We built our first coop. The girls (17 &14) ran down to the Feed & Seed and bought 2 chicks. Loved on them until they were old enough to go out into the coop only to have the lab kill them. So now the coop is Fort Knox and the electric fence is in place but the girls say no more chickens! These are the first pet they have ever lost. How often do you lose a chicken? Any words of advice?
The rate of losses is directly proportional to the number of chickens I have and the stupidity of the breed in question. Seriously though, chickens come and go, usually in a cyclical fashion. When it gets hot, when it gets cold, when I hatch, etc. You lost both because of an outside factor--now you know better, and it probably won't happen again. I am sure your girls will adjust, especially if you come home with more fluffy cuteness.
I've lost 2 in 3 years - one to internal laying and one to unknown causes (possibly stroke or heart failure). So even if you have the predator situation under control, things can still go wrong, just as it can with dogs or cats. In my book, it's definitely worth the risks involved. I agree - if you bring home a few new chicks, your kids will most likely forget their protests.
Never but its relevant bc if you have 5 birds and you go out every day and 1 is missing you will notice but if you have 50 or 100 you may not or never notice. JMHO
