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Chicken vanished

By P&P, in Chickens, Eggs and Hatching

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P&P Chicken Eggspert

P&P

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This is really awful - we've lost one of our chickens! They always go for a wander round the garden when we get home from work: we've got quite a big 'wild' garden that they enjoy rummaging in. When Pete went to round them up and put them to bed, Paula was missing. We've searched everywhere, but no sign of her at all. Last time Pete saw her, she was in the run, while the others were out and about. He thinks a fox might have come in and taken her, while we were back in the house. Would a fox do that in broad daylight? It was about 8 o'clock, but still very light. We did have a problem with foxes once before.

 

Very upsetting and worrying - we'll be scared to let them out at all now, unless we're actually in the garden keeping guard.

 

Feel really guilty too - she's only been with us just over a week, and we haven't looked after her very well.

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Olly SUPER CHICKEN!!!

Olly

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so sorry, hope she is perhaps just roosting somewhere ... but I'm afraid the scenario you've pictured is entirely possible. Most of the people on here whose chickens have been 'foxed' had it happen during daylight hours.

 

I do hope she turns up.

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P&P Chicken Eggspert

P&P

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Panic over!! Thanks to everyone for keeping fingers, etc. crossed - Paula emerged quite happily from the hedge this morning when Hubby went up to let the others out of the house. A bit wet and even more bedraggled than usual, but otherwise none the worse for her little 'stop-out'!

 

Pete also found 2 eggs hidden in the hedge, so she's clearly been in there before!

 

A happy ending this time, but we'll be very cautious now when we let them out, and try to round them up a bit earlier. Hopefully it means we don't have a fox lurking in the area at the moment, or he would have had a tasty morsel last night. (Poor Pete spent an hour and a half searching for her last night, then another hour tapping extra bits of wood all over the run to try to make it extra fox-proof, as we were worried about Mr Fox returning today if he knew we had chickens there)

 

I wonder if the other girls have been bullying Paula a bit, and that's why she went off on her own. She often seems to be keeping out of their way. No more free-ranging now til Sunday, and we'll be keeping a very close eye on them all from now on!!

 

At least I can go to work a bit happier!!! :D

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