Earlier this year, at the beginning of our backyard farming adventure, we had several (and I mean several) pullets go missing. It was frustrating because we couldn't seem to keep the darn things alive for more than a couple of months.
Finally we noticed the tiniest gap in the chicken wire and the ground, and dirt had been dug out to make it bigger. Something was sneaking in the coop and gobbling them up in the night. But what? At the time, after googling a lot, we decided it must be a fox. We did what any good backyard farmers would do, and we bought an expensive trap to catch the culprit with.
Weeks go by, and no matter what we baited it with, we couldn't catch the fox. But we did catch a tortoise, who was very pleased to be released. Oh, and we caught a skunk once, too. He was happy to be released too I think, and we were very happy to not get sprayed (I was, anyway, since I actually did all the work 😉).
After weeks of no luck, we gave up on catching that sneaky fox and decided instead to build an impenetrable coop!
That worked for a while. At least, until a few weeks ago when we noticed something trying to dig its way back in. Not so impenetrable after all.
The stakes are higher this time, though. We finally have a flock of layers--good ones! We're getting 4 eggs a day! We can't afford to feed the local wildlife anymore. So, we got out our trap, and my husband very cleverly stuck it in the chicken tunnel, giving the perpetrator two choices: It could go down the tunnel where it dead-ins, or it could go into the trap.
The culprit chose to go in the direction of the chicken coop, which meant he went into the trap. And trapped he was!
Finally, the vandal is behind bars, as he should be! Lynch him, I say! Lynch him!
And the poor thing, trapped in the cold, probably hungry, looks up at me with sad, don't-eat-me eyes. And I suddenly have the most peculiar urge to take it inside where it's warm and safe and to feed him something he might would like (must be the mom in me).
My heart is too big to do this poor thing any harm. So, behind bars he will stay until the judge (my husband) can give him his sentence.
It was a raccoon, by the way. We still haven't caught that fox.
