Relaxed Farming - our farm in your classroom

A delightfully sunny morning so everything (aside from the dairy goats) had the chance to go out: the sheep and pygmies onto their concrete apron and the alpacas into the poultry paddock (along with all the poultry of course). Our nervousness about the fox was more heightened today despite the lack of him yesterday. Jupiter and Neptune walked over the worst of the muddy bits and headed for their hay rack whilst the poultry, ever more used to them, sunbathed and ate grass. All very delightful...
Mid-afternoon arrived and another storm came in with torrential rain and rumbling thunder so everything headed back inside, including the two boys. We had left the gate open for them as we wanted to see whether they were happy to stay out or preferred to go in, plus we are worried about them slipping when it rains so heavily. They chose to come in. After half an hour or so, the rain subsided and some of the poultry started to head back out. Trouble was we had NOT left the gate open for the alpacas to also go back out and within no more than five or ten minutes, our fox snuck back in, snatched a cockerel and disappeared. The alarm was raised by the shrieks of some of the birds, by which time of course it was too late. We cursed ourselves that we had not gone back down to open the gate for the boys whilst guiltily thankful that the cockerel in question was actually destined for the pot anyway!!
So, it seems we have a VERY determined fox and now feel that until we get the area a little less muddy and a lot safer for the alpacas, all poultry must stay in. Woodchip is to be ordered tomorrow so hopefully by the end of the week we may be a bit more sorted! Of course Clive may bring us news if he manages to shoot it which will solve the immediate problem but as we regularly see at least two foxes if we go out at night, we suspect we wouldn't be problem-free for long!!