Howdy from Bedford (Texas, that is)

[Wyandottes7]

Welcome to BYC!

We're glad to have you.

 

[BantamLover21]

Glad you joined us!

I'm sorry for your losses.

 

[carikermoon]

Good morning and welcome to BYC!

Sorry to hear about your losses, that's always tough. In case you haven't already seen it, here's some good information about predators and how to protect your birds:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/chicken-predators-pests-how-to-protect-treat-your-flock

Are you getting more silkies or are you going to try a different breed with your new chicks?

BYC has a lot of valuable information available and very helpful people. If you have any questions, feel free to ask.

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[COLOR=333333]Welcome to BYC!!! There are loads of members on here…so if you have ANY questions…just ASK!!![/COLOR]

[COLOR=333333]Hope you have loads of fun and all your answers answered here on BYC the BEST CHICKEN KEEPING FORUM on EARTH!![/COLOR]

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I read everything on this site before I bought the chicks...but underestimated the predator population. I knew about the possums and raccoons--and I put the chickens in a coop in the garage at dusk for protection. I didn't know about hawks, bobcats, and foxes until they started showing up--neighbors loved taking pics on their cellphones to show me. Also, I thought raccoons only showed up between dusk and dawn. So when chickens disappeared one at a time during the day, I assumed it was a hawk and stepped up overhead protection. It wasn't until I actually saw the biggest raccoon I have ever seen--honestly, my first thought was that it was a small bear--in the middle of the afternoon with the black rooster, Princess (my youngest son was 6 at the time and refused to change her name when she started crowing) that I realized it wasn't the hawks but a mean old raccoon. Animal Control came out that day and set a trap for him. We caught him but he was so big that he started to walk off with the cage like it was just a nuisance. Amid the commotion, two neighbors tried to wrestle the cage back and one of them (each accused the other of course) released the raccoon who ran faster than I thought possible for a creature of that girth. Spoke to Animal Control again and she brought out a bigger cage...but the raccoon has avoided it since. The day after losing Princess, the Rooster, I set up an electric fence around an area where I can move the run. But I don't like how limited the chicks are. So I have adopted a 5 year old, untrained, grossly overweight Rottweiler (she weighs more than I do), now named Princess (3 guesses as to who named her). My plan is to fence in the entire backyard with a really, really tall fence (right now, it's been too cold to actually keep her outside IMHO even though she's too sedentary to jump my puny little fence) and turn the downstairs playhouse in the playfort into a dog house for Princess, the Rottweiler. I'm currently working on teaching Princess NOT to chase chickens (she doesn't actually chase anything yet--heck, just moving is a stretch for her--but she might once I get her into shape) but will continue to use the electric fencing if necessary. She's not terribly bright but she doesn't like that fence. Then hopefully the wildlife will leave the chickens alone while Princess, the Rottweiler, is here.

And since the silkies are the boys' pets, I thought about branching out with Cream Legbars, FBC Marans, and/or Ameraucanas for the colorful eggs. The only problem with getting new chicks is getting the few female chicks that I'm restricted to by the city ordinances. Last year, we did six straight-run from the local feed store and ended up with only one hen. Again, that's why all of the roosters (except for two which were more dominant early on) had girl's names.

 

[CrazyChookz]

Hello and

! Please ask any questions you may have, we're happy to help. Sorry for your loss, I hope you have better luck in the future.

 

[Kelsie2290]

Hello and Welcome To BYC! Sorry for your losses