

What do you lot think?

 

A very upset and angry Annie :(

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BocBoc Frequent Layer

BocBoc

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Steve is on on his way back from work now (he's only just got there and it's a 130 mile round trip!!) - I'm trying to be practical and have a question:

 

How do I dispose of the dead body?

 

The reason I suspect human foul play (no pun intended) is because we've recently had a few problems with a local "youth" and have been dealing with the police. He only lives two doors down and knows we keep chickens.

 

I'm just stumped as to how a fox could get the egg port door off and throw it around the garden. We have high walls (live in a mid terraced house) and the only way to the back garden is over other peoples gardens which are all walled or fenced (no feather trails, we've checked all the gardens around us) or the entry which is completley sealed by a huge solid gate (9ft).

 

I don't know what to think - I'm dreading Steve coming home - Rofl was his favourite little hen and it's her that's lying in the garden :( :(

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scrambledhead Frequent Layer

scrambledhead

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:cry: How awful for you, don't know what to say other than will be thinking of you.

Given what you say it doesn't sound like a fox.

 

I lost one this week and didn't know what to do with her, I seem to remember there are rules about chickens. However I ignored them and placed her in a nice comfy cardboard box and put her in the wheelie bin. I didn't want to risk her being dug up.

 

Perhaps the missing ones will reappear, could they be hiding?

 

xx

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Chickendoodle Chatty Chicken

Chickendoodle

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I am so sorry. Can't see how a fox would be able to get the eggport door off as you have to twist the handle and it is pretty high off the ground. I agree that you should call the Police.

 

I seem to recall reading on the forum that you aren't supposed to bury poultry in the garden for health reasons and you should dispose of them. double wrapped, in your wheelie bin. Perhaps someone with more experience will know better.

 

It was extremenly windy here last night - I don't suppose the wind could have lifted the door off if the latch wasn't quite in place could it?

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legend21 Frequent Layer

legend21

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Anne, this sounds like everyones nightmare, the thought that another human being could do this is to wee defenceless animals.

 

There was someone on the forum before and they thought it was a person who came into their garden but it turned out to be a fox. I do hope it is a fox as the other option is too horrific. I honestly hope it was a fox and the poop door was not on properly. I honestly wished it did not happen but would rather it was a fox. Please call the police.

 

Sending you big hugs through the internet

 

Jackie xx

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urbanchick Frequent Layer

urbanchick

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That is terrible for you, I'm really sorry. I noticed that when I had an eglu the eggport handle was much looser than that of my cube and I was concerned about it. Also I have on more than a few occasions forgotten to secure the egg port over night, which is easily done and I could have been foxed but was lucky.

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Chucky Mama Passionate Poultry Keeper

Chucky Mama

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If I were you I would call the police. If it was done maliciously then maybe whoever did it left their fingerprints on the eggport door.

.

 

I tend to agree, I would contact the police, you have nothing to loose. I am so sorry, your post gave me goose pimples. I think that you need to try to rule out the awful possibility of humans as it will have a bearing on what you do next regarding the safety of your chickens.

 

I am really sorry :(

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Gelbel All Knowing Superchicken

Gelbel

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How awful for you and the girls. Sounds human evil doings not foxy nature.

 

If the police don't take this seriously, I would be tempted to get support from Omlet to say what force would be needed to rip off the door.

 

I really cannot see a fox thinking, "Oh a door, I'll open it and rip it off". Getting in it yes - but ripping off? Does not stack up for me. If it were a fox I would assume there would be claw/teeth marks on it?

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redranger Chicken Eggspert

redranger

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That's terrible. I'm so sorry :(

 

I think it was probably a fox. We're chicken sitting at the moment for someone who has an eglu, and I must admit I am a bit freaked that the door opens so easily, with a simple twist round (compared to our wooden coop). I think the fox could have opened it accidentally, or perhaps the handle wasnt twisted fully when last used. You're probably never going to know unfortunately :-(

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Chook n Boo Mum Eggcentric Egluowner

Chook n Boo Mum

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Annie you poor love, what a nightmare :cry:

 

I have to be honest, both my eglu and cube egg ports can be real pigs to open, so I would assume the culprit would not have pads and claws, but long strong fingers to manipulate the handle round......sometimes they can be so tight that I'm convinced I'm turning the handle the wrong way, though I'm not!

 

I too would contact the police, especially if this little..............insert an appropriate noun...........is already known to the local constabulary to have caused you problems :evil:

 

Why oh why can't people leave others alone to live in peace for heaven's sake :wall:

 

With regards disposal, against the regulations I buried Tulip, my first lost following a dog attack, in the garden with an apple tree over her head, and have had no problems with the local fox, mind you the hole was very very deep and we also placed slates around her body to hopefully protect her. We all found this very therapeutic, the children have never been shielded from pet deaths and have always helped with grave digging where appropriate, or been there when PTS, we spend the time talking about the good memories, and what they may be doing now & who they may have met up with, it helps us with the grieving process. The chicks who didn't make it however were put in the bin as they had never been "ours" so it didn't feel so bad :( .

 

Huge {{{hugs}}} to you and Steve, RIP little girls,

 

Sha x

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BocBoc Frequent Layer

BocBoc

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Ok - OH has come home and we've surveyed the garden more thoroughly and the headless dead Rofl says to me it was foxes. He went a bit white then said "oh no, I don't think I put the eggport door back on last night". He cleared out the droppings tray and put fresh straw in for them last night - he put the eggport door on the top of the Eglu.

 

So, it's his fault! It's a bit of a relief to know it was foxes and not the work of a human.

 

The trail of destruction left behind in my flippin' vegie patch is rather annoying - so it's bacon butties, a strong cuppa and then the clean-up operation will begin.

 

Thank you for all your kind words everyone xx

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Gelbel All Knowing Superchicken

Gelbel

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the children have never been shielded from pet deaths and have always helped with grave digging where appropriate

 

If I can give you a light hearted image at a sad time. When Snowy, my (whiterabbit), died I was about 5ish years old - might not even have been that.

 

So I 'helped' my Dad to dig a massive deep hole to bury him in. Dad went to the shed to get Snowy, who had been lovingly placed in a box with a carrot to help him on his journey. I remained at the graveside.

 

Dad came back to find a pair of wellies flapping like mad from inside the grave. :anxious:

 

I had, obviously, inspected the grave site too intensely and fell into it head first and was frantically trying to right myself. :oops:

 

I think I had a thing for going head first - I fell down the loo head first when I was a baby and my Dad was involved then. But that is a story for another time and another place. :lol:

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