Not a fan of the pro-hunt lobby but......

[slinkycat]

My sympathies were with them this morning. Hubby woke me at 7 saying a fox had been at our chickens. Scene of carnage in the garden, four of my lovely ladies dead (minus heads) and the remaining one in shock, missing lots of feathers and a bit mauled:-(
We think the fox must have got them as soon as they came out the pop-hole, which is on an automatic timer, set to open when it gets light.
Or was it a ferret? As soon as my husband told a mate about their headless state, he said "thats a ferret"
Either way, any future chickens we have will only be allowed to free range while someone is as home to keep an eye on them.

[RATTER15]

A Ferret, I doubt that very much, they aren't wild in this county and wont usually survive very long in the wild although they do have some close relatives, stoats, weasels, otter and badgers are all of the same family but I think a fox is your culprit!

[RATTER15]

Sorry that should have read: they aren't wild in this country not County.

[slinkycat]

Hi again ratter, yes I know they are not wild, but we found a domestic one loose in our drive a couple of years back, so I meant an escaped ferret.
I know foxes will kill a lot of chickens, but I thought they always took one to eat. This one didn't, unless it was scared off for some reason, and thats maybe also the reason one survived?

[RATTER15]

Either way, your JRT will protect them against anything!! sporty little fellas :) what are you getting a dog or a bitch and name? My last JRT was named "Trump" after the Parson Jack Russell's very first terrier as his Mother "Tiggy" also mine, came from Swimbridge which is where The parson lived and hunted. The local pub there is called "The Jack Russell Inn" just a few miles from where I live.

[NoMercy]

My nan had about 70 chickens at one time when I was a child. The fox came every night for 3 nights and killed a great many, despite repeated attempts to make the chicken houses fox-proof. My grandfather sat up all night with his gun and eventually shot the fox. He nearly gave the postman a heart attack in the process....

[jules77]

The Fox Project will give you advice on making your chicken pen foxproof.

[slinkycat]

Wish I had a shotgun nomercy, don't normally have murderous thoughts, but after this morning......
Its a boy ratter, and don't laugh, but my lad is determined to call him Geoff (Geoffrey if he's naughty!) because he says, and I guess I have to agree with him, that there can't be many dogs called that!

[boxtops]

Geoff's a great name for a dog, slinky - short and to the point when you have to call him, and a bit like Woof! too.

[slinkycat]

Hadn't thought of it like that boxtops, just imagined feeling a bit of a wally shouting out "Geoff" down the local field!

[B00]

Whilst I appreciate how upset you are over chickens (I would be too) I can't agree with your thinking that you now have sympathy for the pro hunt buffoons. Whatever animal got at your chickens, did so out of instinct- the hunting brigade kill for jollies. In my eyes there's just no comparison i'm afraid.

[lardhelmet]

You could always call him "Wally" slinky!

[ttfn]

Could be a whole lot worse names to call him slinky - like Brandy or even (hello) Sailor - a beautiful labrador. My own 'watery' dog was called Bosun. One time when out dog walking I met a woman with a jrt called Wilf - I nearly fell over. I have never met any Wilf other than my father!

[slinkycat]

Keep your hair on Boo, like I said, I'm definitely not a fan, was just illustrating how upset I was.

[RATTER15]

Geoff is a great name! lol, here is the pub http://www.thejackrussell.com/

[slinkycat]

The one on the sign looks like the one we're getting! he's mostly white, with brown ears, a brown patch over one eye, and a brown spot on his back.

[nanscamp]

my dog, a lurcher, is called wally cos when we went to choose him he really looked a right wally. He still is!! He can run though.

[dothawkes31]

My Mum grew up on a farm that had hundreds of free range hens, (well they weren't called free range then, they just had alot of black hen huts dotted over the field ) anyway, she used to say that foxes used to go into a hen hut and kill the lot, only took one for food and just killed the rest cos it could, she despised the foxes, her dad had a gun and he would get rid of as many as he could.