Feel worse than horrible...lost my first bird due to my own stupidity

[1stepcloser]

I made the incredibly stupid and naive mistake of trusting my dog around my bird. Stupid! Stupid! Stupid! I read your posts and somehow thought I knew better.

She killed one of my layers today. I came home to find black feathers everywhere. After searching and searching I found my girl. She had gone to die in a empty potting container. I feel sick and just want to cry. Lesson learned in a horrible, horrible way. We will be rebuilding their run to accommodate the chickens 24 hours a day. There will be no more free ranging unless I am out there. Period. Nor will any of my dogs ever be trusted around them again.

I feel like crap...as I should. (((sigh))) What was I thinking?!

 

[chixie]

I am sorry for your loss

 

[quail newbie]

 

[newchickmom09]

It's ok, sometimes those things happen. Don't beat yourself up over it.

 

[poultrypatch]

I'm sooooo very sorry for the loss !!! Poor chickie !
We all do stupid stuff thinking it will be ok. I have Toy and Mini Poodles and wouldn't trust one of them with my bird kids.
I guess we just have to learn from our mistakes. Don't beat yourself up over it, it won't help.

Liz
Rochester, MA

 

[TennesseeTruly]

Please don't beat yourself up. Several weeks ago I lost 37 chickens and 5 guineas to my own 2 dogs. I was beside myself, physically ill, and couldn't believe that it happened. All we can do is work harder to make sure that it doesn't happen again.

I was so cocky that I would never lose a chicken to a predator, especially not to my own dogs until a series of accidents happened. You can never be too prepared.

Sending you bunches of hugs.

Laurie

 

[happi752]

Just remember, once a dog gets a taste of the blood, they will not stop going after the chickens.

 

[jbowyer01]

First heres a (((HUG))). Secondly take a deep breath and please realize that we all have made mistakes when it comes to our chickens. Mine was thinking I could leave my little silkies out alone to free range for 15 to 20 min. while I did something in the house, I knew about our hawk situation but none the less....I lost my smallest silkie to a hawk, I watched in horror as it carried him off and there was nothing I could do. As I said we all make mistakes and we learn from them!

 

[1stepcloser]

Thank you everyone. I still feel like pond scum. Poor Pepper totally trusted me and I let her down. Happi, I don't doubt you. The only thing I can say is I will NEVER leave them unattended around my dogs again. EVER.

 

[chickensioux]

So sorry for your loss. We all make mistakes and although it hurts, you just gotta learn from it and move on. Again, so sorry.