Devestation, i'm mad, heartbroken and i have given up

[50-45-1]

I cannot handle reconstructing my shattered heart again.

I understand that.
Have a good cry, bury your dead, clean up the mess. Let your life get back to normal.
Its raw right now. Im so sorry. Chickens worm their way right into our hearts and its gut wrenchig when we loose any pet.
At some point in the future you might go from sad to mad.
Then i go from mad to stuborn determination to try again differently, better, succesfully.
I know thats my cycle.
What we live through makes us stronger!
Sending you warm thoughts and prayers for you and your partner.
Esther

 

[centrarchid]

It is good to get mad, then focus on fixing things. Once remaining birds collected and checked over, then need to figure how to house them.

In a real pinch, putting remaining bird in a dog carrier if you have one. If not, then even a live-trap will be good.

Wish I could be there to help as been through similar when we first moved in here.

 

[centrarchid]

I have a similar coop in front yard. It is not good against dogs, and could be beaten by a determined fox. That said you could easily make it tougher than before.

 

[Araucana Nest]

I'm so, so sorry Your anger is understandable. It's heartbreaking. You have no control over what has passed but how you react to the anger is where you have some control. Please consider wisely.

 

[thepick4uchicks]

Waste of time to try again. Everythingci care about dies. I can't handle more heartbreak .

Oh I am so so sorry! I am just very sorry for your heartbreak this week. You have had so much happen in a short time to deal with. I don’t blame you for shooting it and running it down with a tank. It is also probably just starving and trying to feed those puppies but doing a poor job of things out of desperation. I am so sorry for you and for that poor doggie mama. Your poor chickens. I am so sorry.

 

[LaFemmeKatia]

If the neighbors are family members, they should be agreeable to helping you get rid of the stray dog and puppies.
There has to be an ASPCA somewhere.
They can’t just leave them live on the porch. The pups will grow up and then the bunch of them will be a dog pack. Then everyone will have problems.
Somebody needs to do something.
I am so sorry you had to have this horrible loss.
Put your remaining chicken in a dog cage or something secure like that. I would probably bring her in the house if it were me.
Eventually you will want to make your coop tougher. But you still need to get rid of the dogs.
(I would not feel bad killing a dog that killed my chickens)
By the way, if the dog and pups live at the neighbors, and the neighbors are feeding them, and letting them live on the porch, and Mom has a pink collar, your neighbors have some dogs!

 

[thepick4uchicks]

If the neighbors are family members, they should be agreeable to helping you get rid of the stray dog and puppies.
There has to be an ASPCA somewhere.
They can’t just leave them live on the porch. The pups will grow up and then the bunch of them will be a dog pack. Then everyone will have problems.
somebody needs to do something.
I am so sorry you had to have this horrible loss.
Put your remaining chicken in a dog cage or something secure like that. I would probably bring her in the house if it were me.
Eventually you will want to make your coop tougher. But you still need to get rid of the dogs.
(I would not feel bad killing a dog that killed my chickens)

The thing is that the dog is a stray who had puppies right? She is probably starving and just trying to find anything she can to eat which makes her desperate and half crazy. She is going to get into anything from the coop to trash to inside houses next unless she is gotten help. The pound needs to pick her and the puppies up. Killing her is not going to help anything if she has a litter of helpless puppies around. Then we have those left on our hands somewhere. That’s another load to bear for someone. With no mama then they have to be bottle fed and all that. It’s just a mess.

 

[Ebony Rose]

Bruised or cracked ribs hurt for a long long time and hurt like the dickens, making even breathing seem a painful task. I've had simple rib bruising hurt for several months. I advise an x-ray to eliminate the possibility that it is cracked, as another tumble could shatter a cracked bone easily in the elderly, and drive the bone through a lung or other vital organ.
As for the neighbor's dog; a chicken killing dog, especially one as intent on killing as to destroy their hutch, needs to die. I wouldn't even bother with 're-homing' it, as that's just putting your problem into someone else's back yard. A bullet between the eyes or heart ought to do the trick.

 

[Chicalina]

I agree with what some people have said here, but not with killing the dog.

I'm sorry to hear about your partner and your chickens.

It is a terrible time to say this but your coop/run cannot have been very secure for just a dog to get into it that quick. Focus on fixing it up stronger.

And it isn't the dog's fault she is hungry and had nobody to look after her or her puppies. She has obviously been abandoned by someone and to face death for just getting food for her pups is awful and unnecessary. The pups will be a bigger problem if they lose their mother. Your family should have called animal control sooner.

This is a typical example of human beings letting down the animals in our care. None of it is the chickens or the dogs fault.

Please call animal control and get them to round up the stray and her pups. They stand a good chance of being rehomed that way, and far away from your house and chicken run.

It must be so raw now but do try and not react with violence and weapons. That really isn't the answer.

 

[Matejka]

I agree with what some people have said here, but not with killing the dog.

I'm sorry to hear about your partner and your chickens.

It is a terrible time to say this but your coop/run cannot have been very secure for just a dog to get into it that quick. Focus on fixing it up stronger.

And it isn't the dog's fault she is hungry and had nobody to look after her or her puppies. She has obviously been abandoned by someone and to face death for just getting food for her pups is awful and unnecessary. The pups will be a bigger problem if they lose their mother. Your family should have called animal control sooner.

This is a typical example of human beings letting down the animals in our care. None of it is the chickens or the dogs fault.

Please call animal control and get them to round up the stray and her pups. They stand a good chance of being rehomed that way, and far away from your house and chicken run.

It must be so raw now but do try and not react with violence and weapons. That really isn't the answer.

Tthere is NO animal control here. We are 20 miles from nearest town. That town has 2500 people in it. The neighbors ARE feeding mama dog. She wasn't starving and she isn't starving now. She ate 3 chickens Friday and a rooster Saturday. She'll come back-I'm waiting.