Confession of bad chicken mom

[lleeme]

I have only had the chickens for a week. I do have 6 chicks at 5 weeks but they are still on the porch. Last Friday I got caught up with dinner, etc and failed to close the door to the hen house. (The coop and hen house were here when we bought the place, I felt the henhouse was secure but the coop it is in was not). I woke up Saturday and realised what I had done and raced out to find my favorite hen in the corner where the preditor entered going between the fencing, and tried to drag her out. It was horrible and I feel so guilty. It was my job to protect them. I now have an alarm️ set to remind me to put them in. I still feel bad.

 

[BeanNoot316]

I’m very sorry to hear that. It’s never easy to lose chickens to predators.
We had an established flock that were a big part of our family and daily routine. Our 3 young children each had their own and loved spending free time with the chickens. We read up on predator proofing and built everything from the ground up. Thought we had the perfect setup! During the dead of winter I was sick with Covid so my family was staying at the in-laws while I isolated and took care of the chickens. One day I went out in the morning to open the coop and was surprised when none of the chickens ran out…
I opened the access door to see a raccoon….no survivors…. After taking care of business I searched but could not figure out how he got in the coop. A few days later after I was recovered, my wife and kids finally came home and we found a small (maybe 2-3 inch by 6 inch) ventilation opening at the roof line we must have forgotten to hardware cloth. Needless to say that has since been rectified and then some.

 

[ChickNanny13]

It happens, I've left the door unsecured to my CH several times ... I'm lucky that the door sticks & my yard fenced but still, I'm not happy with myself. Don't beat yourself up, hopefully your hen's ok and you didn't loose any.

 

[Nika B]

I'm so sorry for your loss, Ileeme. However, mistakes happen, and although that is terribly sad and I understand your guilt, try to not beat yourself up about it. What's done is done, and I'm sure you won't repeat this mistake in the future.

Your alarm sounds like a good idea, and if it is in your budget, I might consider getting an automatically closing chicken door (the cheaper ones are normally about $30). I have included some links to start your search if you would like to look at them. I have one, and it is seriously a lifesaver. Mine is set up with a solar panel to open when the sun comes up and close when it goes down. If you choose to purchase one, let me know and I can give you some advice on how I set mine up and trained my chickens to use it.

Again, so sorry for your loss and sending huge hugs your way!


Door Links:

This is the one I have, it was cheaper but still on the higher end cost-wise when I bought it, but has held up well and is very reliable and secure. Also insulating, which helps in MN winters

This one is a lot cheaper (33.99) but slightly less secure.

This is more of a mid-priced one, mid-security door

 

[Silexian]

Yes it sucks! Unfortunately it does happen. You are not the only one that has ever forgotten to close a run or coop door. I have also experienced the gut wrenching feeling. Of a predator capitalizing and my chickens paying the ultimate price for my mistake. You have taken steps to help make sure it doesn’t happen again. So don’t beat yourself up.

 

[lleeme]

I’m very sorry to hear that. It’s never easy to lose chickens to predators.
We had an established flock that were a big part of our family and daily routine. Our 3 young children each had their own and loved spending free time with the chickens. We read up on predator proofing and built everything from the ground up. Thought we had the perfect setup! During the dead of winter I was sick with Covid so my family was staying at the in-laws while I isolated and took care of the chickens. One day I went out in the morning to open the coop and was surprised when none of the chickens ran out…
I opened the access door to see a raccoon….no survivors…. After taking care of business I searched but could not figure out how he got in the coop. A few days later after I was recovered, my wife and kids finally came home and we found a small (maybe 2-3 inch by 6 inch) ventilation opening at the roof line we must have forgotten to hardware cloth. Needless to say that has since been rectified and then some.

Thanks for the response. It was a stupid mistake, one I will not repeat. I think a solar powered door is needed. They are good about going in way before dark.

 

[lleeme]

It happens, I've left the door unsecured to my CH several times ... I'm lucky that the door sticks & my yard fenced but still, I'm not happy with myself. Don't beat yourself up, hopefully your hen's ok and you didn't loose any.

Thanks.

 

[lleeme]

T

Yes it sucks! Unfortunately it does happen. You are not the only one that has ever forgotten to close a run or coop door. I have also experienced the gut wrenching feeling. Of a predator capitalizing and my chickens paying the ultimate price for my mistake. You have taken steps to help make sure it doesn’t happen again. So don’t beat yourself up.

Thanks

 

[McChooky]

MY chicken are in coop and run inside another larger run. I close both doors to the runs at night and lock the larger run with a padlock but their coop door remains open 24/7 .If you make your coops and runs predator proof you don't need an automatic door.