A lesson learned... the HARD WAYY!!!

[daddy_roo]

I am brand new to raising chickens. My mother-in-law got 7 black sex link hens and 2 roosters. We built a coop that is essencially handicap accessable. It atatches to her house with a door leading right into the coop. Well I was down there gathering eggs and changing bedding, and I had my 2 year old Lab with me (Mistake numbr 1). I opened the outside entrnace door to go in, shut it behind me, and all of a sudden I heard the most god aweful ruckus behind me... the lab was trying to get in. She barked at one of the roosters that was standing about 12 inces away from the fence, and the rooster floged her nose. This aparently angered my lab and she came lunging at the rooster. So when she hit the fence the poultry wire stretched. She backed up and hit it again and... in the coop she came. Final damage was 1 dead hen, and 1 hen with almost an entire leg missing feathers. Naturally I grabbed my dog picked her up and tied her to the truck. Now I have a dead chicken ( and naturally she was one of my top layers.) and one in issolation. I have treated the wound on the injured hen and have her in her own cage. I looked around and I could not find any more chicken wire. But what I did find was an old piece of steel wire with 1" by 2" square holes. It was long enough to stretch across the entire side that the lab destroied. So I took my dog to the house, and brought back my air nailer. I put the wire around the bottom and nailed it to the posts with exactly 300 staples. I am sharing this with you to inform anyone who is brand new to this like I am that when building a chicken coop, focus on the botom of the run, or coop. I thought it was good but I learned better. Has anyone else had something similar happen to them? If so please share with me if you dont mind so I dont feel so stupid.

 

[EmtheFishLady]

We all make mistakes. Don't beat yourself up too much.


I had a cattle dog open the door to my coop once. She came right in and cornered our rooster...made him stay there until I left, then followed me out. She didn't hurt them, but she certainly came in without any help.

 

[riverchicks]

I'm so sorry this happened to you. You're not alone...we've all made mistakes and lost a hen or two (or four).

 

[Ivywoods]

Yes, the bottom has to be the strongest. Another thing I have always done is to lay about a welded wire about a foot wide on the ground all around the coop. This keeps predators from digging in. Any predator that wants to dig in will go right up next to the coop to dig, so the welded wire stops that.

So sorry you had this happen.

 

[Ole rooster]

Yep, you're new. But then we all learn from nothing. Nobody started out knowing all there is to know about all we need to know as to having everything perfect.

 

[Duramaxgirl]

Yea it happens. One of My sisters golden retrievers has killed many of her chickens when she got out of her kennel. Dogs and chickens do not mix in OP. I am so sorry it must be so devastating as it was for my sister... she came home to 9 dead chickens and a very tired dog.

 

[TigerLilly]

Hard way to learn that "chicken wire" isn't really good for chicken coops...thank goodness you only lost ONE hen (sorry). It could've been worse.
We all live & learn here--posting your experience may save someone else from a loss like yours.

 

[MetalSmitten]

sorry this happened to you

as others have said though, unfortunately these things happen and it's how all of us learn. since you mentioned not being able to find more chicken wire though, i just wanted to mention how unreliable chicken wire in general can be. it's basically great for keeping chickens in, but won't keep hardly anything out. raccoons can break right through it. ask me how i know

so when you go back to sure up the bottom of your run, you may want to consider welded wire or hardware cloth.

 

[daddy_roo]

My mother-in-law is an elderly woman, and with that being said she is kind of morbid by todays standards. She told me " Well I have never had these kind before, I wondered if they taste the same as a normal chicken. I just didnt want to find out this way." Then she kinda chuckled and asked me if I knew how to skin a chicken. I said no and she said well come on let me show ya. So at least she is not devistated by it. I just felt bad because it was my dog. But then again she is a lab... aka a bird dog. Not that I am condoneing what she did but at least she taught me a lesson.My next option was going to get a sheet of sheet metal and dig it in about 12 inches all the way aroound the bottom... lol. but i figured that would prolly cost more than i had. So the welded steel wire is what I used. I just hope that my experience does not happen to anyone else. That is ultimately why I posted this in here.

 

[jdywntr]

Quote:

It is a bit morbid but at least she is practicle and you are learning a valuable skill.

We all live and learn. Don't take it hard. As someone else said we have all been there.