Devastated... Lost 7 of 13 chicks last night.

[member 512732]

This is my first go around with chicks or any poultry for that matter. Long story short I trusted my dog too much and last night at 1:30am her curiosity got the best of my new and first flock. I received the 13 chicks at 24 hours old, I have spent the last 2 1/2 weeks, learning about raising chicks and learning MY chicks. Two different brooders, on Monday I built an outdoor "playpen", two with pasty butt the first week, needless to say I was very invested. I had a roll of three foot high hardware cloth that I would roll across the brooder at night but I used it for my chick playpen. My dog awoke from my sons room and went into the living room, where I have been keeping the brooder (a 110 gallon trough with all the bells and whistles), and within seconds she jumped in, I heard the commotion and flew out of bed and screamed at her and she jumped out, but in that 30-45 seconds 7 of my chicks died. I only had one Silkie who in the first day I thought was going to die, then she had pasty butt day three and four, but was starting to look strong and healthy, she didn't make it. I also had a red Bielefender, I believed him to be a rooster and he was my favorite of all time, he is gone also. I'm not sure why my first response is to come on here and tell you all my horrible experience. Just needing to vent maybe.
As I write I also have noticed my 5 remaining chicks seem to be sleeping a lot more today than usual. Can they feel the loss? Can this effect them?
I am also wondering if I should try to get some new chicks to replace my loss. Wondering if I should give my five remaining to some friends that have been looking for some and get a whole new set so they are all the same age. I have learned my lesson with my dog and understand she cannot be trusted with poultry. We have goats and she has no problem with them. And she has never had an issue with another dog, or people, or children. I have so many questions and feelings. I have guilt because deep down I know I let my birds down.

I found the best place to keep my chicks are in my huge bathtub Ive never used. I only let the chihuahuas in there and they are afraid of everything. Ive never lost one to that. I almost lost one of my hens a couple days ago. John, George and Paulie are stupid roosters and the hen flies over the six foot fence. They also used to never try to have sex with her but she got hurt pretty bad a couple of days ago. I just went out again and she had again jumped over the fence. I have one male in with the ones on my porch. They dont like the chickens in the chicken house. I also cant put her in the quarantine kennel because a couple months ago I found Ringo walking down the road after getting beat up by the other stupid roosters...John, Paulie and George. Can I clip her wings?

 

[Csamo]

I,m sorry for your loss. This is my first time raising chickens. Do not blame yourself.

 

[Willey98]

Like others have said, don't beat yourself up over it; It's happened to the best of us. Heck one year it happened twice to me with my show chickens. We used to move my chicks into a big tank brooder in the garage when they out grew their tote inside and usually I wire grates over the top but I hadnt been because nobody bothers them. We'll my sisters aussie had been living at home with us and one day he decided to get them. We came home to little chick part strewn throughout the kitchen and the outside pen. It was horrifying. After that I got a new batch to try to raise up large enough to show and suddenly my own dog went through a chicken killing phase and tore through a weaker spot in their pen and killed them again. It was a rough year. You just learn to never make the same mistakes again and try to prevent others. But sometimes accidents will still happen, you just gotta learn from it and keep moving.

As for your other chicks. If you want to get more and add them to it, ours always do fine even with an age gap. If they seem to be bullying the younger chicks you might have to put a little divider between them until they all get a little bigger.

 

[chikenthusiast]

A few months back I forgot to lock up my coop. 4 of my girls were dinner for a fox. The remaining three stopped laying and were not themselves for many weeks. They definitely experience trauma and react. I am sorry this happened, but mistakes are made by all of us. I hope you decided to keep the rest of your hens.

 

[Gallega]

This is my first go around with chicks or any poultry for that matter. Long story short I trusted my dog too much and last night at 1:30am her curiosity got the best of my new and first flock. I received the 13 chicks at 24 hours old, I have spent the last 2 1/2 weeks, learning about raising chicks and learning MY chicks. Two different brooders, on Monday I built an outdoor "playpen", two with pasty butt the first week, needless to say I was very invested. I had a roll of three foot high hardware cloth that I would roll across the brooder at night but I used it for my chick playpen. My dog awoke from my sons room and went into the living room, where I have been keeping the brooder (a 110 gallon trough with all the bells and whistles), and within seconds she jumped in, I heard the commotion and flew out of bed and screamed at her and she jumped out, but in that 30-45 seconds 7 of my chicks died. I only had one Silkie who in the first day I thought was going to die, then she had pasty butt day three and four, but was starting to look strong and healthy, she didn't make it. I also had a red Bielefender, I believed him to be a rooster and he was my favorite of all time, he is gone also. I'm not sure why my first response is to come on here and tell you all my horrible experience. Just needing to vent maybe.
As I write I also have noticed my 5 remaining chicks seem to be sleeping a lot more today than usual. Can they feel the loss? Can this effect them?
I am also wondering if I should try to get some new chicks to replace my loss. Wondering if I should give my five remaining to some friends that have been looking for some and get a whole new set so they are all the same age. I have learned my lesson with my dog and understand she cannot be trusted with poultry. We have goats and she has no problem with them. And she has never had an issue with another dog, or people, or children. I have so many questions and feelings. I have guilt because deep down I know I let my birds down.

ugh. absolutely heart wrenching.I would not have any more until you can establish a proper and safe coop. you will enjoy peace of mind because the dog will be looking forward to more chicken dinners.

 

[haiginks]

I’m so sorry this happened. But thank you so much for this post. I’m new to raising chickens and also had my first loss last Monday to one of my own dogs and felt like the. most. massive. failure. Reading this thread has been so therapeutic and helpful. Thank you so much for posting and opening the door for all of this support - that apparently we all need! (Thank god its not just me)

I wanted to comment and share what I am going to try with my dogs. We have a shock collar system with threshold barriers to keep our dogs from getting into the litter boxes in the house and they work for our dogs (a chi-pom and a lab-pit) so well that when we moved one of the litter boxes, they had to be really coaxed to come near the area that had previously been off limits. So I’ve ordered some of the “add a barrier” spots and I’m going to put them around our chicken tractor (the scene of our crime).

I saw someone else suggest a shock collar with a remote, which is great for training the dog when the chicks are grown and you are watching, but for now, something like this might be a better option. There’s a 3 second delay and then a warning beep before the static correction. My dogs rarely get buzzed because they hear that beep and they’re hightailing it out of there. That way it’s consistent for your dog and he can start to associate “too close to chickens = bad.”

 

[bfc chicks]

Had it happen more than once and it's devastating each time. Unfortunately, if you didn't grow up in this life you learn most of the lessons the hard way. I had a couple of gorgeous baby Canadian geese that I accidentally drowned due to the water being too deep and them not being able to get out of the swimming area. I was crushed. I hate the thought of something being terrified or suffering. Short of a Pyrahneese or shepherd dog no breed can be trusted alone with animals, none. No matter how trained, left unattended their instincts can and usually will kick in.

Sorry again i disagree. My most terrible incident was from a dalmation, hound, plus who knows what mix. We took him from a lady who lived in the city and he would get loose and run for girls. She brought him to us and ask us if we could put him down because he had already cost her a number of high fines and she could no longer afford him. I don't like to just put an animal down and so tied him up by our barn. One day will the family was away he broke loose and killed and terrorized my chickens, ducks, and geese killing many as in another relpy but also terrorizing some to the point that when found and brought home they would run in a circle and drop dead. Needless to say many would say kill him!!! It was major punishment, and I'm sorry but many of our liberal animal owners who don't even know how to .. in a pot say an animal that does wrong doesn't know it for more than the immediate time of the incident. Off the subject but I wish every vet, animal care specialist, and people working with animals would be required to have a 2 year (24 month) stay on a farm working with animals before they could recieve any certificate. Now back to Max. He knew what he had done and he knew it was wrong. Needless to say the next morning when I came out to his distruction I was fit to be tied. Max was and the board of knowledge was applied to the seat of learning. Then a nice plump dead hen was placed in a sturdy feed bag and securely fastened to his collar which was refashioned to securely hold him. I fed and watered him on schedule and every day told him he was a bad dog until I noticed the chickens could come up and steal his food and he'd look the other way. A few evenings later at supper time I turned him loose and after supper he came home carrying a fat groundhog road kill. I praised him profusely and the next evening turned him loose and he came home with a fresh gh kill. From then on its all history, that boy brought home and devour over 400 ghs and at one point dug a groundhog out of a hole 4 feet deep and 10 foot in diameter. He was the best helper in herding the goats and cows and wouldn't even bother the rabbits because I told him and he learned they where MINE. Should I have killed him? On his dying bed his daughter brought him his last gh and he departed happy, as she picked up his legacy. Should I have killed him. NO. But PEOPLE are the ones who should learn to understand animals. You can love them from the heart but they always need training and some discipline. After that one time Max knew his master and we had many good times together and many long talks about life. And I don't care what anyone says, HE UNDERSTOOD. Goodby Max, you where a great dog.

 

[HENS-and-MARES]

Sorry don't agree... I raise aussies best help I've ever had on the farm. Yes they have killed when not sure of what they are doing but I have always been able to train them to not touch MY animals. Once a dog we aquired killed 9 embden geese and 10 breeding hens. After wearing a died chicken around his neck for 30 days and being told bad- bad for that time he would look the other way when a chicken or duck or goose came a round, but boy could he bring in the groundhogs from the fields and gardens. 75 the first year and 126 the second. Presently my aussies although they did kill a hen and learned that it was mine. In 2019 brought in 109 groundhogs not counting raccon and other vermin, and so far this year have brought in 14 groundhogs, 2 skunks, 9 oppussum, and 2 muskrats all that I told them that these animals where theirs. One hen that became a lesson was worth the protection from the coyotes, fox, raccoon, weasel, and other garden vermin that I have around my farmette all for the worth of one hen.

So do or don’t thing that a dog should be killed for a mistake. Chicks are so fragile, the dog wouldn’t even have to want to kill one to kill one.

 

[cgolden]

This is my first go around with chicks or any poultry for that matter. Long story short I trusted my dog too much and last night at 1:30am her curiosity got the best of my new and first flock. I received the 13 chicks at 24 hours old, I have spent the last 2 1/2 weeks, learning about raising chicks and learning MY chicks. Two different brooders, on Monday I built an outdoor "playpen", two with pasty butt the first week, needless to say I was very invested. I had a roll of three foot high hardware cloth that I would roll across the brooder at night but I used it for my chick playpen. My dog awoke from my sons room and went into the living room, where I have been keeping the brooder (a 110 gallon trough with all the bells and whistles), and within seconds she jumped in, I heard the commotion and flew out of bed and screamed at her and she jumped out, but in that 30-45 seconds 7 of my chicks died. I only had one Silkie who in the first day I thought was going to die, then she had pasty butt day three and four, but was starting to look strong and healthy, she didn't make it. I also had a red Bielefender, I believed him to be a rooster and he was my favorite of all time, he is gone also. I'm not sure why my first response is to come on here and tell you all my horrible experience. Just needing to vent maybe.
As I write I also have noticed my 5 remaining chicks seem to be sleeping a lot more today than usual. Can they feel the loss? Can this effect them?
I am also wondering if I should try to get some new chicks to replace my loss. Wondering if I should give my five remaining to some friends that have been looking for some and get a whole new set so they are all the same age. I have learned my lesson with my dog and understand she cannot be trusted with poultry. We have goats and she has no problem with them. And she has never had an issue with another dog, or people, or children. I have so many questions and feelings. I have guilt because deep down I know I let my birds down.

I also named one of my first chicks pasty butt, I washed her butt in the sink every night. I kept them in a large tub on my dining room table. When they were old enough I created a safe space for them to be outside. My dogs showed bad interest in them. I bumped their noses every time they got close, but didn't keep them away. My dogs weren't yours, but it worked for me. They didn't like me being mad at them. They ended up with a healthy respect for each other.

 

[cgolden]

Don’t feel like you let them down! These things happen, there’s no avoiding it. It’s happened at least once for everyone, and it’s sad, I know, but dogs will be dogs, and that’s not their fault. You can’t be mad at yourself for what happened, but you can keep trucking along and keep pushing and trying!

You have to train your dogs, don't tortue them. Train them, let them know the chicks



aren't prey.