We put my babies in the coop last week at almost 7 weeks old, once the weather was warm enough, and they were loving it. 9 girls, a mixed backyard flock, our coop is 8x8 all told (coop and run together.) We live in the 'burbs and predators aren't a huge deal around here. We were careful regardless, and at the advice of my BIL who had chickens his whole life until he moved to the US, we surrounded the coop and run with cinderblocks so nothing could dig right under the frame and get them. It was a temporary solution since we're preparing an area in the yard with chicken wire buried a few inches down so nothing can dig up under.
We live literally next door to a baseball field that hosts Little League and have had a few kids in and out of our yard (unfenced) checking out the coop. Doesn't bother me (or didn't before,) we're allowed to have the chickens and my kids are friendly with some of these children.
We weren't home until dark the night that this happened and didn't notice anything amiss, and my only guess is that one of these kids must have come into the yard & moved one block in an attempt to open the coop door. My husband went out to feed them in the morning after dropping me at work, and one cinderblock, the one we put in front of the door after we're done going in the coop, was stacked neatly on top of the one next to it. Huge HUGE claw marks in the dirt under the door where the block was missing, and seven of my babies gone without a trace, just a pile of feathers.
Pretty sure it was skunks, since we keep seeing them around and my husband thinks there are some living under our shed. I just have no idea how they took out seven chickens.
Just needed to vent. I'm miserable and heartbroken over this and feel so guilty, like I just didn't do enough to protect them. I can't believe how attached one can get to chickens, but there you have it...
The survivors (buff orp and red shouldered Yokohama) are back living in the house/on the front porch now, and getting lots of extra love. They're so lonely and spend most of their time huddled together, and cluck whenever we separate them. UGH! I just feel so terrible over this.
We live literally next door to a baseball field that hosts Little League and have had a few kids in and out of our yard (unfenced) checking out the coop. Doesn't bother me (or didn't before,) we're allowed to have the chickens and my kids are friendly with some of these children.
We weren't home until dark the night that this happened and didn't notice anything amiss, and my only guess is that one of these kids must have come into the yard & moved one block in an attempt to open the coop door. My husband went out to feed them in the morning after dropping me at work, and one cinderblock, the one we put in front of the door after we're done going in the coop, was stacked neatly on top of the one next to it. Huge HUGE claw marks in the dirt under the door where the block was missing, and seven of my babies gone without a trace, just a pile of feathers.
Pretty sure it was skunks, since we keep seeing them around and my husband thinks there are some living under our shed. I just have no idea how they took out seven chickens.
Just needed to vent. I'm miserable and heartbroken over this and feel so guilty, like I just didn't do enough to protect them. I can't believe how attached one can get to chickens, but there you have it...
The survivors (buff orp and red shouldered Yokohama) are back living in the house/on the front porch now, and getting lots of extra love. They're so lonely and spend most of their time huddled together, and cluck whenever we separate them. UGH! I just feel so terrible over this.
Last edited:
