Hi,
I came here to whine and gripe. Maybe a question or two.
I've had chickens since 2012. I'm on my third flock (6 at a time). I've never lost one to a predator. (Well, I did have one just disappear, but there was no sign of an attack, I think it met a rooster and ran off.) I was pretty proud of that, that I did a good job ensuring their coop and enclosure was safe.
I got my second flock in 2016, the last survivor was Suzie, the Speckled Sussex. My latest flock is all pretty skittish and won't let me handle them. Suzie, while she'd prefer not to be held, will squat, allow a scratch and will be the first running towards me. On the other hand, she was blind in one eye, had some balance issues and couldn't always get up on the roost. I'd been thinking she was going to die any day now for the last year, but she was still kicking, running to me, waddling around the yard and enjoying the sun.
I let the girls out to roam my yard during the day. (I'm in a neighborhood, yards are about 1/3 acre to a little over 1/2 acre, my yard is fenced 6 feet on one side, 3-4 feet on the other.
The neighbors have 2 dogs, one they got about 4-6 months ago. That one would escape out the front of their yard and wander the neighborhood until caught. They've figured out how it was getting out and repaired it. It wouldn't get into my yard as I have my own dog so it's already safe.
I was in my front yard painting some furniture. My chickens were out as usual. One of the chickens came to the fence and was just squawking away. I was chatting back with her. About 15 minutes later my husband comes to get me. The neighbor's dog had killed Suzie. As far as I can tell, <insert bad word> dog attacked her out of the enclosure, she must have gotten away and went into the enclosure and then under the coop and the <insert bad word> dog followed her and killed her. My lavender chicken (Lavie) was under there too. My husband had gotten the dog out of the coop and back to my neighbor, who apologized.
Lavie came out and went inside the coop, my other chickens went and hid under some bushes in different spots of the yard. Maybe the <insert bad word> dog had tried to get them too, but they just got away.
I'm just real sad and mad.
Practically, it was my oldest hen who hadn't laid an egg in over 2 years and I'd have had to deal with her dying on her own. I'd bought a small coop to be the sick/dying of old age coop for her even as I hate that whole process and the other chickens being jerks to the one dying.
Reasonably, the neighbor's dog had never gotten into our yard, so there was no way to know that it would jump the fence, which is my guess as to how it got into my yard. The dog was being a dog.
I'm really ticked off at my dog as I don't know what the heck she was doing as she was in the yard as well. Now she loves the neighbor's first dog and they would run back and forth along the fence with each other. I suspect that was what she was doing. Their 1st dog was distracting my dog to let <bad name> dog kill Suzie. However, I'd have thought she should have done something. No treats for her tonight. I've had two dogs when having chickens. My first was indifferent to them as I'd introduced her to them as off limits when they were chicks and my current dog, who is frightened of the chickens and I had no concerns having either dog in the yard with the chickens.
I am concerned that <bad name> dog may have gotten to the other chickens, particularly Lavie as she's got what looks like some blood on her, but it could be from Suzie or the ground. She's moving fine as are the others, even more skittish.
My instinct is to just let them be and observe them more closely. However I wonder if I should crawl into their coop at night and inspect them. I just think that would be more traumatic.
What should I expect or do to help my girls recover from this?
I realize, they're chickens, not kids.
My husband was the one talking to the neighbor while I was on the other side of the yard cussing and trying to find the last hiding chicken. Neighbor apologized, didn't know how the dog got into our yard, he'll buy us chicks next year, etc. My husband said okay, it was the oldest chicken anyway, but we can't have that happen again. (I'd have likely threatened to shoot the dog if it came into my yard again. I was upset.)
I'm still sad, Suzie was living out her retirement and to be killed in such a violent way wasn't right. I feel like I failed her.
Sorry for the length.
I came here to whine and gripe. Maybe a question or two.
I've had chickens since 2012. I'm on my third flock (6 at a time). I've never lost one to a predator. (Well, I did have one just disappear, but there was no sign of an attack, I think it met a rooster and ran off.) I was pretty proud of that, that I did a good job ensuring their coop and enclosure was safe.
I got my second flock in 2016, the last survivor was Suzie, the Speckled Sussex. My latest flock is all pretty skittish and won't let me handle them. Suzie, while she'd prefer not to be held, will squat, allow a scratch and will be the first running towards me. On the other hand, she was blind in one eye, had some balance issues and couldn't always get up on the roost. I'd been thinking she was going to die any day now for the last year, but she was still kicking, running to me, waddling around the yard and enjoying the sun.
I let the girls out to roam my yard during the day. (I'm in a neighborhood, yards are about 1/3 acre to a little over 1/2 acre, my yard is fenced 6 feet on one side, 3-4 feet on the other.
The neighbors have 2 dogs, one they got about 4-6 months ago. That one would escape out the front of their yard and wander the neighborhood until caught. They've figured out how it was getting out and repaired it. It wouldn't get into my yard as I have my own dog so it's already safe.
I was in my front yard painting some furniture. My chickens were out as usual. One of the chickens came to the fence and was just squawking away. I was chatting back with her. About 15 minutes later my husband comes to get me. The neighbor's dog had killed Suzie. As far as I can tell, <insert bad word> dog attacked her out of the enclosure, she must have gotten away and went into the enclosure and then under the coop and the <insert bad word> dog followed her and killed her. My lavender chicken (Lavie) was under there too. My husband had gotten the dog out of the coop and back to my neighbor, who apologized.
Lavie came out and went inside the coop, my other chickens went and hid under some bushes in different spots of the yard. Maybe the <insert bad word> dog had tried to get them too, but they just got away.
I'm just real sad and mad.
Practically, it was my oldest hen who hadn't laid an egg in over 2 years and I'd have had to deal with her dying on her own. I'd bought a small coop to be the sick/dying of old age coop for her even as I hate that whole process and the other chickens being jerks to the one dying.
Reasonably, the neighbor's dog had never gotten into our yard, so there was no way to know that it would jump the fence, which is my guess as to how it got into my yard. The dog was being a dog.
I'm really ticked off at my dog as I don't know what the heck she was doing as she was in the yard as well. Now she loves the neighbor's first dog and they would run back and forth along the fence with each other. I suspect that was what she was doing. Their 1st dog was distracting my dog to let <bad name> dog kill Suzie. However, I'd have thought she should have done something. No treats for her tonight. I've had two dogs when having chickens. My first was indifferent to them as I'd introduced her to them as off limits when they were chicks and my current dog, who is frightened of the chickens and I had no concerns having either dog in the yard with the chickens.
I am concerned that <bad name> dog may have gotten to the other chickens, particularly Lavie as she's got what looks like some blood on her, but it could be from Suzie or the ground. She's moving fine as are the others, even more skittish.
My instinct is to just let them be and observe them more closely. However I wonder if I should crawl into their coop at night and inspect them. I just think that would be more traumatic.
What should I expect or do to help my girls recover from this?
I realize, they're chickens, not kids.
My husband was the one talking to the neighbor while I was on the other side of the yard cussing and trying to find the last hiding chicken. Neighbor apologized, didn't know how the dog got into our yard, he'll buy us chicks next year, etc. My husband said okay, it was the oldest chicken anyway, but we can't have that happen again. (I'd have likely threatened to shoot the dog if it came into my yard again. I was upset.)
I'm still sad, Suzie was living out her retirement and to be killed in such a violent way wasn't right. I feel like I failed her.
Sorry for the length.
