Farewell, I'm Finished

[TreeHugger]

I'm sorry that happened. I can understand wanting to be done with the whole chicken thing. I think I have a "predator proof" coop and run, but it took a few incidents to get there & of course that is no guarentee that it's really predator proof. It's heartbreaking to loose a few favorite birds & I can't imagine loosing the entire flock at one time.

 

[kla37]

It is so sad you lost your flock! I hope someday you will consider trying again.

 

[Chicken Delight]

Quote:
It's 8:05 am and I literally stayed up all night to try to catch the dog returning, but he never did. What I would have done if he returned I am not certain, but I was and remain prepared to take care of things to protect my bunny and small dogs (what that means would depend on the circumstances when it returns, if I know its owners and if it has tags). I won't say more. I imagine the killer dog will be back as soon as it is able.

I am not sure what kind of dog it was, but it had large paws, larger than my Dalmatian. I followed its tracks in the snow where it broke through the wooden fence that goes around my backyard to the coop. It obviously spent a lot of time eating its way into the coop because the snow was really trampled in that area. The dog started at the corner and ate through 1/2 inch plywood (not particle board) until it could tear off a big enough piece to get into the coop. It had to have really strong jaws like a pitbull. A couple of the chickens tried to escape through the hole the dog made only to be killed in the yard, but the rest were trapped in the coop with the dog. He just killed all the chickens and didn't bother to even try to eat them. A wild animal would at least be killing for food.

Thanks for all of the offers. Everyone here is wonderful. I don't have an incubator, even if I wanted to raise more chickens.
Getting more young chickens is not very difficult around here. I really appreciate the sentiments offered and the generosity and those here who have reached out to me.

What really bothers me is the feeling that I did not adequately protect my girls from this vicious death. I did a lot to make sure the coop and run were secure, but it was not enough. This is what makes me want to move on to something else. I simply don't see getting more chickens until I am sure I can protect against the threats in the area. Right now these threats include some large dog that eats through 1/2 inch exterior plywood. If it can eat through that, it could probably have done a lot of other things to get to them as well.

P.S. I am imagining what a chicken fortress would have to look like to feel that it is safe to bring more girls home. Does that mean I will someday get more chickens? Today I am not certain the answer is no. I don't know.

Thanks again to everyone.

 

[Chicken Delight]

Quote:
I had the same thought, what was the coop made of that a dog could chew through it? Are you sure it was not a bear? That has happened to several people I know.

It could not have been a bear, that is a predator that would indeed be difficult to prepare for. In addition to there being no bear tracks, the hole in the fence was too small as well as the hole in the coop. A bear would have to literally tear a whole wall off my coop to get in. There is a small possibility it could have been a wolf, but we are close enough to the city that I doubt it and it just doesn't seem like a wolf's style. They kill to eat. Nothing was eaten. We have lived here 18 years and seen and heard of plenty of wildlife (fox, raccoon, skunk, deer, moose, rats, cougars), but never a wolf or a bear (I suppose there could always be a first time).

The baby monitor idea sounds good. If only my Westie had not passed away in November he would have made sure we heard this happening; he used to patrol the yard day and night hunting and killing rats (we are not too far from a stream) and running off raccoons, skunks or anything else that came around. I had not really considered how losing him made the chickens more vulnerable.

 

[BigDaddy'sGurl]

I am so very very sorry for your loss. I hope you can catch this animal, at least the sight of it, when/if it returns so that maybe you can identify who it belongs to if it is, in fact, a dog. Please keep us updated.

 

[speckledhen]

I'm just so sorry for your loss. The only thing I can think of is to redo the coop and line the studs with 1/2" hardware wire before the plywood goes onto the exterior walls. That might at least make it very unpleasant to chew past a certain point.



***and of course, deal with the dog in one way or another.

 

[MyKidLuvsGreenEgz]

The next-door neighbors have dogs that like to come over and terrorize our chickens and mini goats. So far they haven't actually gotten through our yard to our coops, but I really can't imagine the pain of losing any of my critters to a predator.

Condolences.

Keep us updated on your thoughts. You seem to have a huge support group here.

 

[typnslow]

How awful for you.
I am so very sorry for your loss.

 

[mmaddie's mom]

Quote:
I'm so glad to see your "I don't know". Maybe come Spring...

 

[happycountryhens]

mmaddie's mom :

About a week ago I said the same thing. I lost 9 birds one night and 11 birds the next, 2/3 of my flock. I gave the remaining birds to a chicken friend. Three nights ago we caught the mink who had gotten them. I have decided to start again in the Spring because of the encouragement and support of folks on BYC, other chicken friends and my family. I learned a lot from this and will do a better job next time. I'm so sorry for your loss and I hope that after a little time that you will reconsider. If you loved having birds, just think about it. Again, so sorry. Time will help.
dmb

This weekend I lost all but one of my girls to a mink. He was still in the coop and is now dead. Poor lonely Doris.

We hope to do more Chicken killer proofing and hopefully have more in the spring. The incident has ruined my whole week so far and we all truely miss our girls. Yes, they were also pets, wouldn't have it any other way.