Return of the Fox.

So...there was a great commotion at 6.00 am today with the ' chooks' sounding the alarm. I had heard it at about 4. 30 too but went back to sleep.There has been no sight of a fox for weeks now and the ' chooks' have been coming out most days to wander freely and we have all been lulled into a false sense of security.The 6.00 am alarm like the 4.30 am went unheeded until we heard, above the noise, the terrified clucking of a hen being chased. We rushed out and Will saw the Fox before it disappeared.We couldn't see Hecate so Will went off to search for her. She and Arke have been doing a great job of protecting our 11 chicks. The chicks were all sticking close to Arke and I could only count 9 of them.Will Soon returned. Amazingly he found the injured Hecate a short way from the house. The Brazen Fox had taken her, left her injured and had come back for another when Will rushed out and scared it off.We bathed Hecate's wounds with disinfectant and left her to rest in the nesting boxes. I hope she will recover. After the Quoll attack when Keket was hurt, she recovered after a few days and seemed fine for a short while but then suddenly dropped dead. Hopefully Hecate's chicks, what's left of them, will help her pull through.