ANOTHER tragedy!

[Newbeloveschics]

I must have the worst luck that a new chicken owner can have.

I first started my adventure because my son wanted chickens.
We watched as he and his friend build a coop and put five chickens in and were so proud.
Then we had a major disaster. A chicken coop fire caused by a dog that was over zellous about a bowl she found in the back
yard and saw it inside the coop. So, what did she do? She went to the back of the coop, pushed on the back door until she was able to get inside and grab the bowl, which we were using as a water source for the chicks. back then, they were 6 weeks old.

The dog knocked over the heating lamp and it touched the bedding and caught fire. It happened quick. We had one chicken to flee and squeeze out of the fenced in yard, another to flee while on fire towards our home and die in front of my 15 year old daughter... the other three perished in the fire, which I had to dig out and watch my bereaved son bury the three and my daughter bury the one that died at her feet. I have told this event before on another post but I will continue. Later after the fire and the burials, i found a lone survivor which turned out to to be a Silver Wyandotte and we named her Phoenix. I was crying with joy cause I had one that made it through the fire and losing all of her flock / family. We were devastated and miserable but went ahead a rebuilt the coop.

We went back to the breeder and purchased 4 more chicks around the same age bracket as Phoenix and introduced them one at a time and made sure they wouldn't hurt her because she was suffering from a hurt leg/ sprained leg and foot. Well, everything went perfect. No disgruntlements nothing bad... every chick in the flock were happy. After about a few weeks... Phoenix wasn't limping anymore and seemed very, very happy. She started to grow again and quickly grew to the same size as the new flock.

I should've known to get rid of the dog !!! I should've listened to my son and my husband. I should've! It's all my fault!!! My daughter's dog, part American Pit bull and part Whatever.... She was placed on a chain outside in the fenced in back yard so that she could get out and enjoy outdoors. Today, as normal, she was placed on the chain while the chickens free ranged. Within an hour after all chickens who are about 12 or 14 weeks old... I glanced out the window to check on everyone's well being and I saw my daughters dog had gotten to a chicken. I ran outside and screamed in anguish.

I got closer and saw it was Phoenix! The chick I saved. The chick I found behind the back fence after the fire.. SHE'S DEAD! That STUPID DOG KILLED PHOENIX!! SHE KILLED HER! MY POOR BABY CHICKEN! SHE WAS SO BEAUTIFUL!!! Her neck was broken and blood was coming from her neck where she was bit. I was beside myself. My daughter got her dog and we are taking her to a no kill shelter. My son is devastated, angry and overall miserable. Pretty much like me. WHY??? WHY????

It's my fault! I should've been out there to observe! I should've waited until the dog was back up - inside before letting the chickens free range. Misery! Depressed about the whole thing.

 

[Peeps61]

Goodness! I do feel bad for you. Things happen and we learn from the experience in hindsight. You might want to wait a few days before taking the dog to the shelter, though. She was just being a dog, and when we are emotional, that is not a good time to make a decision like that. I had a Golden Retriever who got out and ran amok among my chickens. Fortunately, the Rooster was the only one who lost any feathers, and he was too fast for her to catch. I caught her and put her in the back yard and all was well. It is sad that this happened, but maybe the dog could stay? Just take those extra steps to keep her separate from the chickens. Do you have enough property to put up a fence for her? Condolences on your loss!

 

[Newbeloveschics]

Maybe. There are a lot of issues that this dog has caused. She kept digging and killing plants. My husband said that he was glad that he wasn't there because of the bond he knew I had with Phoenix. The dog is tearing up everything and keeps biting her tail. There are some behavior issues that we as a family cannot correct. All of us are upset and hopefully, time will tell whether we can keep her. My late teenage son is ready to Kill her. So is my husband. Very upset right now. Prayers needed, please.

 

[keesmom]

How much exercise does your dog get? She sounds like she has a lot of pent up energy.

 

[Peeps61]

Yes, we have a digger who is destructive too, but she is very loving towards the family and is a rescue dog as all of our dogs are. Only you and your family can decide whether or not to keep the dog. I guess the big question is do either you or the dog get any joy our of the relationship? I will keep you in my prayers as you make your decision. I would be terribly upset too. The "digger" we have was also chewing the backyard cables, wires, etc. down. We bought a basket muzzle for her so she could eat and drink and that stopped the chewing. She does not wear it now and has learned to play with her own toys and not to make the backyard equipment her own. She still digs though.

 

[Newbeloveschics]

She is allowed to go outside and run as much as she wants when the chickens are up in the coop. She is one year old and does have a lot of pent up energy. Very hyper and extremely strong. I can't walk her and I cant control her. My daughter is the one who takes her for walks. I play with her as much as I can indoors but when I'm having a bad day and I'm hurting more than usual, I can't handle her at all. I have arthritis and fibromyalgia and disabled.

 

[Newbeloveschics]

She digs to get cold dirt so she can lay in it. Only problem is that it is near a tree we do not want to lose. She has destroyed one side of a fence by chewing on it until it was bent to the point that she could crawl underneath it and run to the front door. She has gnawed on the front fence, which is wooden. She has gnawed on the siding of the house! We purchase toys for her and within minutes, she is tearing it up to the point that it can not be used anymore. She rips it to shreds. She bites hard items/ toys until they are broken or of no longer of any use. She bites her own tail until it bleeds then she will not stop biting it! She plays rough with me (I have a disk degenerative disease, fibromyalgia and arthritis so I am in pain all the time)... She plays rough with our 7 year old Collie which is really bad cause she knocks him down all the time running full force and hitting him in his side. She jumps on me and nips at us. She growls for attention and demands it immediately. IF I give attention to the Collie, she gets upset and pushes him away and demands my attention be given to her and only her. My daughter doesn't take care of her like she should. I wind up having to feed and take care of her which is hard to do. The dog thinks it is a lap dog at 70 + pounds! She's gonna put me in the hospital if she doesn't stop jumping and knocking me down! When my daughter is at home, she goes to her room and closes the door on her own dog.... leaving her for me to deal with. I'm tired! I'm hurting and I feel like I am complaining. I've got nothing else to say.

 

[azygous]

This was surely an awful tragedy, and doubly so following on the heals of the first one. You must be feeling awfully overwhelmed.

But please try not to blame yourself for what happened. So many of us chicken keepers have endured a painful learning curve where our sweet chickens suffered because of our ignorance. I've lost a number of chickens myself because of stupid mistakes, not realizing how vulnerable these delicate creatures are. But we have to move on, trusting that we now know more than we did when first starting our chicken adventure.

Just know we understand the grief you're suffering. Tomorrow it will still hurt, but it will be a little less painful, and the next day will be better still.

 

[Newbeloveschics]

Thank you. I appreciate your words.

 

[seann]

I'm sorry for your loss. Dogs don't mix with chickens (most of the time, but why risk it).
I suggest you move on and get more chickens - they bring happiness (+ eggs).
This time, ensure the coop and run are well secured with 1/2" hardware cloth (no gaps over 1/2" anywhere), use padlocks and no more free ranging.