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Monday 7 May 2012

Trauma in the Coop!

My Poor Chickie Wicks!  I went to the coop as usual this morning, they normally come bustling out for a chat and are desperate to be let out to run around doing what chickens do all day.  Today was a different matter.  They appeared petrified to see me and squawked, flapping madly, hitting the ceiling of their coop.  I tried to calm them down with my voice but that just seemed to make them even more frantic.  I noticed quite a pile of freshly scraped soil by their coop door and a rubber mat we have there was turned over.  I set to work straightening it all before I took this photograph, that looks like 'Fox' scrape marks to me!
Now I am no expert but they do look like scrape marks and something had been causing a commotion up there, what do you think?  Two of the girls were flapping around making terrified clucks.  When angry or scared chickens can also make a low 'growling' type of noise, they were doing that this morning.  The more timid of the three has just retreated into the nest box with her face to the wall she does not want to move.

I opened all the doors on the coop and spoke in a calm and upbeat manner, but they are not having it!  There is no way they can be coaxed out today.  The poor things look like they are having a nervous breakdown.
They have undoubtedly had quite a traumatic experience.  I am already down to two eggs each day now, I do not know what has happened to the third egg!  I did say to the chickens last week 'Someone will be for the pot if you keep laying two eggs a day'!  The next morning I had three eggs.  Then we have gone back to two again.  Euan was very cross with me for telling them that!  he says they are like sisters to him!  Trauma effects laying so I had two eggs this morning but I am not expecting any tomorrow.  They have stopped laying in the past as a result of a large and loud thunderstorm and they have stopped laying twice last year when I went away and left my Other Half in charge!   Never have these Chicken babies appeared frightened of me before, they even let me bath and blow dry them and chat away quite happily.  It is sad to see them so neurotic, especially as I can't seem to make it better.
 Do they look terrified to you?  They do to me.  I have been up there this afternoon with a large can of corn kernels.  While they still don't want to come out to play, they gobble the corn and it seemed to help them to temporarily forget their troubles.  Poor poor girls, these are the chickens that like to play in the snow, the rain and whatever else the elements throw at them.  Not today.  Euan has asked for his own alarm clock so he can set it to wake him to go and check on them in the night!  I will be making some kind of barricade tonight and hoping for the best.  I will probably stack up flower pots that will hopefully fall and startle a fox.  It is the time of year for hungry fox cubs.  My Other half has a day off work tomorrow he said he will make the fences safer, two of my neighbours either side lost fences last week in the gales, we managed to fix ours the same day, the neighbours still haven't so we think the fox is able to get through the back gardens where previously it couldn't.  I have worried all day!  I think I will be sleeping with one eye open tonight!  I bet the poor chickens won't sleep at all!  

20 comments:

  1. oh dear what a trauma, hopefully they will settle down and start laying again, not that I know anything about chickens

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    1. I am learning as I go along, they were cute fluffy chicks once...that was the problem!

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  2. Oh no! Your poor chicks! I really hope things settle down soon, for everyone. Let's hope Evan starts to feel better too. His dedication is admirable! Try to get some sleep tonight and hopefully the eggs will be back before too long.
    ~Lacey

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    1. Thanks Lacey, you know me and my chickens! I said in yesterday's post I would never have made a farmers wife! I did contemplate a way of keeping them indoors tonight, but the Other Half would hit the roof, he puts up with most of my antics but chickens in the kitchen would be one step too far! If it wasn't for my Other half I would be one of those people that keeps a house pig! :) x

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  3. Good news...The Fence Man has come to fix the neighbours fence this afternoon, the fox could just walk from the road into my neighbours garden. That problem will at least be resolved today. :)

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  4. Aww My that is good news! Your girls do look a little in shock...hope all is well! x

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    1. They are playing in the garden now, they are a little 'Flighty' if you would pardon the pun. I am glad they are out as ordinarily they make a bid for freedom as soon as their door is opened. I have given the coop a nice 'Spring Clean' nice fresh thick bedding and I have scrubbed and oiled their perches. Hopefully they will have a peaceful night. :) x

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  5. Do you have any Rescue Remedy to hand? If so you could either put some in their drinking water or pop a few drops directly into their mouths...

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    1. That is a good idea, I underestimate rescue remedy, I don't have any at the moment and only last night thought I should get a dropper from the chemist just in case I ever have to administer anything.

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  6. Poor chucks! I've never had a problem with foxes (yet!) but one day a sparrow hawk came visiting and that shook them up a bit! Sounds like you've done everything you can to protect them, it was probably the neighbours fence, so hopefully all will be peaceful now. Enjoy rest of your Bank Holiday, Claire xxx

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  7. Oh how terrible! I do hope all is safe tonight and tomorrow you find they are back to their usual clucky selves!
    JaneX

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  8. Oh no, poor ladies! I am sure that one the fence is back to being secure the girls will settle down and start laying. Foxes can be really irritating!

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  9. I hope they settle down quickly, and Mr Fox is scuppered in his plans. And (((hugs))) for you, I know you are doing everything humanly possible for your ladies. xxx

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  10. lol, they didn't want to go to bed tonight! I had to chase them around the garden and pick them up and literally shove them in their coop, usually they run to bed for a snack of 'Chicken Candy' (mixed corn). Poor things they should be safe tonight.

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  11. So sorry your girls were threatened. Their trauma led to my enlightenment, however. I had never heard of rescue remedy, so
    I Goolgled it and became informed. I hope you have no need to test its effectiveness! <3

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  12. Oh dear me. I can so relate to all your concerns, having lost my 3 to a coyote. I hope you can keep the fox away. I know they would be scary.
    ((hugs)), Teresa :-)

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  13. Oh poor ladies I do hope they are recovered now.

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  14. Oh my goodness, that does look like a fox has been harassing them :( I hope they are feeling a bit better and that they are more secure x x x

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  15. Oh how awful, those poor girls they must be so scared and you must be so worried that mr fox will return. Let's hope you can keep him away. Someone once told me that if you want to keep foxes away you should scent the territory with human urine! He swore by it. He just sprinkled it around the place where the fox was coming into his garden. Maybe worth a try!

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  16. Oh man that is no good at all!!! Poor girls!

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