High Drama in the Chookhouse

It's 3:52am and I am wide awake.  In the chookrun a ferret skulks in a trap.  We can hear the occasional rattle as it tries to free itself.  I know that in the morning I will have to kill it!

We were woken earlier this morning by the screaming of a chicken.  I didn't know chickens could scream, it was surely a sound I have not heard before.  Due to the unusual placement of our chook run it is right outside our bedroom windows.  Bad news, bad news.  I woke with a start, jolted by the sound.  Mark is grumbling that he will ignore the noise, but I cant.  By the time I rushed outside in dressing gown and gumboots the chicken noise is horrible.  Mark reluctantly got up, and went to the garage to get a hammer.  Actually he came back with a torch, which proved to be just as good as a hammer.

My god, a FERRET was trying to drag one of the chickens (still alive) under the chookhouse.  Dumb thing had not worked out that one large chicken will not fit into one small ferret hole! The chicken's head and neck are under the chookhouse and the rest of it is flapping around.  Mark dragged it back by its feet, dragging the ferret out at the same time.  He proceeded to hit the ferret on the head with the torch to make it let go, which eventually it did, retreating into the hole.

We close the chookhouse door (we have been slack recently and not locked them in at night)

We went back to bed.

5 minutes later we got up again.  More drama....the ferret is now trying to climb through the chicken netting to grab a chook which is not perching but sitting in a drab heap on the chookhouse floor.  I have the torch trained on the sharp toothed killer, it's in the spotlight.  This doesn't seem to deter it one little bit.

Right, I go and get the dog from Matt's room.  Dog is pleased to see me, but not pleased to be thrown in to the chookrun in the middle of the night.  Mark tries to interest the dog in the hole where the ferret has retreated for a second time.  Dog ignores Mark and tries to get out the gate....

We do have a ferret trap, left over from our last ferret experience (2 ferrets on consecutive nights).  I get it out, and place an egg into it.

We go back to bed.

Neither of us can sleep....soon we hear the telltale rattling sound of a ferret enjoying an egg, but not enjoying captivity.  Thank god they are not particularly bright!  Yay, one ferret caught.  However, Mark and I are wide awake.  A cup of tea and a read of a book....

Photo to come in the morning :-) night all....