Saturday 27th April 2019

Back on guard duty
Well, today has been a bit of a shocker because we have had a fox visit!!!! The irony is that we are running a course this weekend and proudly told our course attendees that we have no problem with foxes. He (we think it is a he) appeared late afternoon and sadly we lost two birds: our Silver-laced Orrington cockerel and our Brahma X: the former vanished, the latter we found dead. We were actually alerted by the alpacas who. From the corner of her eye as she sat in the study, Jack saw them acting as though something was very amiss: pacing along the perimeter of the poultry paddock, staring into it and getting quite agitated! We raced out in time to see a huge fox, complete with chicken in mouth, beating a hasty retreat. Fortunately the chicken (one of our Marans) was dropped and seems okay but touch wood she doesn’t die of shock overnight!!
Relaxed at Home
So, the alpacas are now IN the poultry paddock and the plan will be they stay there during the day and then spend the night back with the sheep.
We decided to set the trap as the alpaca guarding isn’t a long term solution and we are also worried about our lambs and kids too! A chap in a nearby village will come and dispatch it for us if we catch it so we now wait and see.
It doesn’t sit majorly comfortably with us but we rate our poultry over the fox!!! Sadly!!!.