chickenlil3
In the Brooder
I thought I'd share a story I wrote on the FB Backyard Chickens page...this post was from July 21st.
I with a heavy heart tonight have write ya'll something amazing. As I leave my husband in bed (who just got in a motorcycle accident tonight) with 2 of our 3 boys to watch Minions and rest; never once did it cross my mind I would come home to this very familiar sound. A sound of a chirp from a baby chick who is calling to his mama "ME" that it needs something. I check on my husband and kids and walk to the back deck to see my 7 month old Rottie in the chicken coop. I already ...knew that she had gotten to the bigger ones I could see them...I screamed at the top of my lungs so the whole town of Berne could hear me as I raced down a flight of stairs missing the bottom broken one and getting there in time to save my little peeper. I grabbed ahold of her harness and pulled her away far enough so the baby could run. Now here comes my 1 yr old German Shepard lab to save me from what I don't know and hold him back (he's never bothered with the chicks) and my husband hobbles to grab both and put in their old crates for now while I do damage control. I am scared as hell to pull back the shed door...to my surprise (amazing part here) one of my younger pullets has her wings covering 6 of my baby chicks. Not same "litter"; sorry still new to the chicken thing. She protected them babies if they were hers. So I have a total of 8 baby chicks and can count 6, grabbed the 1 from out side and start to panic thinking my last baby chick got killed. So with now only having 1 Barred Rock, 1 NH Red and 7 baby chicks (mixed breed) I search for the last one. I walk out in the pen area and can't see him/her. As I pick up the door to the entry way I start to block off the opening and much to my surprise there he/she was in a little ditch under the slab of wood. I bring my 8th chick in; close off the opening, pour food on ground, get water, turn on heating lamp and walk out so that they can get some kind of peace. As my heart sinks because it is not my Rottie fault but my own. Usually my dogs are not outside unless we are so one of the boys had to have opened the back door and around the time I left is when I would be putting the babies in their bin and the ladies in the shed closing them in for the night, so my only conclusion is....this grouping of chickens is one killer "pack" and I will do everything in my power tomorrow to make sure every nook and cranny is sealed. With that being said...blood is not always thicker then water. Night Ya'll!
As of today August 3rd, Dasia has her own kennel with Loki which is about 12' or more by 6' or more and the chickens have the whole run of the shed and free range. We alternate who is out in the open and who goes back in their shelters. Its not fair to either if I keep them locked up so my husband and I get up extra early to let the dogs out to run as much as they can and then they go in kennel for the chickens to come out.
I with a heavy heart tonight have write ya'll something amazing. As I leave my husband in bed (who just got in a motorcycle accident tonight) with 2 of our 3 boys to watch Minions and rest; never once did it cross my mind I would come home to this very familiar sound. A sound of a chirp from a baby chick who is calling to his mama "ME" that it needs something. I check on my husband and kids and walk to the back deck to see my 7 month old Rottie in the chicken coop. I already ...knew that she had gotten to the bigger ones I could see them...I screamed at the top of my lungs so the whole town of Berne could hear me as I raced down a flight of stairs missing the bottom broken one and getting there in time to save my little peeper. I grabbed ahold of her harness and pulled her away far enough so the baby could run. Now here comes my 1 yr old German Shepard lab to save me from what I don't know and hold him back (he's never bothered with the chicks) and my husband hobbles to grab both and put in their old crates for now while I do damage control. I am scared as hell to pull back the shed door...to my surprise (amazing part here) one of my younger pullets has her wings covering 6 of my baby chicks. Not same "litter"; sorry still new to the chicken thing. She protected them babies if they were hers. So I have a total of 8 baby chicks and can count 6, grabbed the 1 from out side and start to panic thinking my last baby chick got killed. So with now only having 1 Barred Rock, 1 NH Red and 7 baby chicks (mixed breed) I search for the last one. I walk out in the pen area and can't see him/her. As I pick up the door to the entry way I start to block off the opening and much to my surprise there he/she was in a little ditch under the slab of wood. I bring my 8th chick in; close off the opening, pour food on ground, get water, turn on heating lamp and walk out so that they can get some kind of peace. As my heart sinks because it is not my Rottie fault but my own. Usually my dogs are not outside unless we are so one of the boys had to have opened the back door and around the time I left is when I would be putting the babies in their bin and the ladies in the shed closing them in for the night, so my only conclusion is....this grouping of chickens is one killer "pack" and I will do everything in my power tomorrow to make sure every nook and cranny is sealed. With that being said...blood is not always thicker then water. Night Ya'll!
As of today August 3rd, Dasia has her own kennel with Loki which is about 12' or more by 6' or more and the chickens have the whole run of the shed and free range. We alternate who is out in the open and who goes back in their shelters. Its not fair to either if I keep them locked up so my husband and I get up extra early to let the dogs out to run as much as they can and then they go in kennel for the chickens to come out.
I've put wire mesh around the bottom of my pen to prevent it from happening.
