Terror in the Chicken Coop
The date was 10-11-01, and my little brothers went to let the chickens out that morning as usual. Little did they know that a badger had raided our chicken coop.
My little brother Seth opened the chicken coop door. Everything seemed fine, until he saw the big badger holes that went through the wall of the coop! There were chicken legs sticking out of them because the badger had pulled them in backwards. They were obviously dead. Seth and my other little brother Joseph didn't dare go inside for fear the badger was still inside. They took off running home to tell Mom what had happened. They took my brother John with them to show him what had happened. As they were looking around the coop John saw the head of the angry badger pop out of the hole he had dug! They ran out of there and saw Grandpa. They all went over and told him what had happened. Grandpa ran to his house and got out his big shotgun. When he got to the chicken coop he loaded his gun and, BOOM BOOM, he shot the badger. He was lucky for he only had 2 bullets. The little boys dragged out the dead badger and all the dead chickens and later filled the holes with cement.
The next day they went to the chicken coop again to find more holes dug! The culprit wasn't there though, he had left already with a few more chickens. Again, they filled the holes with cement.
Luckily we haven't had any more problems with badgers. We rebuilt the front of our coop and have concrete blocks set underneath for those who try to dig their way in. Now our chickens are safe and happy, away from the dreadful badgers.
Badgers are one of the most ferocious varmints around and a member of the weasel family but are very big and heavy set. Their claws can rip flesh and they are remarkable diggers. They can dig a hole in a hard gravel road in minutes to escape danger. You will not likely see a badger in the daytime but will likely see their holes. They are most active in the night. If you ever encounter one on foot, beware because they can attack humans and could easily tear you to pieces.
Grace