the great chicken mystery: coyotes vs. bobcats

hello miller farmers far and near!

it's been a productive summer here at the farm with a full house of people. the weather has been beautiful and the garden (and dumpsters!) have been plentiful. the interns have been doing an awesome job in keeping things running smoothly. the composting toilet is working in full swing. we finished the meat chicken fiasco, which made over $200 for farm projects. we've had girls inc and explore-a-college kids out to visit and work on farm projects. here's a little photo tour to show you what's up:





the garden, looking a little soggy after a summer downpour. the scarecrow has been doing a great job of keeping the deer out. we're growing:

tomatoes (which are doing fine, despite their late start)












onions and garlic,













lettuce of all kinds
















and so many squashes

like these little delicatas we're getting by the bucket load! Plus kale, beets, potatoes, pumpkins, and lots of herbs.

with the addition of a weedwacker to the miller farm arsenal, jordan cleared the back of the chicken coop giving the chickens more room to run around, and less spots for predators to hide. which leads us to the bad news: we lost 18 baby layer chicks to an attack on the chicken tractor, plus three grown chickens to a mysterious early morning abduction. to spare you the gory details, we are pretty sure due to the messiness and magnitude of the chicken tractor attack, that it was done by a pack of coyotes. the three grown chickens, however, remain a mystery. chelsea thinks it was the work of a bobcat, who normally drag their prey away quickly after the attack. bobcats are rare in indiana, but not unheard of. a coyote attack seems much more likely, but the clean disappearance seems suspiciously feline. we ruled out raccoons and foxes, who would only have taken one. a den has been found and several trails snaking around the back of the chicken coop. hmm. we're looking for paw prints that could tell us for sure.



to protect the lil chicks we've put the tractor with the baby chickens in the bigger coop. soon they'll be big enough to fend for themselves.











but for now, sean, miller farm summer intern, remains vigilant, red ryder bb gun in hand.





so that's what's going on. projects we're hoping to finish by the end of the summer: readobe and seal the greenhouse, fortify the chicken coop fence, paint the front porch, fix the ever-broken cold frames, and not give rich dornberger his hose back ever. i hope you're all having a wonderful summer. if any of you more experienced farmers have any suggestions about our predator problem, don't be shy!

love,
sarah & the summer farmers