Not bee-related at all, but it is with sadness I have to announce that our 2 hens were brutally "murdered" yesterday.
Unfortunately, and not for the first time, the perpetrator of this crime is not unknown to us. His identitiy was revealed when I called him for dinner and he jumped back over the wall of the yard which had been previously reinforced (and tested) with additional height after previous misdemeanours). Very bold dog!!!!!
When we originally got him, he had been abandoned in the site compound where I was working. He was dangerously underweight and riddled with nasties but we brought him home so as to give him a chance. With a visit to the vets, lots of TLC and time to recuperate he recovered to his current healthy self. Too healthy really as he seems to have Olympic abilities when it comes to jumping! Looking at him, you'd swear that butter wouldn't melt in his mouth. A perfect angel in other respects.
I don't know what to do because there is little more satisfying than fresh eggs but clearly Freddie (as he was christened) and foul are completely incompatible despite ever-increasing security. Do I build a separate coop but risked it being broken into? A hen-type version of Alcatraz in the backyard doesn't seem that appealing. There seems to be limited benefit in keeping your own hens if they have to live under maximum security for their own protection. Our other dog, a collie sheep dog type, had lived with the hens and ducks perfectly happily before Freddie's arrival. [May they rest in peace also] With her natural herding nature, the hens and ducks would be driven around the garden and gobble all of those pesky slugs etc. The absolutely perfect organic pest control system. Alas no more!
Fortunately the bees aren't nearly as troublesome...
