That’s Not a FOX in the Chicken Coop

A couple of weeks ago – at the worst possible time – our puppy Bella figured out how to get inside of the chicken coop…

I put in what I thought was a good fix…except she wasn’t coming in the door…she was coming in the southeast corner of the coop, right under the chicken wire…

Unfortunately, I discovered this a day too late.

The day after discovering her prancing about in the chicken coop, I discovered her chasing a chicken outside of the chicken coop. She had tunneled into the chicken coop, retrieved her victim chicken, and then chased the poor hen about the yard for possibly an hour or more. I found feathers everywhere.

If I had had any experience with actually killing chickens, I would have been better off just putting her down then. But I didn’t. Two days later she finally did die and I contemplated puppycide all over again.

Lessons Learned

But honestly, I have to see the positive side of all this. Bella did me a favor of sorts. one I still don’t properly appreciate, considering one of my girls died as a result of it.

The fact is, she showed us that the coop was vulnerable…quite vulnerable. if a raccoon, fox or opossum wanted in, it wouldn’t take any time at all.

We reinforced the corner and the entire south wall of the coop. I think we might still need to reinforce the ground underneath the gate.

I guess I have Bella to thank for another milestone – my little Emily now knows how to tie her own shoes. This occurred the day after Bella ate the last of her Velcro fastened shoes. the pickings are slim on shoes these days ’round our house – and we have learned to hide them inside of these magical places called closets.

Meanwhile we have seriously considered renaming that darn dog Shoe Bane.

Time for more Chickens

Ideally, I would like five more laying hens. so if anyone knows of any, please let me know. I don’t want to pay any more than $5 for a young adult laying hen or $2 for a chick. I would consider taking my chances with fertilized eggs – I’ve got a couple of hens that are looking rather broody.

Plus I haven’t ruled out the possibility of doing at least one round of meat birds. if it worked out (in other words, if we don’t totally freak over the idea of killing the birds) then I would do it regularly – first for our own needs and later for sales elsewhere (neighbors, friends, family, and at the farmer’s market).

Tip of the Day from 1,001 Ways to Save the Earth

Tip #10 – Wake up and smell the coffee – Shun chemical-containing “air fresheners,” and make use of naturally satisfying aromas, such as potpourri – or fresh bread and coffee!

Note: I use the bags full of coffee grounds we get from Starbucks, not just the coffee, and line our kitchen trash with them. it cuts down on the stinky trash – which is important since we sometimes only have enough trash to change it every other week.

Coming later this week – amazingly yummy and simple bread recipes you can make in a dutch oven. Yum, yum!