Filled was the air with a dreamy and magical light; and the landscape
Lay as if new created in all the freshness of childhood. - Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
Yesterday the landscape was looking kind of bleak. Oh the sun was shining but looking up into the woods was now different. What brought about this diffence? Well after doing the morning chores I came in to do dishes and laundry and I heard a chicken clucking like she had just laid an egg. She was very loud and I thought, Wow it must have been a big one and didn't pay much attention to it. The birds 
started singing and I just went about my business. A short time later the chickens and ducks started making a ruckus and I couldn't ignore it any more when the dogs started going crazy. So barefoot I go outside to check to see what is wrong. There was a coyote chasing a chicken! I start running toward them and it catches the chicken and starts to run away with it! These broiler chicks are weighing in at about 8 pounds right now so I was surprised that it did it so effortlessly. Right before it gets to the woods the chicken gets away and starts coming back and the coyote started to follow but then decided not to and ran into the woods. The injured chicken wont let me by her as she is totally freaked out with good reason but I see she has some injuries. 
I walk around the coops and garden trying to ascertain the damages. I was missing a pekin duck, an indian runner duck, RI red hen and 2 broiler chickens. In the front yard I do find a dead chicken. I go into the house to get some shoes on and a bag to put the dead one in. As I am coming out of the house and walking toward the body, the coyote is coming across the yard for dessert! I start yelling and running toward it. Granted that wasn't the smartest thing to do but it worked as he/she decided to take for the woods again. 
started singing and I just went about my business. A short time later the chickens and ducks started making a ruckus and I couldn't ignore it any more when the dogs started going crazy. So barefoot I go outside to check to see what is wrong. There was a coyote chasing a chicken! I start running toward them and it catches the chicken and starts to run away with it! These broiler chicks are weighing in at about 8 pounds right now so I was surprised that it did it so effortlessly. Right before it gets to the woods the chicken gets away and starts coming back and the coyote started to follow but then decided not to and ran into the woods. The injured chicken wont let me by her as she is totally freaked out with good reason but I see she has some injuries. I walk around the coops and garden trying to ascertain the damages. I was missing a pekin duck, an indian runner duck, RI red hen and 2 broiler chickens. In the front yard I do find a dead chicken. I go into the house to get some shoes on and a bag to put the dead one in. As I am coming out of the house and walking toward the body, the coyote is coming across the yard for dessert! I start yelling and running toward it. Granted that wasn't the smartest thing to do but it worked as he/she decided to take for the woods again. The rest of the day everytime I heard a squawk I went running. In the end the RI red hen came back uninjured from where ever she was hiding, but I had two injured broilers which the man had to put down and bury. So I lost four broilers and two ducks.
The man and my brother went up into the woods and there was the coyote. They got off a shot but missed it. So the broilers are going to the butcher on Friday and then I just have to worry about my layers and ducks. I have to stop the free range for a while and get a fence up to keep them safe. I don't want to have to kill the coyote but I can't afford to loose any more. If 9lbs of free range chicken sells for $33 then I just lost almost $100 plus two laying ducks. I realize I am not selling them but they are my food for my family.
Today I will work in the gardens so that should hopefully keep it away, if not I guess I will be running again.
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