God's Provision

The joys of living on a farm outnumbers the challenges. Caring for our animals on a daily basis not only requires feeding and making certain they have fresh water but the administering of wormers, vaccinations and a variety of general care. Each type of animal requires a different feed and the knowledge of its individual design to properly raise and maintain it's survivability.
Chickens have been a passion of mine for over twenty years. I still delight in the fact that God has provided us with all we need for our sustainability.
Each morning we go out, open the coop door and give them some chicken mash and fresh water. We use a natural parasite control and organic dusting powder for lice and mites. Chickens are relatively easy to keep other than the constant watch for predators. Our farm resides along the Conewago Creek, so we seem to have a variety of fox, raccoons, possum, and chicken hawks. We even have a resident bald eagle that nests along the creek and sits in one of our trees to peruse her delectable fancies. A massive white owl has been known to visit on occasion. All of these predators are a constant source for absconding my cherished feathered flock.
It was broad daylight when I heard our chickens creating a loud cackling stir. We raced out to the coop to find that something had brazenly entered. I could see white feathers scattered across the field. Upon further investigation the first and largest patch of feathers were located where our chicken had been killed. Right next to the feathers remained a pile of her intestines. We then discovered a fresh pile of dung that the animal left as a way to mark it's territory. Fortunately, I had recently purchased a tracking book, which Daisey fetched so that we could inspect our findings. As I flipped through the pages, I eyed a surprising perfect match. It was undoubtedly a fox. We could hear the foxes eerie calls during the night. Their shrill screams sends chills up my spine when walking in our darkened fields.
Now that we had identified our culprit, we set out to track our adversary. We swayed back and forth across the field as if we were on a treasure hunt. We could see an occasional feather that kept us on coarse. As we approached a ravine, we came to an end. Our Border Collie Cassie had been eagerly tagging along. We sent her down by the stream that naturally flowed between the crevices of the terrain. She seemed to be onto something, as she frantically sniffed and began to paw at a pile of leaves. Our son Dustin climbed down to help her unearth her prized discovery. There it was, neatly tucked under the leaves resting close to the cold free flowing water. The fox had intelligently placed it for safe keeping so that she could come back for it when she needed to feed her young. We placed the leaves back over the top of our chicken as the fox had rightfully won her kill.
We walked back across the open field realizing that we were not only provided with a knowledgeable adventure, but we witnessed first hand God's provision for all of his creatures.
C.A. Bresin

Fabulous Foxes
Foxes belong to the canid family and include such species as red fox, kit fox, swift fox, fennec fox, arctic fox and gray fox, just to name a few. While some species of canid have been hunted almost to extinction because of their penchant for livestock and the depletion of their natural habitats, some species of fox such as the red fox have adapted well to changing times and find great opportunities for food and shelter in urban environments. The red fox is not a finicky eater, and will ingest beetles, worms, frogs, birds, eggs, mice, fruits and refuse.
Similar Characteristics: All species of foxes have similar characteristics. They tend to be light brown, reddish, gray or dark brown in color, except for the arctic fox, which is pure white in winter. Most foxes have relatively large ears that stand up straight and long bushy tails. Home for most foxes is a den tucked away among rock crevices, an abandoned rabbit burrow or a tree hole in the case of the gray fox.

DID YOU KNOW?
Fox Names
A pack of foxes is called a "skulk."
A fox's bushy tail is called a "brush."
And its acute muzzle is called a "fox face."

On the Brink
Some fox species, such as the red fox, are highly adaptive. Others, like the crab-eating fox of South America and the bat-eared fox of Africa, are on the brink of extinction in their native habitats.

Cold-Adapted Fox
The arctic fox has several adaptions to its cold environment, including thick, white fur, a good supply of body fat and a system of blood circulation in its paws that keep them constantly warm.
http://animal.discovery.com/mammals/fox/