Lost a chook.........

[Snadger]

I was standing talking to someone at the gate of my allotment when I noticed chooks on the plot. I made my excuses and said I had to go as I must have left the gate to the run open.
After herding the chooks and cockerels back into their run, I left for home.
On arriving the next day I found two large piles of brown hen feathers on the plot, no blood, no bones, no meat?
I can only assume that I must have missed one and Mr Fox had got her that evening.

Bang goes my idea of free ranging some of them!

[binley100]

........
you'll have to do a headcount as they go back in ....

I thought (probably wrongly) that Foxes didn't make off with them......our neigbour lost one last year and we reckon the only thing that could've got through the hole was a stoat.....the only sign left behind was some feathers....

[its hilly]

sorry to hear it Snadger. Fox's are a right pita aren't they.
Could you stick a spring on the run gate so it always closes behind you? Shame to give up on free ranging if you can come up with a solution, but loosing chooks is so upsetting.

[Scarlet]

I thought (probably wrongly) that Foxes didn't make off with them......our neigbour lost one last year and we reckon the only thing that could've got through the hole was a stoat.....the only sign left behind was some feathers....

They will take them if they have the chance and also come back the folowing day for the ones they have left behind..

[Nicos]

Have to admit that I too have accidentally left a chook locked outside the coop all night.
Fortunately we leave the electric fence on at all times so I'd like to think she'd have been safe.
We found her next morning huddled into a small crevice between two large stones.
Poor thing - and it was a cold night too

so- every night is a head count.

Sorry for your loss Snadge x

[Flummery]

Sorry to hear that Snadger. Our inner gate has a spring so it shurts behind us but there's an outer full height one too. Belt and braces! Hope there are no more 'visitations'.

[polo]

Thats a shame Snadger. Sorry to hear it.

Polo