- Apr 11, 2007
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My husband and I let our flock free range in our backyard daily.
They have a coop and run to go to at night.
3 hens have gone broody and we've had 4 hatches, with a 5th happening soon.
Today we went and got our kids from summer camp, and when I got home, I went out back to make sure the baby chicks were doing well with their moms and found 3 of my neighbor's (well, a house is between us) weenie dogs that are always getting out and running free were in my back yard barking at me.
Then, I notice RIR feathers and BO feathers scattered everywhere, and I start freaking.
I wanted to KILL those dogs, I tried...I tried to get them before they slid through the hole the dug while we were gone!
Well, I find Marti first...I thought she was dead...no...alive...BARELY.
The kids come running to me screeching that Billy (the BO Roo) is dead along the side of the yard.
Then, I hear my hubby..."no, he's not dead, he's breathing, but barely".
He sure LOOKED dead.
Well, I get on the horn to animal control while holding Marti in my arms, the victim of a DEEP puncture wound on her back, gasping for air.
Animal control lectures me that being my chickens are free ranging *IN MY OWN YARD* that it is against the city policy to allow chickens in the city limits WITHOUT BEING COOPED, and so that the best they can do is go to the dog's owner and tell her to keep better track on her animals, and tell her what they did.
Nice, huh?
They come out and assess the goings on, and of course they see that there is blood and feathers and mayhem everywhere.
I knew whose dogs they were so they went over there to tell her, and the woman about fell apart she was SO sick that her dogs were capable of doing such a horrible thing.
You could see Billy got his licks on the "ring leader", though. It was shaking and had cuts all over it, and I told them, any problems with the cuts, I'm NOT paying for them, understand that now. She, of course, agreed (in the presence of animal control).
Anyway, long story short, Marti died a short time later, and once it started raining on Billy, he sprang up, though is limping on his left leg and very weak, and he's missing LOTS of feathers, and many are mangled and dirty.
There is a "drip" of "gelled blood" on his butt, but we can't determine if that is internal blood coming out (that's the only blood back there), or if it's tears from where his beautiful tail feathers used to be.
He has blood all over his face that I will wash off tomorrow...I really thought he wouldn't make it, but now seems to be getting stronger.
He literally sacrificed himself to save his flock...Marti, though a hen, was a fighter, too, so I don't know if she was trying to help or was the first one to be attacked.
The 3 broodies and my other non-broody Australorp were all fine in the hen house along with the 4 new babies.
All 4 babies have been born in the last 2 days and are all hens (my feed store has an old timer who taught me a long time ago how to sex chicks from hatch). No roos yet.
So, here I sit in disbelief...crying for my loss, thankful for the blessings...and encouraging you...if you have BYC's and CAN have a ROO, get one...he may mean the difference between the life and death of your hens...he fought off 3 murdering Dachsunds and won.
Thanks for the shoulder.
Kristi
They have a coop and run to go to at night.
3 hens have gone broody and we've had 4 hatches, with a 5th happening soon.
Today we went and got our kids from summer camp, and when I got home, I went out back to make sure the baby chicks were doing well with their moms and found 3 of my neighbor's (well, a house is between us) weenie dogs that are always getting out and running free were in my back yard barking at me.
Then, I notice RIR feathers and BO feathers scattered everywhere, and I start freaking.
I wanted to KILL those dogs, I tried...I tried to get them before they slid through the hole the dug while we were gone!
Well, I find Marti first...I thought she was dead...no...alive...BARELY.
The kids come running to me screeching that Billy (the BO Roo) is dead along the side of the yard.
Then, I hear my hubby..."no, he's not dead, he's breathing, but barely".
He sure LOOKED dead.
Well, I get on the horn to animal control while holding Marti in my arms, the victim of a DEEP puncture wound on her back, gasping for air.
Animal control lectures me that being my chickens are free ranging *IN MY OWN YARD* that it is against the city policy to allow chickens in the city limits WITHOUT BEING COOPED, and so that the best they can do is go to the dog's owner and tell her to keep better track on her animals, and tell her what they did.
Nice, huh?
They come out and assess the goings on, and of course they see that there is blood and feathers and mayhem everywhere.
I knew whose dogs they were so they went over there to tell her, and the woman about fell apart she was SO sick that her dogs were capable of doing such a horrible thing.
You could see Billy got his licks on the "ring leader", though. It was shaking and had cuts all over it, and I told them, any problems with the cuts, I'm NOT paying for them, understand that now. She, of course, agreed (in the presence of animal control).
Anyway, long story short, Marti died a short time later, and once it started raining on Billy, he sprang up, though is limping on his left leg and very weak, and he's missing LOTS of feathers, and many are mangled and dirty.
There is a "drip" of "gelled blood" on his butt, but we can't determine if that is internal blood coming out (that's the only blood back there), or if it's tears from where his beautiful tail feathers used to be.
He has blood all over his face that I will wash off tomorrow...I really thought he wouldn't make it, but now seems to be getting stronger.
He literally sacrificed himself to save his flock...Marti, though a hen, was a fighter, too, so I don't know if she was trying to help or was the first one to be attacked.
The 3 broodies and my other non-broody Australorp were all fine in the hen house along with the 4 new babies.
All 4 babies have been born in the last 2 days and are all hens (my feed store has an old timer who taught me a long time ago how to sex chicks from hatch). No roos yet.
So, here I sit in disbelief...crying for my loss, thankful for the blessings...and encouraging you...if you have BYC's and CAN have a ROO, get one...he may mean the difference between the life and death of your hens...he fought off 3 murdering Dachsunds and won.
Thanks for the shoulder.
Kristi
un I am so sorry for your loss and I sure hope you never have to deal with those dogs again. I don't know if I could have handled it as gracefully as you did! I sure do hope and pray Billy makes it! What a brave boy he is!!
