Morning everyone,
The day before yesterday, we lost 3 chickens overnight. A raccoon chewed the heads off two chickens and the third was still alive, but after cleaning his head wounds, found what I think was part of his skull that was sticking up through the open wound. It was very deep when I found that I gave up the thought that he would make it. He fought hard for life, he lived almost a whole day before he passed. I was so upset I could have killed the coon with my bare hands if I could have got ahold of it. Our pen now looks like Fort Knox. Nothing can get through. If I had my way I would bear-proof it using wood with nails through it laying all around the pen on the ground about 3 feet wide out away from the sides of the pen. Still might. Never had this happen in Ohio and as a child and mom had 12 chickens in the country and this never happened. I am thinking that this W.V. is a little too wild when it comes to animals.
Just about a week ago a cop that lives on up the neighborhood, shot a deer (two shots) just up the road from where we live (about 50 feet uphill) from us. Left it there to "stink" as the summer heat rises and we get to smell it. I stood on our balcony and watched him walk from his truck toward our place for the second shot. Then he turned and walked to his truck and left. This happened in our next-door neighbor's front yard, he told us that the person was a cop that lived up the hill from us.
You hear gunshots now and then out here in the woods, you get used to it, probably just people killing deers hit by a car, or shooting raccoons or whatever.
Just can't wait until we get our shed for the chickens, then they can be locked up at night.
Margo
