ARRGHH ~ New 2-legged Predator!

[SterlingAcres]

Quote:
Youv'e heard about it? I witnessed it!
In our Justice System people are supposed to be "innocent until PROVEN guilty".
Does NOT work that way with CPS. If an allegation has been made, you're toast.

Now, I'm getting off this thread because I'm just getting angrier by the minute. I cannot abide armchair quarterbacks looking for BLOOD!

Just because CPS is called, does not mean they'd do anything. My aunt has repeatedly abused, neglected and beat her children for years... 7 kids later and CPS called at least ONCE a year, all the kids are still in her custody because she puts on a nice show for them.

Sounds like maybe you've been injusticed yourself...

No one here is looking for blood. Just for the mother's common sense to kick in. Her toddlers should not be wandering in underpants and diapers to the neighbors homes all by themselves.

And not ONLY men are child molesters. You never know who could hurt your child.

 

[Royal Blue]

I love my birds, but the children come first. I would use stronger measures. If the mother can't watch out for her kids like a good mother should, I'd pick them up and deposit them at the local police station as found on property without supervision. let the mother sort the situation out. I'm not out for blood, but some people should not breed. My broody hen takes better care of her babies.

 

[SterlingAcres]

Quote:
Amen. I'm not sure if it's society that makes people feel they have so much more to be doing that they can't possibly raise their own offspring or if after thousands of years, the human races' nurturing and protecting instincts are disappearing.

My inlaws are prime examples. One reproduced to drop her kid off with a nanny and work 7 days a week... and not because they need the money. The other sister in law reproduces like a rabbit because she wants a boy... but lets her daughters suffer from neglect daily.

Some people are ridiculous.

 

[kinnip]

Wow! I don't think I can add anything to the opinions about child rearing, but I do have a suggestion for securing the coop. All the doors on my coop have barrel locks with the little hole in the barrel. After I slide the lock closed, I take a split ring (key ring) and run it through the hole. It's a lot easier than keeping up with locks and there's no way a child that young is going to remove it.

 

[rypie13]

Did I miss it? Did your chicks come home? I hope ALL is well.

 

[catchick]

I just read this but my first thought was....What if there was a snake in your coop and one of the kids got hurt. They would blame you. Are what if they just got pecked. They would blame you.

Lock the coop and tell that Mother to keep her kids home. Or else you will be the one getting the blame.


catchick

 

[SundownWaterfowl]

And, what happens if they let your chickens out, and a rooster jumps up and spurs them in their neck or face. You are blamed!

 

[SundownWaterfowl]

Quote:
While there definitely are creeps/pervs out there.
The media today would have us believe that every guy between the ages of 14 and 80 are potential child molestors. Turn off your stupid TV. I watched CPS destroy a friends life because someone made a call. CPS took their kids, kicking and screaming for mommy and daddy, for an unfounded, ridiculous allegation of neglect. And ALL kids get hurt. Next time your child scrapes a knee or gets a cut lets call CPS]Its too darn easy to sit back and be an arm chair quarterback!! None of you with children can't say your child has never slipped off and done something that could be potentially dangerous or just dumb. I'm not defending anyone who is legitimately neglectful!
Don't be so darned quick to pass judgement on half a story!!

Rather than trying to have a young mother PUNISHED maybe a little help and compasion first?? Having had a "wanderer" ourselves, I KNOW what it was like. We were SO lucky to have lived in a tight community where we all looked out for each other. Rather than a call to a Government Beauracracy, we called each other. Thats not to say calls weren't made to CPS. Made one myself, ONLY AS A LAST RESORT.

Obviously this lady is a bad mother. People like her should not have children, but they do. And when they keep wandering away, its time to put a stop to it and call CPS or the police.

 

[eggchel]

So, now that the welfare of the children has been thoroughly commented on, let's get back to Red's problems.....

The community consensus is that you put some sort of lock on the coop door to prevent the children from letting the chickens out. Even just a hook up high enough that they cannot reach it should work.

As for the wandering toddlers, many opinions have been expressed and you will have to follow your own conscience. At the very least, the babies are likely safer in your yard then on the street.

And, yes, your birds are old enough that they should go back to the coop at dusk. If they were unable to get back into the coop tonight, those that arent found by predators should head back to the coop late tomorrow afternoon. I hope that they are safe for now.

Chel

 

[redhead83402]

Wow ! ~ I really appreciate all of your commentary ~ & I have to say, EVERY opinion is food for thought!

Update on the birds~ We were able to get every one back except for one, who is a known escape artist, but her little escapades only ever took her a few runs around the coop and then back in again, so hopefully she will find her way back soon.

Update on the lock, we put a type of lock that has a hasp that comes down through a slit, and then can be padlocked. Since our fence isn't quite finished, I guess we will just have to deal with the inconvenience of the padlock, it's a far better 2 seconds spent unlocking it than the hours it took to round up the dang chickens ~ lol ~

Update on the kids ~ I actually told the mom that I had something I wanted her to see, and showed her this thread tonight ( in fact, we have been talking all night, it's 1 am here, she just left.) ~ she was shocked, and bawling the whole time. I told her " what do you think?" She has promised to keep a far better eye on the kids. I asked her if I needed to talk to the bishop, or anything, and she said no, she promised she would do better. She said she thought that her kids were just being normal, that it wasn't neglect on her part, but now she realizes that maybe it is, and she promised to do better. All this sobbing her heart out. I know it wasn't a show, she was serious. But just to be on the safe side, I also let her know that she really needed to do better, and she agreed. I also let her know that I would hate to have to take any drastic measures, it's not my style ~ however, I loved her kids, and in order to protect them, SOMEthing had to change. Again she promised to do better. So we will see what happens.

I truly appreciate everyone's comments, because she was able to read through this thread and really get a sense of the issue, and how others might see it, from an outside view. We'll see if it helped, but I believe it did. I also intend to put a bug in the bishop's ear if it doesn't change.
(and I told her as much)
I also understand the viewpoint of having had a wanderer myself, however, the 2 times my son wandered were not within days of eachother, nor was it habitual,, nor was he ever missing for more than 5 to 7 minutes, either of the two times. In my opinion, when it happens every day, there is an issue. Which I also told her. I just decided I couldn't sit back and call child services without first giving her the chance to make a change. And, like I said, I let her read this thread, at my house, which really shocked her. Hopefully enough to make a change.
~Red