Crying... everything is dead. UPDATE POST #54

[mikeinri]

Sorry for your loss.

I lost a pet a year ago and part of me is left with him.

Why would a person/kid dig under a fence when you have a door? If it were a dog I would set out to bait and catch it. It would get handed back to its owner in several boxes. Give him a gift card to petco for a leash for his new dog.

I am wondering about protection for my new little flock.

I have a light and a radio in the storage shed/coop. I'm hoping the radio will keep most of the wild animals away. I have hawks overhead every day. I have seen a fox in the yard and my neighbor hears fisher cats nightly. We also have a pack of wild dogs/coyotes in the area.

I am getting a cam. I like everyone’s idea. A chicken cam will also be very cool.

I don't see how I could have them in lockdown and keep them happy. I have overhead netting but there is no way I could keep out what I have roaming around here.

 

[mammat]

I am so sorry we lost our entire flock to a raccoon? One night in august. Freaks pryed out a vent in our coop that had never been breeched in four years and killed them all in one night. Went out to let them out in the morning and they were all dead. Cried for weeks! Maybe something pryed your door open.

 

[andrea98]

Could the door been left open & the dog killed the ones in the yard & than helped it's self in to the coop & the owner couldn't get the dog outta the run so they cut a hole to remove the dog????

 

[CrestedGirl]

I'm so sorry! We had something similar, although no lives were involved. Well one afternoon we came home And checked the mailbox for some mail. We found 2 eggs all over the mailbox broken, but thankfully the mail hadn't come yet. We took it as a joke that some of the neighborhood kids was playing a trick. After that we just went on, forgetting all about it. Well 2 weeks later we came home and found 2 mire broken eggs and they were broken all over our mail and the mail was ruined and some of it sopposively stolen!!! We called the cops to file a report, but the only evidence we had was the mail and eggs, no witnesses. We have an oil rig down the rode, and there is a lady in a in one of those potable offices in front of the road leading to the rig. We walked down to her wondering if she might have seen anything when we were gone. Well sure enough she knew exactly who did it! A 9 year old girl and a 12 year old boy who lived on our street. We now had an eyewitness and we had filed a police report. He came to our neighborhood and spoke to the mothers of the kids and said this would never happen again. I hope you are able to find out who did it. Prayers are being sent your way.

 

[ChirpNEggBaby]

So Sorry, keep in mind you legally have the right to shoot a dog (or anything else) that is on your property and killing your livestock. Kids could be next. Do yourself a favor and set up a video cam so you have legal proof and can also charge the dog owner for the cost of the birds.

 

[toomanypeeps]

I am dealing with the same thing on a somewhat smaller scale. Check with the local animal control. We did and found that not only can we shoot the dogs...which in the interest of neighborly relations we are loath to do, but if the dog warden has to come out they will be fined $1,500 per dog/ per incident. Sometimes it takes a threat to their pocketbook to get peoples attention. We also figured out how much each bird cost+the eggs she would lay over the next 2 years. It gave us about $110 per hen. Hope you get their attention.

 

[alfordtl]

Sorry for your loss. Several years ago I had a similar thing happen to me. My wife and children went on a weeklong vacation and had our friends feed our animals. As luck would have it our friends were in a car accident the day after we left and were unable to care for our animals. Needless to say, our half German Shepherd/ half wolf dogs got hungry before we got home. Couldn't really blame them as they had never attempted to bother them at all before. Hope you find the culprit and dela with it accordingly.

 

[Hennypen]

I'm convinced everyone should have video cameras recording all day 24/7. We have them and were able to get our pet sitter arrested.

They do come in handy. I'd put "video survaillance in use" on your coop.

 

[effie]

WOW, I assume your pet sitter did something bad while pet sitting!!!!!!!!! I hope at not one of your pets expense.

 

[Barn Maid Ann]

So sorry for your loss. I can't imagine coming home to that. Your poor kids!
I'm glad you put in a police report. It is on record now, at least.

I lost about 15 chickens in one day this past summer. Ours free range during the day and we have lost a bird here and there, but NEVER 15 all at once - in the middle of the day.
A lot of people thought it must be a dog, but we have zero problems with stray dogs. We do have a terrible coyote problem, though. I am thinking a pack must have closed in and surprised our flock. Our home sets way back in the woods, and is usually totally peaceful.
I was so devastated by the loss. Two really great roosters, who obviously put up a great battle. And my hens were run across a five acre span. I only found one dead bird, the rest were just piles of feathers at what I presume were kill sites, and carried off to be eaten. Months later, I am still so sad. Some were very special pets that I had for 5 years. The rest were 4 - 5 month olds that I had raised this year, just getting ready to lay.

I have a new flock now, but it is just not the same....