The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Livestock => Poultry & Waterfowl => Topic started by: Bionic on April 26, 2012, 09:17:39 am
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Went to open them up this morning and they were already roaming around. It seems I completely forgot to shut them in last night.
Good job foxy wasn't around :D
Sally
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Done that before - glad all was OK :thumbsup:
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Take care, Sally. You wont get away with that many times! ;D
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Ooh very lucky Sally!
If I left ours out all night we'd also have the cockerel under our bedroom window 4am (if Foxy didn't get there that is.._)
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Done that before too, glad we both got away with it ;D
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We've all done it - but don't worry, it soon becomes routine. Thankfully no harm done!
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You were lucky, my chickens are kept inside a stable in our barn. OH put netting over the top. if I am late shutting them in they start roosting on the roof. We have lots of foxes and badgers so leaving them out would be like putting them on a plate for eating.
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Maybe the bad weather has kept the fox away. Anyway I am setting myself an alarm clock to remind me this evening.
Sally
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Phew!
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We invested in a chicken coup automatic door closer - best money spent IMHO ;D
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You were lucky, my chickens are kept inside a stable in our barn. OH put netting over the top. if I am late shutting them in they start roosting on the roof. We have lots of foxes and badgers so leaving them out would be like putting them on a plate for eating.
I have the alarm on my phone set so I don't forget. Also have alarms for turning the heat lamp off, turning it on and getting up :)
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We invested in a chicken coup automatic door closer - best money spent IMHO ;D
+1 :)
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I've done that in the past and not been so lucky :( Lost 2 speckled sussex hens - I was a year down the line in my breeding project with them and had to start again :(
Helen
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Ive done that and on arriving in the morning feathers every where lost over 30 wyandotte bantams all the young ones from last year and not a body to be found. Will never do that again.
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My technique is to not close curtains till you've done the chickens. Then you have a handy reminder and it soon becomes a habit.
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i do that too!
i find i just can't sit and relax until they are in, the day is just not complete until its a job done.
i have forgotten to close the bob hole before though, and had a surprise in the morning when they are out in the run when i get up! the run is fully enclosed and is really just a dog free feeding area for them, but still, i feel like a bad mother thinking they have had the draught from it being open all night.
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Foxes dont just come at night though - if they have young and are hungry they come in the day - so be vigilant.
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In the summer I frequently leave to ramp open as they go to bed later than me!
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I let ours out last saturday at 8.30am at 9.15 had a visit from a fox, killed two and took one. Collected up the chickens put back into coop, the fox came back 3 times, didn't seem to have any fear of us at all. Had to make a make shift run to contain them. Not happy chickens at the mo as used to free rangeing. Got someone coming to dispatch mr fox in the morning, as he seems to appear around the same time each day since last saturday
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that's interesting.... i had a similar experience with a fox about a year ago, since he was dealt with no further incidents.
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Sods law the man with the gun came Saturday morning and sat for 3 hours, Mr Fox didn't make an appearance, but it was lashing down. He also may have thought it strange that a van was parked on the back lawn! Oh well the chicken will have to stay in the run until Mr Fox has been taken care of.