I thought about it for a while, considering the likelihood of the fox returning. I contacted the owner to say that I would be happy to take her, but I had 6 hens and it would be better for the hen to go somewhere with just 2 or 3 (because 6 established on 1 new hen is awful). I added that I
could take her as a temporary measure, as I had an emergency coop, while he looked for a suitable home.
Her name made me chuckle. I saw a pic and it made me laugh out loud as she looks like our previous Chicken of Fate, Coffee.
She arrived this afternoon, just her in a plastic box (not shut in one, it was obviously just a receptacle for him to carry her). I checked her over for wounds and for lice.
It turns out that the fox attack was a month ago, and the owners were debating whether to get her some friends and hadn't decided what to do. The chap is away from Monday, so I guess this brought things to a head.
She's a sweet little thing, about 2 years old. She's never been in a run, I assume they just had a coop in the garden.
We've sectioned off part of our run, a large (4m x 6m) area which is well shaded and has an emergency coop in. We've popped her in there for now.
The Establishment are not happy, as that area contains (or contained, now, I suppose) their large communal dust bathing area. I've put an extra dust bath in their part of the run, but they aren't amused.
Fay, my uncontrollable Fayoumi, has already come face to face with her, and reacted as one might expect. She is currently patrolling up and down the outside of the run, and complaining loudly.
I'm going to leave her there, shut in for the rest of the day. Tomorrow, she can go out in an area we will fence of specifically for her.
We'll then think about how to move forward.
