And that did Too

These guys are.....or were....much bigger now

I'm thankful for a phone call this morning. Normally I just let Daisy out the back door and maybe stand on the porch while I wait, or possibly even come in and get her dog food ready.

However, this morning Alan called me to chat for a while before he went to sleep for the day, as he is on nights, way down in the big city.

Thus I went out in my bathrobe to enjoy the dawn, the talking with my boy, and just being alive.

Heard something wrong. Saw something out of the corner of my eye that didn't look quite right. The big chickens down in the barn were making a monotonous alarm call as if they had been at it for a long time. They sounded tired.

Then Pumpkin, the fluffy logger cat, ran up the driveway and I thought, 'Okay, they were alarming at the cat."

But they didn't stop. So mini Dachshund in tow I meandered down toward the heifer barn where the big hen flock is. Sneakers untied, eyes still blurred with sleep, not exactly at my best.....

Out of the barn sprang a huge, motley-looking red fox, literally licking his chops. This was a really big fox. Usually when I see one I am surprised by how small they actually are. Not this guy.

I hustled down to find the wire all mashed down on the brooder, some beady, terrified eyes looking up at me, and bodies mashed under the wire. 

Yep, he got the chicks Liz featured on her blog in a post she wrote just yesterday.

I called the kids out to look at the situation. The fox ate eight chicks, and killed a couple others, leaving only six out of sixteen. The six are now in a cat kennel in the dining room, Driving Miss Daisy plumb crazy. She came to us because she is a poultry killer herself and did much damage in a past life. She would like to finish what the fox started I fear. Thank goodness for the kitchen baby gate (which has been keeping dogs in the kitchen for over twenty years.)

So....although I am always glad when my boy calls me, but today I am extra glad. Now there are big jobs to be done before that son of a gun gets the big hens, or the coop full of guineas, turkey and a couple of chickens up on the lawn. 

Or Heaven forbid the turkeys.