Fox has been, lost all my babies and 7 girls

[kirsty b]

I'm absolutely gutted.

Knew something was wrong when I went down and all was quiet.
Will confess now my nephew is very ill and I went haring off to hospital to see him first thing without a second thought for chooks or anything. (I feel so guilty now......its been a very emotional few days and this has opened the floodgates and I can't stop crying.)

Stopped off to buy a months worth of food for them on way back, and this is when I found them.
I only have 5 of my ex-bats left and they are all shocked, can't figure out where it got in.
I now have 40kg of growers, 40kg of layers and 20kg of wheat and no birds.
Have shut them in shed to have quiet time to recover from shock and while I think about where to go from here. Really don't know if I should carry on keeping hens, have yet to tell Lauren 'her' hen is dead and thats going to break my heart.

[vicky]

Blimey, you poor thing, what a nightmare. Really feel so sorry for you.
Have a good cry then get yourself together to tell Lauren (I assume she's at school?)
Hugs to you xxx

[Alice]

Oh Kirsty, that is so terrible for you. It must be really heartbreaking.
I do hope your little nephew is doing well and your remaining hens recover.
I'm thinking about you.

[di]

Really don't know what to say,so {{{{{{{x}}}}}}}

[Seahorse]

I'm so sorry, both about your chooks and your nephew being so poorly.

Big (((hugs))). Wish I could say or do something helpful!

[Snadger]

Words fail me. Big hugs from the snadge kirsty.

[janeyo]

OH NO! What a horrible thing to happen. I feel deeply for you, but you must remember that people are more important in your life than chickens and your nephew is lucky to have you haring off to see him.
Not your fault at all, so try to stop blaming yourself. It could happen to any of us and you wil not be the last of us I am sure.

Thinking of you.XX

[julesapple]

Ditto...

Words fail me. Big hugs from the snadge kirsty.

What Snadge said....from me too. (((((HUGEST HUGS)))))

Jules

PS Totally gutting about your chooks, but you were right to put your nephew first.

[Smoggy67]

Just a big hug and loadsa sympathy, cant imagine how your felling..

Try and be positive when you tell your little girl, it will only upset her more to see you in ruins..

So sorry for you...

[Flummery]

Poor you. You were right to put your nephew first, and the fox had probably done the deed by then anyway. Don't haunt yourself, it's bad enough with out that. It's every chicken keeper's nightmare. So sorry - big hugs from Flum

[bobleponge]

Can only echo what everyone else has said Kirsty, your little nephew is quite clearly the more important, and as Flum said, the fox had probably already done his work by the time you left the house.
I'm gutted for you.
Bob
xx

[zazen999]

Aw honey, that's awful. Poor you and L. Bugger.

xxx

[FionaH]

Aw honey, that's awful. Poor you and L. Bugger.

xxx

yup what Zaz said, biggest hugs

[kirsty b]

I been having a think, and the land I have my allotment on has been proposed for development recently as it belongs to a local company. I know this does not necessarily mean it will be, but there is a good chance I may have been going to lose the plot given time anyway. I had been umming and aahing about culling all of the chicks when they were big enough and rehoming the ex-bat ladies if I could. I can't have chooks at home even if Steve and the housing assoc would let me. The dog would think every day was Xmas and stress them to death by looking longingly at them.
I was planning on filling my tiny garden with pots and growing stuff in them or trained up the fences.
My family situation is more important right now, and while I am sad it was a nasty shock to find this and it was the last straw. Which is why I reacted as I did (tears/snot etc)
I think it may be the right thing to do to maybe not have any more chooks for a bit, while I find out what is happening on the land, cos less are easier to home than more.
As for the 100kg of food I have just bought, I'll see if the shop will give me a refund on the growers pellets, if not I may be able to sell them on to someone local.

[bluemoon]

Oh, Kirsty. How awful for you. I'm pleased you can look on it in a positive light and your family are obviously more important. It must still have been a terrible shock though.