Help! Dog Attack.

[IndigoJaguar]

What can I do to be ready, other than keep them in? I don't have a gun, or know how to shoot one. DH has a gun, but I hate it. I'm not sure how to keep them safe. We lost some last year to an animal, not sure what. I came home and found two missing. Couldn't find them, but the next day I found their feathers in the cornfield above our house. I don't want to keep them penned in, but what can I do for them?

 

[Miss Lydia]

If you want to let them out and not have to worry about an animal getting them then you will have to be with them when they are out. My bantams and my LF are the only ones that I can actually keep in, my others which are part game go right over the fence, so they are out most of the time. I have lost a few too but can't put a cover over our area it's too big and they would be miserable cooped up so they are happy and I just have to hope they can excape a predator, We live in the woods so i know they are around, but most will tell you if you chose to let them live like chickens and free range you will have some losses, not that that makes us feel any better it's just part of life. We keep a shot gun and rifle loaded at both doors in case of problems, but we don't have any children in our home so we can do it safely.

 

[IndigoJaguar]

I do feel better hearing that tho....that I should expect some losses. Some people make you feel like you should keep your chickens under lock and key, and if you ever lose some, you are a horrid person. We are moving soon, tho, and at the new house they will have a large pasture that they will not eat all the grass off of, so they are going to be in fence. Also, I want some nice flower beds this year.

 

[Miss Lydia]

I gave up on most of my flower beds, but we live in the mountains so there is an abundance of rocks, the beds I have managed to save have alot of rocks for the mulch

I found out last night when doing head count that one of my game hens is missing, my dh thinks she is sitting on eggs out in the woods, I'm not so sure since they usually come home to eat and I haven't seen her today, but tomorrow I'll be home all day so can be looking for her better. A couple of the games did this last year and 1 didn't make it home. it is sad but part of letting them have their freedom. I know you'll like having a place where they can still range but be contained too. did you try the DMSO on your girls yet? how are they doing?

 

[IndigoJaguar]

I did try dmso on Bridget. She seemed to walk a little better today! I will apply it again tonight and see what happens. Pearl is doing the same. They both seem happy to be with the babies, so I am going to give them a good long rest, esp. with this coyote/fox on the loose. They can't run very fast yet.

 

[Miss Lydia]

Good idea, keep me updated on them both and how things are going in general..

 

[IndigoJaguar]

Erk! My hen....who I thought wasn't broody....slept in the nest box last night and sat in it all day today. So I moved her to her own space in the corner of the chicken house. It's wired in and will keep her there until I see if she is broody or not. She was less than impressed when I moved her there. She screech like the dickens and pecked me. Earlier when I tried to shoo her out of the nest box, she hopped out of the house and ran screaming towards my dog.

I've never seen my dog so freaked out. Broody momma on the move! I'll leave her on fake eggs a few days and see what happens. Not sure whether I am pleased about this or not.

 

[Miss Lydia]

I know what you mean, I was thinking something happened to my little hen, when here she comes today from somewhere out in the woods all fluffed out, screaming and when i tried to catch her she flew over our wood stacked about 6' tall and now i have to wait till she comes home again to eat and try to follow her to where ever she has her nest. I only got 3 eggs today so most of my hens are laying out there somewhere.

: welcome to broody land Indigo!!

 

[IndigoJaguar]

Wow! I'm glad you found your missing hen.

But ick! Only three eggs? I would be ticked if I only got three eggs. I'm used to getting seven or eight from my 10 hens. Even all through the winter my girls laid faithfully with no lights. Man...the things we put up with for the love of our chickens.

 

[Miss Lydia]

Hopefully tomorrow we'll be able to follow her to where ever she is nesting, She is a game hen and one of the flightest ones we have. so it's hard to do anything with her. They were all laying in the nest boxes inside the coop until the chicks started hatching and thats when they left and went to the woods to lay. We looked all over for her today even let the dogs go with us hoping they would come across her, but never found her. Well let us know if your girl is serious then you'll have to come join the broody thread My next to hatch is on the 19th.