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

[MarkJP]

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.

Hi Tonya, I'm very sorry to hear that happened to you. What a shame. When we were raising our chicks 2 years ago, I had a very large cardboard box about 3' high and 4' square. I reinforced the corners with angled cardboard so no one could get 'trapped in the corner' and taped a layer of painters drop 'cloth' plastic inside. The final thing I did was to use an old window screen with a brick on top to keep our cats out. It worked really well. Consider finding some screen and weight it down a bit. That should solve your problem of your dog intruding on them again!

 

[cgolden]

I don't understand why people like that didn't have the dog destroyed?

I hear stuff like this a lot. (re: the collie)

Oh, but such and such is a good dog, or a good person despite numerous crimes...

If someone or in this case the dog has a lot of crimes its not a good dog. Sometimes I hear it about people when the person is too emotionally attached to make good decisions.

Sorry just venting. Today also I had to go over with a family member about not trusting a person that had taken advantage of them several times and they still wouldn't get it.

It'

I won't speak to your family member being betrayed by a person, Im sorry that happened.

 

[cgolden]

It'

I won't speak to your family member being betrayed by a person, Im sorry that happened.

But introducing your dogs to your chickens is easy if your dogs are family members, not dogs on guard.

 

[SadieLeigh]

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.

Don't feel guilty, although I know it's hard not to. When I got back into chickens last year, I started them out in a plastic tub in my bathroom by the heater to keep them warm. Then moved them to a glass aquarium on my kitchen counter. I too kept a weighted screen on top because of a very curious cat. I have pics of cat on top of the tank watching them. Was also raising guineas. Started with a flock of 14. Have 2 left. When I moved them outdoors had them in a coop very safe from predators except snakes. Found a snake stuffed with guineas sound asleep with 2 of the remaining ones standing on top of the very fat snake. Then, once the remaining ones were large enough to let out to forage, lost all but 2 to a very aggressive hawk. I have had guineas before and never have i lost so many so quickly. I have kept the guineas and chickens confined in secure cages all winter and only let them out, but still inside a larger enclosure, when I am right there with them. But good weather is here and I want them to go out and forage. Guineas were not meant to be confined and that's not why i got them. I am struggling with knowing i need to let them wander but i risk losing them. It is part of owning a flock of fowl. Don't give up.

 

[Ivorbach]

Very sorry to hear of this happening to you. Our jerk of a dog somehow made it through a fence and then chewed through enough of the (in hindsight) woefully insufficient plastic chicken mesh we had around our makeshift chick run to get the youngest chicks used to the outdoors and he killed one of them. We have been working on desensitization with him since and trying to convince him that they are friends and not food.

 

[Pollitos6]

Hello,
I am sorry for your loss. The first flock that i had three years ago was killed by a raccoon so I know how you feel (guilt and very sad). We learn as we go and with chickens if is not one thing is another. My 9 month old shepherd is ok with my poultry as long as I am with him. Yesterday, I went inside the house for a couple minutes and I heard one of my duck in distress, when I ran to see what happened, I saw my shepherd jumping on top of my duck and my duck had blood in her neck. When I checked on my duck , sure enough, I saw teeth mark from my dog. I treated her wounds and she is fine now. But that remind me that I cannot leave my dog unattended around my poultry. He actually herd the chickens to their coop at the end of the day ( I am always there supervising) but again some times they can get carried away and that's when accidents happen. Don't be hard on yourself, lot of us (chicken keepers) have experienced losses with our poultry.

 

[KOdin]

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’m sorry for you loss. I taught my dog small animals were mine because I’m the alpha. They are my property and he’s only allowed to look. Just comes with training and his respect to your belongings. I hope your surviving chicks are thriving and grow up strong and healthy!

 

[Pet Chickens & Ducks]

The dog is now and forever a Chicken Killer, I'd kill the dog and be done with it.

Nice thing to say to help the situation. I sure hope you don't own a dog.

 

[Pet Chickens & Ducks]

Chapman Family - if you haven't already gotten more chicks, I'd suggest doing what Killyhawker mentioned. Concentrate on the ones you have. If you were to get new chicks, you'd want to quarantine them for 30 days before introducing them to the ones you have. Just a thought. Good luck. There seems to always be some heartache involved but most of it is rewarding. Like that first egg. Wishing you the best.

 

[debikm]

I am so sorry. I lost one of my favorite chickens to the neighbor's dog the other day. She was my lap chicken. We live and learn, but it still stinks when it happens.