It's always the one time you let something slip your mind.
We went for a walk around dusk last night, and the chickens had put themselves to bed by the time we got home. I didn't do the head count properly when I shut them in. This morning, I found a few scatterings of black feathers around the yard. I presumed a hawk had got a blackbird, and it took a few minutes for the implications to set in and for me to check the chicken run for three chickens.
Forensics indicate that the black chicken took herself to bed roosting in the hedge last night (something she tried to do from time to time) and I failed to notice. She must have been having a lovely time, wandering around having the back yard to herself this morning, when the fox passed through. Poor old girl.
I'm pragmatic about it all because the chickens are livestock rather than pets. I'm annoyed with myself for having let this happen and sad for the poor girl, but it's a lesson I already knew learned again: do a full and thorough head count to make sure the chickens are locked in, every night. It's a pity the fox had to learn that there are tasty treats in my backyard for me to do so.
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4 comments:
ohh, what a shame. I understand the pragmatism perfectly - my first thought was, "Bugger! and she was laying, too!"
Odds are it was quick - and she won't be wasted - but dammit, she was *your* livestock!
Indeed!
My final comment as we all left the house this morning was, "And she was due to lay an egg today, too!"
Poor old girl.
Well, no one wants to lose livestock any more than they do pets. It's a waste! I reckon it's a hard reminder. I always count my chickens at night, just to be on the safe side. Of course, 10 seems so few now, compared to the 19 we had not too long ago.
Precisely, Leigh!
Like you, I always count my chickens at night. I have no excuse because mine were easier to count than yours. But as we've always said: it's the one time you make an error that the fox will come.
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