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[EarthNSky <erthnsky AT bellsouth.net>]

Well, an afternoon update....
Earlier this afternoon, I had to go to town, and when I came back three
hours later, I did email and then went out for evening chores.
I saw a few chickens out of the fence, put them back in, and did a head
count.
A week ago, when I got back from Mountain Lakes, I had 26 chickens.
At lunch today, I only counted 20...some were missing, as I said before.
 By this evening, four had wandered back, ready to go back into the
fence for roosting, so the total was 24.
24, plus the barred rock I lost yesterday, is 25, and I realized I had a
chicken missing, so I went walking around looking for it...
I found her.  It was a Buff Orpington, dead, headless, and with entrails
partially removed, about 100 feet from the garden down behind the house. :(
So as of this minute, I have 24 birds.
I sent out the haveaheart trap baited with a BBQ sandwich..I figured the
meat, bread and sweet BBQ sauce would be irresistible to a raccoon.  I
also put a crumpled up piece of aluminum foil in the trap as I read
somewhere that the shiny foil peaks the coon's curiosity.
I found an old radio and plugged it in at the greenhouse, and the volume
can be heard across the garden.
As I see it, there are only two things left to do...camp out with the
gun, and pull out the Visa card and buy better fencing.  I *really*
don't want to do the latter, at least not yet.
<sigh>

Bev


Robert Walton wrote:
> > If a dog is in a nearby kennel, but not specifically with the
> > birds, do you think that would deter a coon or weasel?
>
> That's a maybe. Whatever it was that was coming after my birds would 
> rush them when the dogs were out. But try it, its free
>
> > > Do you have an electric fencer?
> > Yes, I do.  I may have to do that, too.  6" up??
>
> I got it as close to the ground as I could. Two or three strands
> might be better. Idea is to shock them goin gunder or over.
>
> Rob _______________________________________________ Homestead list
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--
BevanRon of EarthNSky Farm   NW Georgia USDA Zone 7
34.498N 85.076W    Bev is Earth, Ron is Sky