For the first time in a long time....

[venymae]

Minks! Sorry for your loss, those are hard buggers to predator proof for! Hole the size of a dime is the smallest they can get through I believe? At least you have all winter to double check/reinforce everything before getting new chicks. Is your dog trained as a guard dog? My bff had two large dogs that were worthless as livestock protection dogs, finally had to get another and specifically train it. Guess not all dogs still have that instinct.

 

[bobbi-j]

Minks! Sorry for your loss, those are hard buggers to predator proof for! Hole the size of a dime is the smallest they can get through I believe? At least you have all winter to double check/reinforce everything before getting new chicks. Is your dog trained as a guard dog? My bff had two large dogs that were worthless as livestock protection dogs, finally had to get another and specifically train it. Guess not all dogs still have that instinct.

My dog is an idiot. A smart dog, but an idiot nonetheless. He is very territorial, however, and has killed several raccoons, a stray tom cat, squirrels, and probably a number of things I don't know about. I keep him in at night because he has been known to go after the coyotes when they're out howling about. He could take one, but not a pack. Not sure he'd stop anything that was after my chickens in the night, anyway. When he's not chasing coyotes, he's on the back step sleeping. Our coop is quite a distance from the house - maybe the length of a city block or so. Unless he's down there when something comes to visit, he'd never hear or be able to stop a ruckus in the coop.

 

[lazy gardener]

BJ, so sorry for the traumatic loss of your flock. A new start in the spring. with the winter to plan and look at your breed options. I wish you the best.

 

[bobbi-j]

I'm so sorry! What a miserable series of awful events! This isn't how we want to have a new flock, ever. Mary

No, that wasn't quite how I'd planned to refresh my flock... Oh well, live and learn I guess.

So sorry to read about your losses! I hope things go better for you next time around.

Thank you.

I'm sorry about that. Predators are never a nice way to get a 'fresh start'.

No, I'd prefer to have to replace my flock on my own terms. I guess my local predators didn't get the memo.

@bobbi-j I know exactly how you feel. I am so sorry that you lost all your chickens. This past August I was pet free for the first time in 16 years! I had to rehome my roosters because of neighbors. I gave away 7 of my 9 hens because my parents didn’t want to havcome problems with the neighbors. The hen I saved from slaughter died while I was on my graduation trip and I never got to give her a proper goodbye. I gave my last hens away because my parents didn’t want to take care of them while I’m on my gap year. For me not caring for them in the morning or spending time with them is driving me crazy. I miss them all so much. I start to tear up and sometimes cry when I think about them.

Oh, I'm sorry for your losses. It's hard losing pets!

Get something different. I am thinking of icelandic chickens, check them out!

Ooh! I have heard of them. I'll have to do some research. I'll have a little more time on my hands this winter to do that!

Bobby, all i know to say is how sorry I am.....

Thanks, FMF. I appreciate your thoughts.

BJ, so sorry for the traumatic loss of your flock. A new start in the spring. with the winter to plan and look at your breed options. I wish you the best.

Thanks, LG. It will be fun looking at pictures and dreaming of chicks.

 

[aart]

Saw this and went.....OhNOOOOO!!! and AwCrap!
That stinks...but...I admire your perspective of the 'bittersweet' aspects.
Tighten up your coops over winter start over in spring.
It will be interesting to have this significant 'recess' from keeping birds.
An opportunity to start from 'scratch'.
I hope you keep participating in the forum, your advice and input is invaluable.

 

[Zoomie]

I am so, so sorry for your losses.

This happened to me too... had chickens for years with no issues, and then suddenly, every predator in the book found those chickens. AND while I was out of town, a raccoon tore up some pretty heavy wire (it was a BIG coon, paw print the size of the palm of my hand) and finished off the rest. So, we re-built. All our neighbors make fun of us for that coop and run but we don't care. It's very strong, it has a framework of steel pipe, so that even a bear would struggle to get in there. And yes, the run has steel pipe too. (And yes, we DO have bears.) I hope you don't have to go that far, but for where we live, we felt this was appropriate.

Best of luck for your new future chickens in their new future predator-proof-as-you-can-make-it coop and run. There are so many really cool breeds out there, you can spend the winter dreaming of new awesome chickens and learning about them.

 

[HenOnAJuneBug]

This fall, I was driving down the road and saw a mink crossing it. I swerved to run it over yelling, "I got you, you chicken killing varmint!!!!"

Good shot!

 

[bobbi-j]

Saw this and went.....OhNOOOOO!!! and AwCrap!
That stinks...but...I admire your perspective of the 'bittersweet' aspects.
Tighten up your coops over winter start over in spring.
It will be interesting to have this significant 'recess' from keeping birds.
An opportunity to start from 'scratch'.
I hope you keep participating in the forum, your advice and input is invaluable.

Thanks, Aart. I will hang around and do my chickening vicariously through everyone else here.

I am so, so sorry for your losses.

This happened to me too... had chickens for years with no issues, and then suddenly, every predator in the book found those chickens. AND while I was out of town, a raccoon tore up some pretty heavy wire (it was a BIG coon, paw print the size of the palm of my hand) and finished off the rest. So, we re-built. All our neighbors make fun of us for that coop and run but we don't care. It's very strong, it has a framework of steel pipe, so that even a bear would struggle to get in there. And yes, the run has steel pipe too. (And yes, we DO have bears.) I hope you don't have to go that far, but for where we live, we felt this was appropriate.

Best of luck for your new future chickens in their new future predator-proof-as-you-can-make-it coop and run. There are so many really cool breeds out there, you can spend the winter dreaming of new awesome chickens and learning about them.

It's quite humbling, isn't it? At least for me - I was pretty confident that my chickens were "mostly safe". My runs have 2x4" welded wire, and I knew full well that a mink or weasel could get into them, but "it hasn't happened, so they must be OK". I even know that we have mink and weasels around here. I've seen 'em. We also have raccoons, opossums, coyotes, hawks, a nesting pair of Bald Eagles, GHOs, and skunks. Rumor has it there is a bobcat living around here, but I haven't seen him. Happily no bears. Some 1/2" or 1/4" hardware cloth will help reinforce things, but couldn't afford it at the time. I may be collecting it over the winter.

Good shot!

Thanks!

 

[aart]

I swerved to run it over yelling, "I got you, you chicken killing varmint!!!!" DH just calmly reached over and felt my forehead... (I usually swerve to avoid running over anything.)

 

[sourland]

@Bobbi J , I understand. Nearly 4 years ago as we were planning for our 50 th anniversary trip I gave away all of my birds. Hawks were putting me out of business anyway, but not a day goes by that I don't stare at my lofts longingly. I get my feather fix from my BYC family.