Relaxed Farming - our farm in your classroom

It was with some trepidation this morning that we let out all the poultry from their houses. We had planned the barn adaptations in our heads with a view to actioning them this morning and then getting all the poultry moved this afternoon/evening. Moving poultry is always better at the end of a day as that way the birds can be put into their new sleeping area and so have a calm night. All day we kept popping down to check that Mr (or Ms) Fox wasn't on the prowl.
Of course it only takes a few minutes for a fox to snatch a 'meal' and as it happened it was during a few minutes when a neighbour was walking by on the footpath that the fox pounced, this time his sights set on a turkey. Fortunately, claps and cries scared him off but not before he had sunk his teeth into Elizabeth's neck (our three year old Bourbon Red). She is currently recuperating in the barn but her injuries are not good and the shock may get the better of her. We lost our male turkey Napoleon through shock after a fox attack last spring - he was totally uninjured but very shaken up and he died three days later.
Previous experience has always led us to believe foxes 'come back' every 'other' day but not this time. We are learning the hard way! The barn is now very full as all 11 turkeys, 40 plus chickens not to mention all the sheep and goats are all ensconced in their own stalls. Dare we say it, Sunday's abattoir trip (with six of our eight sheep) is actually going to provide a bit of relief!!!
Oh and today has been vile weather-wise: sleet, hail, heavy rain and then a thunderstorm. The picture below shows a very empty, sodden and muddy paddock!!