- Apr 5, 2013
- 92
- 6
- 43
Last Wednesday or Thursday, we had a torrential downpour. So sudden and so hard that our free-ranging (during the day when we're home) chickens got stranded under a few trees in our yard. That night, we lost a white leghorn. No blood, but a bunch of feathers, and she had been pulled through a chain link fence that they were temporarily in. I can still see the part in the chain link that bulges out from her being yanked through. The other chickens were covered in mud, like they were scrambling out of the way.
That night, we put them in their permanent coop, even though it wasn't finished yet. I ran to the store, got some pine bedding, and dumped four bags of it in with the birds.
Tonight, I was outside around 6pm (sun starting to go down, but more than enough light to see by) trying to round up the chickens and ducks to get them put away. I bent down to grab one of our not-so-nice RIR hens, and got distracted when she pecked me. I took a second to scold her and get the dirt from her beak off my hand. I happened to glance up to look for more birds, and ended up locking eyes with a coydog. At least I'm pretty sure that's what it was.
It looked like a coyote and a German Shepherd. It was grey and black brindle with really light, piercing eyes. It sat with its shoulders hunched, almost like a dog comically ashamed of itself. Its fur was kind of spiky and rough looking. And out of its mouth hung a dead RIR hen. I panicked and called my dogs inside. It could have the chickens if it wanted them, but me and my three dogs weren't going to be bitten. As soon as my dogs came tearing across the lawn, it ran off. I don't know why they didn't spot or hear it earlier when it caught the chicken.
I locked my dog inside, armed myself with a kitchen knife, my cell phone, and a bunch of rocks from the back porch planters.
The coydog didn't come back while I was outside that time. I finished putting the birds away, lamented the loss of a good RIR, and went to talk to the neighbor who is always outside. He said he's seen a coyote with funny fur in the area, and I asked him if it could be a coydog. He said probably, even though they're a little rare in this part of NY.
I ran to WalMart tonight, and when I came back, I spotted the same animal on our OTHER neighbors driveway, slinking along behind our chicken coop. I won't lie, I pulled up THAT neighbor's driveway with my high-beams on, hoping to stun the animal. He shrank back into the shadows. I was willing to put a dent in the car killing it if I could get it though.
I don't own a gun. I wish I did, but I share a house with my mother in law and husband, and they are both against it. Does anyone know if there are any special rules against killing coydogs, since they are part domestic animal? Or if there are any ways to repel them? I already have (and this probably sounds gross, but it keeps the deer and foxes away) human urine around the perimeter of the garden in our yard...I don't know if I should put some along the area where I've seen this coydog? I'm afraid to use another animals' urine as a repellant, because I'm afraid to attract other predators (and who knows what's in this area)...
I'm going to call animal control for this area tomorrow and talk to them, see if anyone else has seen this animal. I'm not free-ranging my birds anymore unless I'm outside with them 100% of the time, and they will be locked up before dusk, if I can catch them. They're safe in the coop and in the new run, I don't think anything could get in there. And as soon as it's dark and they're all roosting, they get locked in the coop anyhow.
But if anyone could give me some help, I'd appreciate it. I'm going to try to get a picture of this animal tomorrow at dusk, if my husband will let me out of the house unprotected.
That night, we put them in their permanent coop, even though it wasn't finished yet. I ran to the store, got some pine bedding, and dumped four bags of it in with the birds.
Tonight, I was outside around 6pm (sun starting to go down, but more than enough light to see by) trying to round up the chickens and ducks to get them put away. I bent down to grab one of our not-so-nice RIR hens, and got distracted when she pecked me. I took a second to scold her and get the dirt from her beak off my hand. I happened to glance up to look for more birds, and ended up locking eyes with a coydog. At least I'm pretty sure that's what it was.
It looked like a coyote and a German Shepherd. It was grey and black brindle with really light, piercing eyes. It sat with its shoulders hunched, almost like a dog comically ashamed of itself. Its fur was kind of spiky and rough looking. And out of its mouth hung a dead RIR hen. I panicked and called my dogs inside. It could have the chickens if it wanted them, but me and my three dogs weren't going to be bitten. As soon as my dogs came tearing across the lawn, it ran off. I don't know why they didn't spot or hear it earlier when it caught the chicken.
I locked my dog inside, armed myself with a kitchen knife, my cell phone, and a bunch of rocks from the back porch planters.
The coydog didn't come back while I was outside that time. I finished putting the birds away, lamented the loss of a good RIR, and went to talk to the neighbor who is always outside. He said he's seen a coyote with funny fur in the area, and I asked him if it could be a coydog. He said probably, even though they're a little rare in this part of NY.
I ran to WalMart tonight, and when I came back, I spotted the same animal on our OTHER neighbors driveway, slinking along behind our chicken coop. I won't lie, I pulled up THAT neighbor's driveway with my high-beams on, hoping to stun the animal. He shrank back into the shadows. I was willing to put a dent in the car killing it if I could get it though.
I don't own a gun. I wish I did, but I share a house with my mother in law and husband, and they are both against it. Does anyone know if there are any special rules against killing coydogs, since they are part domestic animal? Or if there are any ways to repel them? I already have (and this probably sounds gross, but it keeps the deer and foxes away) human urine around the perimeter of the garden in our yard...I don't know if I should put some along the area where I've seen this coydog? I'm afraid to use another animals' urine as a repellant, because I'm afraid to attract other predators (and who knows what's in this area)...
I'm going to call animal control for this area tomorrow and talk to them, see if anyone else has seen this animal. I'm not free-ranging my birds anymore unless I'm outside with them 100% of the time, and they will be locked up before dusk, if I can catch them. They're safe in the coop and in the new run, I don't think anything could get in there. And as soon as it's dark and they're all roosting, they get locked in the coop anyhow.
But if anyone could give me some help, I'd appreciate it. I'm going to try to get a picture of this animal tomorrow at dusk, if my husband will let me out of the house unprotected.
