Cold snap tradgedy

[Chicken D's mom]

I just wanted to express my grief with fellow chicken lovers. I am the owner of just one chicken, because I gave my flock away last summer, being down on my luck and unable to properly take care of them. I live in a very small town and my neighbors free range chickens, including 3 awesomely cute banty roosters visited me and my chicken every day. My neighbor had 8 roosters, including the banties and only 3 hens, (poor girls!) Let me tell you, there was alot of noise coming from that yard. I enjoyed hearing them. The banties showed up everyday for "breakfast", and won the hearts of my family. I of course fell in love with the little guys and enjoyed their cute little antics and their "cartoon character crows".

3 days ago a horrible snow storm and a cold snap set in... The crowing stopped.

I waited for them to arrive for breakfast, but because the snow was almost a foot deep, I knew they weren't coming. The neighborhood was quiet. Another day went by... still quiet, no banties.

Hoping and praying my neighbor got his chickens cooped up, I finally "snuck" onto his land and was horrified at what I found. 2 of the large roosters were huddled in a corner of a lean-to, snowed in... 2 others and 3 hens were huddled under a table...snowed in... no food or water for any of them. 2 banties laying in the snow... dead. 1 banty and another rooster missing. No coop, no shelter, no food, no water.

I "addressed" my neighbor, about his treatment of his chickens, rest assured. I also took the chickens some food and water.

People, if you can't care for your animals....give them to someone who can and will!! Don't get them if you can't take care of them!

Thank you for listening.

 

[Granny Hatchet]

you go girl!!!! i think most if not all of the people on byc dearly love their chickens and would never mistreat them except out of not knowing. thats why were here. you should of just picked them up and brought them home with you

 

[Mahlzeit]

That's horrible. What did your neighbor say when you mentioned this to him?

 

[Chicken D's mom]

He was pretty embarrassed and admitted he was wrong for not having a coop. He said he would try and get them a shelter asap. I hate to be judgmental but he's the lazy type and I don't think he'll get it done.

I feel sooo bad, that I didn't go get them the night of the storm. It's a big property with alot of junk all over the place, so i was hoping they would be ok. I was pretty sure the big chickens would be ok, but the banties didn't stand a chance. I am kicking myself.... I am soooo sad.
I don't know what to do if he doesn't take care of the rest.

 

[enola]

Call animal control. Inform the officer what happened and offer to take the chickens- with the owner's permission of course. The officer can handle it from there........

Perhaps with your help and the officer's help he will straighten up and start providing proper care......

 

[Mahlzeit]

Hopefully he puts something up for them. It doesn't need to be the taj mahal its pretty simple to put a coop together for them.

 

[Chicken D's mom]

I cut them a path through the snow so they can come over again. My chicken moved out of our big chicken house and moved into the dog house after the other chickens left. I put up a perch in there and a shelf up by the ceiling. The chicken house is full of furniture right now, but there is room in the dog house for more and I have an igloo dog house that would also work. Maybe I could take it over to him until he gets something else figured out.

My chicken loved my dog, but the dog recently died of old age...

 

[enola]

You have a heart of gold!

 

[Chicken D's mom]

How sweet Enola. I'm afraid, though now, it's broken into tiny bits.

 

[Kazfam]

Offer to shelter them in your coop?
(assuming you still have the coop)