Could have been a tragedy

[JayDe]

We had an incident last night. Our door that leads to our front porch has been not working lately. If it isn't checked, the cat has been able to push it open. She's been trying to get out there to go after the squirrels which have invaded after the chicken feed.

We have 5 chickens living on our porch. 3 silkies and 2 Buff Orpingtons. Two are roosters, they are all about 5 months.

I went to sleep early. My husband was out late. Around 9:30 last night I heard a noise. We've had a couple raccoons trying to get in, so we've been sleeping lightly in case they try anything with the chicks. I listened, but didn't hear anything else, so I started to drift back off to sleep. I hear another little bang and some chick commotion. I jumped out of bed, ran down the hallway..and the door was open to the front porch. I go out and the roof of the chick hutch is caved in (my husband made the hutch so the silkies can live there indefinitely, the Orps need to leave this week) so the roof wasn't meant to hold something on the roof. I pulled up the roof and went to check and see if everyone was ok from the roof caving in and....my cat is inside the hutch, just chilling in the back. She just says, "Meeooww?" and looks at me, like, "what?"

I got her out and checked the chickens all over, no noticeable damage. I think that she either realized she made a big mistake and left them alone, or bit at them once, got some feathers and gave up when she heard me coming.

I'm glad nothing happened. I'm not sure how I'd feel about the cat if she got a hold of one of the chicks.

My husband is out fixing the hutch now so that it is predator (and housecat) proof.

 

[Ms.FuzzyButts]

Glad they were ok!!!!!!

 

[hensonly]

Honey, not to worry...these things happen. I had my RIR's brooder box on the enclosed back porch. I came back from walking four dogs, got everyone on the porch, unhooked leashes, opened the door. They did their usual 3 Stooges act trying to get into the house all at once. Well, I THOUGHT they all went in! I followed them in, checked on the DH who was ill, was out of the kitchen not 30 seconds...went back into the kitchen, heard the chicks shrieking, realized one dog was missing, went tearing out onto the porch - there was my Australian Shepherd IN the brooder box (it was big, 4ft x 4 ft). He'd knocked off the two baby gates I had over the top to keep the 3 wk old birds in. He was spinning in circles trying to herd the half dozen chicks who hadn't flown out. I got in there FAST, I can tell you, and grabbed him up, tucked his 65 lbs under my arm and dumped him back into the house. Took about 2 hours to find all the scared babies, who'd hidden under, behind and iside my DH's woodworking supplies and tools. Thank goodness the outside door was closed. Though it was actually open about 6 inches, and we couldn't find the last chick...I searched outside for half an hour, then went out to do some gardening so I'd hear/see if she came around. The DH came out a while later, carrying her. He'd found her on the porch when she finally got over being so scared and tried to get back with the rest of the flock. Like you, I had nobody hurt. Hey, something to tell your grandchildren, right??!