Foxes, and chickens, and bears, oh my!

One morning last week I heard lots of squawking and noise outside.  Finnlee came running saying she saw a fox.  We ran outside to find the chickens all flustered.  Fred was calling out his danger cry.  There was no sign of the fox.  But I found a pile of feathers in the chicken run.  Then at the edge of the clearing another pile of feathers.  Off in the woods I followed a feather trail to the body of our sweet Rhoda.  The fox must have broken her neck in the attack but I scared it off before it had a chance to eat her.  Such a shame to loose one of our best layers that way.  I cleaned and skinned her body and she is sitting in our freezer beside the first one we haven't had the nerve to eat yet.  Inside her I found one last egg, fully developed, ready to lay.  That evening as we were eating dinner I heard Fred's danger cry again.  Sure enough the fox was back.  I yelled out the window and clapped my hands to frighten it away.  Chris ran out of the house barefoot and chased it all the way into the woods yelling at the top of his lungs.  Everyone says you can't scare away a fox.  They will keep coming back as long as they can get your chickens.  Chris must be scarier than anyone else because we haven't seen the fox since!

I took this picture of Rhoda a few days before the fox killed her

To help keep the fox away we have been keeping Molly dog outside all day.  She hunts chipmunks, follows the kids around, and sleeps under the van.  After feeding the chickens one day I whistled for Molly as I walked up the path to the house.  I saw her hunched black form on the driveway ahead of me and called her again.  She nudged my hand from behind as I was looking at the black furry mound on the driveway.  Then it turned its head.  It was a bear.  Then I saw another one.  Both small, but larger than Molly.  Likely last year's cubs kicked out by mom to make room for a new baby.  I kept Molly's attention as I lead her to the house.  I didn't know what she would do if she saw them, and I didn't want to find out!  I put Molly in the house and came back out to watch the cubs.  I was torn by the urge to go get the camera or keep watching.  I decided I should see what way they went and make sure that Mama wasn't with them too.  I stayed on the porch by the door in case I needed to move fast.  The cubs ignored me as the ambled across the driveway.  A car drove by waving and pointing at the bears in front of me.  The cubs took that as their cue to meander into the woods along the road away from the house.  They were so beautiful!  I feel honoured to have had the opportunity to observe them.  Maybe I need to start carrying the camera around when I do chores!