As you might notice, there isn't a whole lot protecting the chickens from predators in the above coop set up. However, the worst predator of all, was our own pet, Zephy. On day two of the chickens move outdoors, she was allowed entry into the main coop and broke through some stapled chicken wire quickly making prey out of four of the chickens as the sun was setting and John was mowing the lawn.
I was jolted from a pile of grading to the sounds of John screaming. It was pretty awful. John, never having been a big "dog person" anyway, was rightfully furious with Zephy. I was tapped with the stresses of the end of the school year and couldn't let myself get emotionally involved. I did dig a whole to bury the feathered friends and helped John lay them to rest.
The kids took the news in stride. Cally responded by saying, "that's okay, we can just get more". So, we did. We drove an hour and a half away to Orwell and picked up 4 poulets (two month old chickens). However, when we woke up the morning after they arrived, all four chickens were free ranging and we knew Zephy might make quick prey of them too. So, John went big and created this chicken coop:
Now, there are five chickens (on of the original disappeared and one survives on). I can't wait until we get some eggs out of these ladies, but I guess we might have to wait until the fall.
