For the most part, things are well on the farm. Sally, who is extremely old, is presently fairly well and is holding her own. Despite Hurricane Florence, the animals all have excellent shelters and are safe and well attended.
However, as Summer turns to Autumn and again as Autumn turns to Winter, there are parts of the year in which predators step up their game. One of our hen houses has a double wrap fencing, and should be quite secure from predators, and for about six years, this particular cage has been. It also has wheels so that we may move it periodically to fresh grass for the hens. Until this week, this particular system housed a rooster and three hens, since we have a variety of other hen houses. Then, Sunday morning, we found the ten year old rooster dead and partially dragged through the fencing. We buried Frank, that was his name, and reinforced the fencing for the remaining three girls, who were all about seven years old each.
In our experience, a fox doesn't drag a dead rooster through the sides of a fence, but a raccoon often will. Raccoons can open almost any enclosure with their amazing little hands, and sometimes will close it when they finish.
Sadly, this morning, the three remaining hens were found dead. This pretty much confirms that a raccoon is stalking and eating our chickens. This is sad because the hens were only seven, and Frank, about age ten, was a good protector. To have them all wiped out in the transition from Summer to Fall just seems so unfair.
I will attempt to trap the offending raccoon and locate him to an eight hundred acre forest a distance away. If I cannot, then I will need to shoot him. I cannot have him killing the remainder of the chickens, the ducks, or the guinea fowl this Winter, or developing rabies as is fairly common in this area for raccoons, and then biting one of us or the horses or other livestock. No matter when we lose our animals, it's always unfortunate.
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