I was feeling rather smug about predators and everyone else's problems, when I had none. My beautiful livestock guardian dogs were taking care of any potential problems and nothing got past them, except a fox took a baby goat last year.
Well, that fox had kits and they are eating me out of the farm. I have lost 10 adult chickens, lots of chicks that the mother hens have hatched and about 20 of the chicks from eggs I purchased and had hatched by some one who does that for a hobby. The adolescent chicks are locked up, but I really do not have a run for the chickens. They tend to stay in the middle barn yard, except when they have chicks and then they want to take them away from the other chickens. That is when trouble starts. Jade and Jenna do watch the birds and would not allow a fox in the barnyard, but the fox is so clever. He comes downwind from either side of the farm and is so quiet, he sneaks within 10 feet of the sleeping dog, grabs his prey and is gone. The only prey that made enough noise to get all the dogs after it was the screaming baby rabbit. There are lots of rabbit burrows on the farm from last fall's escapees, who are now adults. The adults have been dispatched now that the babies are old enough to live on their own, but the fox has other plans.
A hunter came today. I told him he could have 2 rabbits since he said he was short on food for his family. He shot 2 yesterday and took them with my permission, but he gave them to his friend who loves rabbit because he knew there were more. Well, I was not too pleased with that and allowed him to take two for himself, but the rabbits were between 16-18 pounds each. So he had 4 and I got 2. If I was selling the rabbits at only $5 a pound that would be a dressed 10-12 pound rabbit at $50 each. I think he was more than well compensated for coming to hunt the fox, which he never did see. He said he will come back tomorrow and I can only hope he finds it so it stops eating my animals. There was a little confusion in how many rabbits he could have and I won't do that again. He was very nice though.
I have a paintball gun bought as a gift from my son, but the gun was in the house that had the flood and is packed away. I have seen the fox numerous times and would shoot it with the paintball gun or the pellet gun that the other son gave me. I will have to get the pellet gun and try my best since the paintball gun is gone someplace.
My hope is not to kill the fox, but for one or two of the dogs to get a whiff of it and hurt it enough so that it never wants to come back again, but not badly enough that it does not recover. I will continue to advertise for a trapper to come and get the fox. I believe there may be more than one hunting at the Fat Ewe Farm and although I do not wish them harm, I wish they felt the same about my animals. I might just be making quick pens for all the birds and locking them up really fast. Drat!
Well, that fox had kits and they are eating me out of the farm. I have lost 10 adult chickens, lots of chicks that the mother hens have hatched and about 20 of the chicks from eggs I purchased and had hatched by some one who does that for a hobby. The adolescent chicks are locked up, but I really do not have a run for the chickens. They tend to stay in the middle barn yard, except when they have chicks and then they want to take them away from the other chickens. That is when trouble starts. Jade and Jenna do watch the birds and would not allow a fox in the barnyard, but the fox is so clever. He comes downwind from either side of the farm and is so quiet, he sneaks within 10 feet of the sleeping dog, grabs his prey and is gone. The only prey that made enough noise to get all the dogs after it was the screaming baby rabbit. There are lots of rabbit burrows on the farm from last fall's escapees, who are now adults. The adults have been dispatched now that the babies are old enough to live on their own, but the fox has other plans.
A hunter came today. I told him he could have 2 rabbits since he said he was short on food for his family. He shot 2 yesterday and took them with my permission, but he gave them to his friend who loves rabbit because he knew there were more. Well, I was not too pleased with that and allowed him to take two for himself, but the rabbits were between 16-18 pounds each. So he had 4 and I got 2. If I was selling the rabbits at only $5 a pound that would be a dressed 10-12 pound rabbit at $50 each. I think he was more than well compensated for coming to hunt the fox, which he never did see. He said he will come back tomorrow and I can only hope he finds it so it stops eating my animals. There was a little confusion in how many rabbits he could have and I won't do that again. He was very nice though.
I have a paintball gun bought as a gift from my son, but the gun was in the house that had the flood and is packed away. I have seen the fox numerous times and would shoot it with the paintball gun or the pellet gun that the other son gave me. I will have to get the pellet gun and try my best since the paintball gun is gone someplace.
My hope is not to kill the fox, but for one or two of the dogs to get a whiff of it and hurt it enough so that it never wants to come back again, but not badly enough that it does not recover. I will continue to advertise for a trapper to come and get the fox. I believe there may be more than one hunting at the Fat Ewe Farm and although I do not wish them harm, I wish they felt the same about my animals. I might just be making quick pens for all the birds and locking them up really fast. Drat!
The birds enjoy true freerange and for the past 5 years it has been without issue. Boo.
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