A bit of farm shrafting..

[JonnyP]

We have a small copse here, and we sometimes go and kip there, hunt there or just chill out over there.
We bought a parachute when at the RV over Easter, so we decided to try and set it up in a clearing in the copse. I had to go in with the brush cutter and clear the nettles and hogweed first, and then we set up the chute. I had trouble finding some trees high enough to get a cord across to take the chute, so it was a bit saggy, but not too bad.


Janie got a fire going and we made up a bannock..


I wanted to use the new stock pot, so we used it as an oven to cook the bannock. It seemed funny, using it upside down on its first use.


We had some beans to go with the cheesy bannock, so a two tiered cooking system was found to be the best..


Bannock could of done with a little longer in the oven, but it worked out ok..


We had a fun evening and sank a few ciders and beer, as you do..
I kipped on the ground for the first time in ages.. It gets harder to do as you get older, so its back to the hammock for the next time..

One of our chickens was had by the fox last night too.. Its the first one we have lost, so I am out to get me a fox family now..
The chickens have learnt that they can escape from their house by jumping out of a top window (its an old engine house and quite tall), so we often wake up and find a few escaped chickens. We were lucky that only one escaped last night (or more likely, early morning).
Janie is very sad about it. It was one of our first chickens we had here, and it was mothering the 9 chicks, so they are on their own now..
Got to mesh up the window today..
Now that foxy has killed one, it will be back for more. Its bound to be feeding young, so we are going to look for the den..

[MrEd]

For your fox thing, a friend had a similar problem on his farm with a fox getting the ducks (african runners) so we hid within shooting distance of the coop and rigged up a big floodlight that when we hit the switch would illuminate the coop and startle the fox.

It worked a treat and the fox was dispatched on the second night. Not by me btw it was by my friends father. Bit harsh but the livestock where his livelihood

[JonnyP]

Originally Posted by MrEd

For your fox thing, a friend had a similar problem on his farm with a fox getting the ducks (african runners) so we hid within shooting distance of the coop and rigged up a big floodlight that when we hit the switch would illuminate the coop and startle the fox.

It worked a treat and the fox was dispatched on the second night. Not by me btw it was by my friends father. Bit harsh but the livestock where his livelihood

Not harsh at all, pests have to be controlled..
I have just got back from looking for fox dens around here.. Found one old white poo and a fox skeleton but that was it. Couldn't even smell any..
I did disturb two big owls that were roosting..

[spiritofold]

Great pix

Your lucky having all that land to play with

[JonnyP]

Originally Posted by spiritofold

Great pix

Your lucky having all that land to play with

Very lucky.. Cheers mate..

[Opal]

The 'chute reminds me of Close Encounters....

[Silverback]

Probably not that original fox you were having problems with Jon, I reckon he's probably died of old age now, hang on, did I hear you mention you had found a skeleton?

Seriously though this years Charlies will have all but left their earths now so keep a close eye out for those pesky cubs looking for an easy meal and make sure you keep the grass cut nice and short around your chooks as they will take them by ambush in broad daylight now. From a dutch barn roof I once saw cubs stalking chickens in a hay meadow and it was like the raptor scene from Jurassic Park

[JonnyP]

Originally Posted by Silverback

Probably not that original fox you were having problems with Jon, I reckon he's probably died of old age now, hang on, did I hear you mention you had found a skeleton?

Yeah yeah, I will get me one, one day, you'll see..

Originally Posted by Silverback

Seriously though this years Charlies will have all but left their earths now so keep a close eye out for those pesky cubs looking for an easy meal and make sure you keep the grass cut nice and short around your chooks as they will take them by ambush in broad daylight now. From a dutch barn roof I once saw cubs stalking chickens in a hay meadow and it was like the raptor scene from Jurassic Park

Bet that was amazing to watch..
Trouble with the chickens is they go everywhere around here and there are many hedges and places a fox could hide..
We lost two of our chicks today. Now that the mother has gone there is no one to protect them. Janie found one of them that had been eaten by a bird of prey, main skeleton and wings intact but insides all gone, all delicately done.. The other bird has disappeared.. We did have a poorly chick (marricks disease sp.? proberbly, we get a lot of that here), and its one of the ones that has gone, so maybe it wandered off to die..?? Or maybe a fox got it.. They are all in an enclosed run now which they will not like..
All I can do is keep the trap going and sit out with the gun of an evening and wait..

[Kepis]

That there bannock looks tasty Jon

[Marcus2]

How loose/good a fit is the pan lid Johnny?