In all the excitement of Wolf Park and the busy-ness of the last couple weeks, I neglected to post on the blog that sadly (very sadly), we lost four of our hens to a fox in mid-May.

Needless to say, for such a small flock, the loss was devastating; our flock was reduced by 1/3 in a single evening. To find the aftermath of feathers and scuffed grass was just horrific, even when you're mentally prepared for the loss of an occasional bird. The hens taken were Thirteen (my silver-laced Polish Crested), my Turken, and my two Barred Rocks. The loss of the Barred Rocks was especially hard to take. Not only were they great producers of giant brown eggs, but even more importantly, they were the tamest of all my birds. When they were chicks, my stepbrother and I regularly carried them from the brooder out into the yard, where we'd spend lazy, spring-soaked minutes fishing worms out of the gardens and tossing them to the eager little chicks. Even to the end, those two hens would follow Scott everywhere when he visited, and he would still throw them worms. I'm going to miss those sweet, funny hens.

Since many have asked, no, I am not setting any traps for the rogue fox. Instead, my mother and I spent the day in a torrential summer rain, reinforcing the run so that the chickens could be safely put up inside until the fox decided to give up on the hens. Apparently, it worked, because we haven't lost another hen yet. They are still free-range, but their coop is now much more secure at night. We consider our farm here to be predator-friendly. On the philosophical side of things, I have immense respect for wild creatures and understand that just like me, they are just trying to nurture themselves (and this time of year, their young, too). I respect the fact that I am the newcomer here. On the practical side, it does absolutely no good to rid the farm of this fox. Another will undoubtedly take her place, and if not another fox, a coyote may come and enlarge the den. In the end, it will make no difference. Better to live alongside and protect my flock the very best that I can.

This coming Monday, we'll be welcoming the addition of six new chicks to our farm. Two Barred Rocks, two more Ameracaunas, and two new Speckled Sussex will be joining our flock from Meyer Hatchery. I cannot wait to watch the new chicks grow up and become part of our homestead.