Flat Tyre and Foxes

I really like this time of year. There are lots of larch (tamarack) trees here and just now all the needles are falling. There are drifts of larch needles everywhere. They get damp and stick to our shoes and get tracked into the house. On the up side, it makes everything smell like a dreamy Christmas tree farm.

Early on Saturday morning I went out to feed the chickens and collect the eggs. As the chicken run was muddy I thought the gals would enjoy a scratch about in the garden. As I was walking back to the house I discovered that my car had a flat tyre. Nuts.

I called and asked the road service man come out and swap the flat with the collapsible spare. It was not an emergency, so the sweet gal on the phone said it would be a while. They'd call when the van was on the way. When the call came, I thought I'd shoo the chickens back in and one of the new red ones was missing. I should have six red hens and I could only see five. Perhaps the missing hen was off laying an egg in tall grass or something. They'd only been out of the chicken run a short time.

The flat was removed and the mini collapsible spare tyre was put on and I drove into town and got a proper new tyre on the car.

When I got back from town, the missing hen was still missing. It must have been snatched by a a fox. I hate foxes. These hens were out for such a short time and one was nabbed in broad daylight! I'm sure if Polly had been out, the chickens would have been safe, but she was in the house with me. Why did it have to be one of the new hens. They're really good layers. The fox could have had one of the egg-shy old ones but they're probably too smart. Its the young, tender and dumb ones that are always at the greatest risk.

So, now I've got one less hen but the air here smells great.