Friday, January 21, 2011

Uhg

Not to be a big ol' Debbie Downer on your Friday, but I'm here whining because I'm having some SERIOUS self-doubts about my ability to make this farm work.

There was yet another attack on our hens last night. Billy thankfully caught the &%@#er in the act and saved our hens - all but one. Strawberry, our sassy queen of the flock, is missing. We searched the heck out of the chicken yard, trees and bog last night by the puny light of our headlamps and found no sign of her. I looked some more this morning and still nothing. Looking for a buff-colored chicken in 3+ acres of brown grass & bog is about as fruitful as searching for a needle in a haystack.

The girls are still holding onto hope that "Berry" will come strutting back out from the bog, acting as though nothing happened. I was hoping for that too.

7 comments:

  1. Gosh, I'm sorry. Hopefully Strawberry ran for her little life and roosted somewhere close by, maybe in a neighbor's property? Who was your predator?

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  2. We think that it was a raccoon. Bill heard them being attacked and saw something dash out of there, but didn't get a good look. I saw the eyes with my headlamp but couldn't make out the body.

    I'm still hoping that Berry is out there somewhere. She was always a scrappy gal, so if any of our hens could whoop some raccoon butt, it'd have been her.

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  3. Boo :( Raccoons are invasive predators!! I'm so sorry you're having doubts about the farm. Do you have an overhead cover over the hens (like mesh or something?) I've worried about getting chickens here, too, because we have a TON of hawks (BIG ONES TOO!) not to mention raccoons and foxes :( Maybe its time to hit the home brewed wine & relax a bit! Hope Berry comes home soon!

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  4. @ Andrea - The coop is really solidly built, they actually just waltzed right in because the door to the henhouse didn't get right at dusk. I think those buggers were lying in wait. :(

    And oooooh yes, wine time is nigh! That night I had a little nip of some vanilla infused bourbon that my sis-in-law made me. The perfect tonic for jangled nerves. ;)

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  5. Oh man.....we have had months/years like that. One year we had 11 calves due....ended up with 4 living ones..which seriously cuts into your profit margin....it will all get better once you get through to spring....and in the meantime? keep the wine flowing!
    Kris

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  6. Oh no!!! I'm so sorry! Was it a raccoon you think? They are monsters. I actually used to feed them (bad me - I know) but once I realized they weren't even appreciative of it (and nasty) I stopped. Really sorry your sassy girl is missing:(

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