When I let my beautiful little blue Bantie Cochin roo out this morning he was fine. We have fourteen Australorps, five ducks, a bunch of random silkies and buff and blue cochins. The cochins and silkies are only two and a half months old. They are in a completely fenced in with a pole barn and open door to the coop. We have cats next door so recently we started letting our two seven month old Great Pyrenese pups out to patrol. We did this after many days and months of careful observation. We had a few times when they acted like they wanted to chase after the birds but mostly they did not even seem to care. Sometimes the pups would rip around in the morning, playing. I have watched them look at the birds and stand and watch them but not ever fixate on them or really chase them.
THis morning about an hour after letting them back out, my son and I went back out there to do some things and there was our male pup "Z" (because he sleeps a lot) witht he roo between his paws EATING him. The poor roo was half eaten. Basically body cavity exposed etc. No blood on Z's face, no pile of feathers just chicken like a chew toy. And he was surrounded by my adult hens who were trying to peck at it too. So I don't know if he stepped on him or the roo (who was very docile and pretty good about staying in the barn) died or got caught by the next door cat and Z took him away or just found him and started chewing on him. The pups are very typical puppies and chew on everything- they will drag wood out to chew on, feed bags, tools whatever. So if Z found him somewhere he would naturally start chewing on him. He did not at all act guilty even. I have spent a lot of time just sitting out there watching them and the pups mostly just lay down and let the chickens surround them. I have seen them turn their heads or trot over if the chickens started to run but we would correct them and mostly they just laid around.
They really do not fixate or ever act like they are going to hunt them or sneak up on them or anything.
Dogs are back were they were now- back by the house, fenced off. Worried though if it was the cat we caught skulking around the barn last week that we will lose more. I am just really sad and disgusted and disappointed. That was going to be my lead roo.
THis morning about an hour after letting them back out, my son and I went back out there to do some things and there was our male pup "Z" (because he sleeps a lot) witht he roo between his paws EATING him. The poor roo was half eaten. Basically body cavity exposed etc. No blood on Z's face, no pile of feathers just chicken like a chew toy. And he was surrounded by my adult hens who were trying to peck at it too. So I don't know if he stepped on him or the roo (who was very docile and pretty good about staying in the barn) died or got caught by the next door cat and Z took him away or just found him and started chewing on him. The pups are very typical puppies and chew on everything- they will drag wood out to chew on, feed bags, tools whatever. So if Z found him somewhere he would naturally start chewing on him. He did not at all act guilty even. I have spent a lot of time just sitting out there watching them and the pups mostly just lay down and let the chickens surround them. I have seen them turn their heads or trot over if the chickens started to run but we would correct them and mostly they just laid around.
They really do not fixate or ever act like they are going to hunt them or sneak up on them or anything.
Dogs are back were they were now- back by the house, fenced off. Worried though if it was the cat we caught skulking around the barn last week that we will lose more. I am just really sad and disgusted and disappointed. That was going to be my lead roo.
