I found what was killing my flock... me

[ericnash]

I would avoid the grub chemicals and let your chickens do the work for you! Best of luck

 

[ericnash]

Thank you for the support and kind words everyone! When I talk to family and friends about this incident, they shrug thier shoulders and don't understand the connection between myself and my flock. Posting on BYC forum has made me feel better and you have all lifted my spirits a great deal! Thank you.

 

[CorinneP]

Awwww Thats too bad .. Don't be so hard on your self .. When we know better we do better

 

[ericnash]

This is sad, I just read about a person that has 7 chickens and they ate weed killer as well. I hope she has better luck than I did. I will not be putting down fertilizer or weed killer again. I worry too about the amount of wild birds that ate off from my lawn.

This was a tough mistake and one that I hope a lot of people will learn from!

 

[BusyBlonde]

When my DH and I decided to put in a garden and get our first flock of chickens, we decided that we would no longer use chemical fertilizers and weed/bug control. We have an acre lot in a neighborhood in an agricultural district - We have a huge front yard, and very little usable back yard, so the garden and chickens are downhill from the house in the front yard.

We are raising our garden and chickens so we can eat better food, and figured adding the chemicals to the lawn wasn't worth it. Our yard is green - with clover, dandelions, etc. With the garden and chickens at the bottom of our lot, the rain would carry any chemicals down the hill to both areas - we would have no way to prevent it. Luckily, there is no HOA here to tell us we 'have' to maintain a perfect yard.

I am so sorry for your loss. You weren't trying to do anything wrong, and you did try to prevent the chickens from ingesting the chemicals. I am saddened for your daughter's experience, finding a favorite dead. You do get attached to them.

Edited to add, I did not know that fertilizer would kill them, or that weed killer could after it was supposedly safe to let your children play on that same lawn. Scary thought, that.

 

[ericnash]

My concern is also with the amount of wild birds that ate the weed killer and fertilizer and are now dead. I did not think about them until after the fact.

 

[Katewward]

You are providing your hens with a great chicken lifestyle and as others have said- it was not your intent to let the forage in fertilizer. Their passing is not your fault and I hope
you and your family are able to realize that we each make mistakes while meaning the best. It would be ideal to mess up without losing a chicken life, but in the end we all
go into this with the best of intentions and it really takes a ton of knowledge and experience to pull it off without a hitch! The benefit is that those hens had a great life with you
and your family and the hens to come will as well. Please don't feel too badly. We are here if you need us!

 

[Katewward]

From what I have noticed with my wild birds...they are smart and tend to avoid the small areas of fertilization that my neighbors have. There's hope they're ok!

 

[WellReadReviews]

You can't blame yourself for this.

 

[ZenHens]

Like others have said, please don't blame yourself. There is no malice in wanting to have a nice lawn. You didn't let them range on it on purpose. You didn't forsee this happening. It's a sad lesson, sure, but nothing you should feel guilty about. You have the right to a pretty field of grass just like the next person. Next time, you'll know the weak spots, etc.

Fortunately I practically live on the beach so I'd have to spend more than my income on a pretty yard. Such sandy soil. As such, there are no Joneses to keep up with, lol. I know the pressure that comes with living in a neighborhood where people give you the side-eye if your grass gets patchy or your mailbox is too gaudy.