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

[EweSheep]

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.

Yep, why waste it if you can eat it! Particuarly if one is freshly killed for you.

We all had to learn somewhere and we do suffer losses but we know next time we won't even have to lose one.

 

[NeverFast]

Just wanted to note I to have a lab who is an active hunting bird dog every season and she is hyper and ready to go but.....She never goes near any of my birds ( I have 5 exotics in the house and my one chicken outside.) Dogs that have been trained as bird dogs have a very good sense of right and wrong as to what constitutes "game" My husky GS mix there is another story..she thinks chicken is dinner...

That being said I would still NEVER trust any dog with a bird alone, I have done rescue for birds for years on end and the horror stories keep coming, usually the story starts "My dog loved my bird and was always so good with her..."

I am sorry for your loss but glad to hear the bird was put to use, accidents happen live and learn as everyone said, good luck in your repairs I am sure I could use some more reinforcement as well

 

[sabianshepherds]

Yep. I have heavy plastic lattice along one side of the coup, covering wire, but the run is about 7-8 inches more than eight feet (lattice is 4x8), so I put a little piece on the end. Obviously, I didn't secure it right, and the dog tore it off while I was at the other end of the yard, and in the coop he went. Killed two of my favorite birds. I made the run/coop door what I thought was big enough for the big roo to get in, and it was big enough for an adult german shepherd to get in as well, so they had no where to hide. I skinned them and fed them to the dogs. I covered that end with board, so there are no gaps for the dog to get his paw in to pry it off. On my post (coup part deux), you can see the board on the start of the run closest to the coop. I have since had some serious training, so now he hardly ever goes near the coop. He is the only one of five dogs who ever went near the coop while I was standing there.

 

[KDK1]

Quote:
I have to disagree... I recently adopted a dog from my chick sitter. When his chicks were in the brooder, Minnie would just sit and stare down at them for hours. She could have easily taken any or all she wanted since the brooder was uncovered. When he turned them out into the yard she would be right there with them, all day, every day, never trying to hurt them in any way. Since we've had her, she wants nothing more than to be in the run with my chickens. She sits at the gate for hours and stares at them. The first day we had her my GF took her in the run with her to let the girls out. Minnie paid them no mind but the chickens on the other hand, well... freaked. One flew from the coop to the gate, about 40 ft. and the others stayed in the coop. The girls are starting to get used to her, coming up to the gate to check her out. I really don't think she would hurt them and will slowly introduce her by taking her in when I collect and clean. I'm certain that if the chickens are calm, Minnie will protect them as she did her old flock. For years farmers have been using dogs to protect their birds. I know my Grandmother did.
ETA: pic of Minnie

 

[LiLRedCV]

We adopted an 80-lb Yellow Lab from the Humane Society 7.5yrs ago (he was 2yrs old at the time and city raised) and two country raised cats. Just got our first chickens last summer... Absolutely no problems with any of these 3 non-chickens mixing with the girls and our roo! The chickens free-range it pretty much wherever they want on our property during the day. Dog discovered early on that the chickens provided tasty little snacks (eggs) if he was patient long enough! LOL He's found more than a few laid out in various places besides the coops he can't get into.

He's a very patient, laid back kinda guy that the kids have used as a "horse". He's protected the flock more than once from stray dogs and other critters.

Now, to be honest, we used to have a second 60-lb Black Lab until this past spring (she was also city raised and 2yrs old when we got her). We had her for 2yrs. She was fine with the chickens for the first year too (was even wily enough to figure out how to get into the coops and snatch eggs out of the nests! Talk about a glossy coat!!) until she got so food possessive she killed one when it was investigating what she was eating (garbage she'd managed to get into). Took it's head off. But she'd also been attacking our other Lab over food as well... This gal even ate 75-lbs of organic chicken feed before we managed to stop her from raiding!!

She was gassy and bloated and had more than one accident in the house after her chicken feed raids.

We found her a new home - without chickens!

 

[hayabusa3]

I think there should be a flashing banner when a new person registers saying something like "Never use chicken wire in a coop" !!!

 

[Ole rooster]

haya........I agree. As many post as I've read on here about the travails of using chicken wire, and to still read post like this is mine boggling to me. Do folks get chickens as total virgins and then start investigating after the fact? I totally agree with ya. I really do not understand. But then maybe I'm not supposed too.

 

[Ole rooster]

double post........but I do like that MIL knows what to do. If you can't protect um, eat um.

 

[daddy_roo]

These really are not my chickens, but I am much more mobile than she is. I was at the house one day and my Mother-in-law came to the door. Nothing new right? and that was when she told me to come look what she bought. SHe had the chickens in 2 differant cages in the back seat of her ford escort. I asked her who had built her coop. She said nobody, that is what you are gong to do. So up till that point I had no readon to look into chickens.

 

[stubbornhill]

Quote:
It is nice of you to jump in and help your MIL out like that! She quite obviously wants chickens as a food source and that's what they are to her. That's ok. There is nothing wrong with that! I can understand you getting upset that your dog took out one of her chickens, but MIL really does seem to have a good grip on what can happen, and how to not waste when something unexpected such as this does happen. I'm sure as you read different threads on here, you will find that you are becoming more educated in the chicken keeping department and will be able to share with her, in order to keep her losses to a minimum.