Tuesday, April 20, 2010

GLADYS, ONE SPECIAL HEN

Last evening at 7:34 I found dear sweet Gladys. Yesterday's drama took a toll, but ended in the following. Was informed that it is legal to kill a predator if it is on one's property causing harm to pets or farm animals. With that being said I took target practice last evening. Killing is not something I choose to do, but feel I have been forced into it. Just call me Annie Oakley with a double barrel shotgun. The fox population is quite prolific in our area, trapping is just not feasible. Georgia was left dead, intact, not taken for food, just killed. At 7:34, by the edge of my garden I found Gladys, ALIVE!!!!! She was hurt, bleeding and in shock. DH and I managed to get her into the four star hotel where she promptly drank water and nibbled on lettuce. A good sign, however we were not confident she would make it through the night- the odds were not in her favor. This evening she is holding her own, her wattle has regained some color and she has just bestowed upon me an afternoon egg. A good sign I hope. I am not sure how Gladys was able to make her way home, but am so happy and thankful she did. For now she will remain inside and her sisters unfortunately have to stay enclosed behind chicken wire. Better safe than sorry, as the old adage goes. I want to thank you all for leaving such heart warming comments, blogging friends are just the greatest. It is also reassuring to know there other people in this world who love their chickens as much as I do. From all of us here at Dog Trot Farm, thank you for caring.

31 comments:

John Going Gently said...

I have a gladys lookalike...she is called mary!!!
she survived a dog attack a while ago and pasta pulled her through...try some cooked spaghetti

best wishes john

JulieF1962 said...

Oh, how wonderful!!!! I have tears in my eyes....... What a beautiful and unexpected ending to this tragedy! :)

Julie

Kim said...

WOW....This just confirms that Gladys is definately special. I hope she heals quickly and regains her well-earned position as Queen of Dog Trot Farms.
Amazing!!

A New England Life said...

Such a bitter sweet ending. Yes, it appears the fox will not stop. Chances are it will be back again very soon. At some point it would stop just killing and start eating.

I'm glad Gladys made her way back. Hopefully she'll make a full recovery and go on to live a full life. You practice up, Annie! I just hope it's not a mother fox with kits.

Pondside said...

Long may she live and lay wonderful eggs - one special hen, indeed!
I'm really glad for all of you.

Ginny said...

Give Gladys hugs from everyone and Ginnysyard.

Anonymous said...

Yay!!! Hooray for Gladys! Oh, Julie, I am so pleased at this news. I hope for the best for Gladys. She is amazing --she knew her chicken mother would take care of her!

Just wondering.... maybe some antibiotics in case of fox bite infection? Sending more chicken love from Henbogle to Dog Trot Farm,
Ali

Eve said...

I was so happy when you called me this morning and told me the good news Julie! You go Gladys!!! She'll make it...if old Gimpy can do it...so can you!
Sending love and a good aim!!

Kathy in KY said...

I am so happy to hear about your Gladys. I know that when I move to my farm (someday) I plan to raise egg-layers, and I'm sure they'll all live to a ripe old age. I hope that she regains her strength, and I know you and DH will care so well for her during her healing. So good to hear this!

Anonymous said...

ps Julie, I hope you don't mind but I posted about Gladys' amazing story on Henbogle, and pointed people over here to read the full story Let me know if you'd prefer I not, ok?

Brenda's Arizona said...

Hurrah, Gladys! This news made my day!!! And an egg to go with it?

Jenny wren's nest said...

Wow, I feel like I fell of the edge of the bloggy world, I haven't been around since before april 1, sorry to hear about the fox, it's expecillay hard to take when they kill for fun.
we had a dog who would kill for fun, I hated that dog.
Jenny

Unknown said...

Oh my goodness, the ups and the downs you have been through! You must be drained. This is such good news, she's obviously one tough little cookie. We're all rooting for her here at the old farmhouse.

~Andrea~

Flat Creek Farm said...

Hip hip hooray for Gladys! Prayers for her full recovery, and hugs for you both. She truly is a special hen :) -Tammy

Kritter Keeper at Farm Tails said...

my heart goes out to you...saw your earlier post and i just had to leave as losing loving pets no matter the species is too much to bare...so glad your baby is alive and will heal. you know weasels kill and do not eat chickens... foxes usually eat them especially with pups soon to come. you might want to google to get more info. and what about owls or hawks...and raccoons...do they just kill and not eat chickens? my loser neighbor seems to think so and trapped my raccoons. i used to see them during late day on occaision when i fed corn to the deer.

your're the human and must outwit the predator. killing a fox is only a bandaid, another will come and eventually take over the territory and you will have repeated heartache. proper caging, adding guardian dogs, wireless technology, etc. i know i would experience the same problems so that is why i don't push hard for chickens until i know for sure....my own dogs would probably eat them!

i saw some chicks yesterday and talked to all the babies...maybe one day for me.

my friend no longer loses chickens or ducks now she has a great pyr. he is awesome and she has him on a wireless electronic collar so he doesn't run off. hint hint! ;-)

Finegan Antiques said...

WONDERFUL NEWS!!!!!!! Way to Gladys. You are one tough little lady. I will say a prayer that she has a full recovery.

Donna

Peacemom said...

So happy to hear of Gladys' return! Wishing her a continued recovery. Sorry to hear about having to take out Mr or Ms Fox, but it's a tough choice to make that needs to be done. Can't keep loosing your feathered family! Best wishes! ~Vonnie, NH

doglady said...

The fox probably has a family of kits to feed and probably would have returned for its kill. Who knows what caused it to leave initially. I had a Goshawk, a year round dweller in our Maine woods, take 4 hens this winter. This is what happens when we move into the wildlife's neighborhood. We just have to take precautions.
Gladys will probably do fine. A healthy hen can take quite a beating and come back. She is a beautiful girl and lucky she is on a small homestead rather than large producer.

Razzberry Corner said...

All the chickens at Razzberry Corner & I are celebrating Gladys' return!! Good luck with the fox removal. I think a fox has moved into our backyard, so we are keeping ours eyes open and chickens behind fences!
~Lynn

Cedar ... said...

I've been away from the blog world for more than a week, returning today to find your sad news. Those beautiful girls are not "just hens" they are part of your family,... please give Gladys a little pet from me!

JC said...

That is great news. So glad you found her. I so hope you can figure out someway to keep them safe.

Ellen said...

Yippee for Gladys. This is great news. I just know she will recover and lay lots and lots of eggs.

DayPhoto said...

Oh good you found her!!! I wish could find Honey Hen.

Since your other hen was just killed I think I suspect dogs. Dogs are terrible about stuff like that...sport!

We killed a HUGE fat skunk today. Terry thinks he/she is what took Honey Hen, but I wonder. Skunks usually just kill and either eat the head or slash the throat and drink the blood. Whatever took Honey Hen took the whole body. That means coyote, fox, or sky predator.

Linda
http://coloradofarmlife.wordpress.com

Ken and Mary of Fancy Fibers Farm said...

My first time reading your blog. Another blogger mentioned it on her blog. I'm so happy that your Gladys made it home alive. We have a couple dozen or so hens and we love and treasure them. I know how it feels to lose a favorite, as we had 1 of our special Barred Rock's mortally injured by an overexuberant puppy. We were fortunate to add a chicken loving Pyr as a LGD and not too many predators want any part of our Big White Dog. Anyway, we hope your girl pulls through and lives out her full life. Ken and Mary of Fancy Fibers Farm

Claire MW said...

What a wonderful ending to an otherwise very sad story. So glad to read about a good news farm story these days! We have all had such sad losses.

Linda said...

I'm happy to hear Gladys showed up. We have hens, and have lost several to various varmints over the years.

I hopped over here from Henbogle and have enjoyed reading your posts.

Farm Girl said...

I just could not believe when I read your post that Gladys came back!!! I am so happy. I mean I would consider that a huge miracle. She even gave you a egg. I hope she gets better soon, and I am really hoping you are a very good shot.

Taylor said...

What a story- and what a hen! When I was growing up we had a rooster that ran off into the woods after some dogs attacked our chickens. We could hear him crowing waaaaay off in the distance for a few days then nothing. We feared the worst. About a month later he showed up (walking down the driveway, no less!). He had a bunch of brambles in his feathers, but after a few days he was good as new. They are remarkable creatures- here's hoping she bounces back quickly!

jc said...

Just found your blog via a link from Gail. I love chickens and always spend time feeding the ones kept at the livery yard where I keep my horse. They have so much personality - can't believe that we allow battery farms to exist.

JulieF1962 said...

Just wondering how you and Gladys are doing.....hope all is well.

Julie

Boggy Creek Stitches & Loops said...

Glady's truly is a lucky girl! We don't have many fox here but the one that was here did damage and killed 4 of my barred rock girls before going to "greener pastures". It was a female and very very thin, probably starving. Sadly, in this area there's a lot of new homes being built and taking the habitats of many animals ~ really makes me mad! Our once rural community is not so much anymore. That being said ~ my chickens are not supper for me and definitely not supper for wild critters! I can't kill anything but my husband can...
Glady's is beautiful!!!!