Last month I wrote about our farm's No Mean Animals Rule, and what happened to the guinea fowl who violated it.
Tonight Fredo has company.
My husband Mike plugged one of the foxes who has been snagging poultry from our farm. Mike was outside working on The Pentagon, a five-sided chicken coop, and at the same time preparing his deer stand for the upcoming season. While taking a break he saw a fox run through the front yard with a hen in its mouth.
The fox was so intent on catching the chicken he didn't even notice Mike was there. Using a few choice invectives, Mike hollered at the fox to get away. The fox dropped the hen, who escaped. Mike was able to get his hands on his rifle, a Winchester Model 94 .22 Magnum. From 75 yards away he took aim at the fox. Down, instantly.
A few months ago on my Facebook page someone had posted photos of a dead fox, and they were the topic of conversation all day. So I thought I'd post one here. The fox was a full-grown male, having grown lean and strong on free-range chicken. The shot was so clean he looks as if he's sleeping. With those long legs and bottle-brush tail, it's amazing how such a beautiful animal could be so destructive.
On a farm you don't celebrate killing as much as you celebrate survival. And a few more chickens will get to live out the year instead of being spirited off, which had to have been a terrifying experience.
When The Pentagon is completed later this month we'll find out for sure how many chickens have been lost this summer. The ones that were left gathered in a small circle as Mike laid the corpse out. If they could, the chickens would have sung "Ding Dong The Fox Is Dead."
Related Posts:
Where Have All the Chickens Gone?
"You're Dead to Me, Fredo."
The Bruno Witch Project
My husband Mike plugged one of the foxes who has been snagging poultry from our farm. Mike was outside working on The Pentagon, a five-sided chicken coop, and at the same time preparing his deer stand for the upcoming season. While taking a break he saw a fox run through the front yard with a hen in its mouth.
The fox was so intent on catching the chicken he didn't even notice Mike was there. Using a few choice invectives, Mike hollered at the fox to get away. The fox dropped the hen, who escaped. Mike was able to get his hands on his rifle, a Winchester Model 94 .22 Magnum. From 75 yards away he took aim at the fox. Down, instantly.
A few months ago on my Facebook page someone had posted photos of a dead fox, and they were the topic of conversation all day. So I thought I'd post one here. The fox was a full-grown male, having grown lean and strong on free-range chicken. The shot was so clean he looks as if he's sleeping. With those long legs and bottle-brush tail, it's amazing how such a beautiful animal could be so destructive.
On a farm you don't celebrate killing as much as you celebrate survival. And a few more chickens will get to live out the year instead of being spirited off, which had to have been a terrifying experience.
When The Pentagon is completed later this month we'll find out for sure how many chickens have been lost this summer. The ones that were left gathered in a small circle as Mike laid the corpse out. If they could, the chickens would have sung "Ding Dong The Fox Is Dead."
Related Posts:
Where Have All the Chickens Gone?
"You're Dead to Me, Fredo."
The Bruno Witch Project
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