I just lost every single one

[comptonkids]

I've had these guys starting April 2
I've bought more here and there
Friday morning, one (possibly both) of my dogs killed the 6 of 8 I had in a grow out pen

It was my fault for not securing the top of the attached run

I moved the survivors back into the brooder box

I finally told my husband that I AM going to order the coop, period

He bought me the chicks and ducks for my bday with no real plans on how to keep them safe

I've been reading and researching all day, every day to see what I need

Well, this morning one of the dogs managed to shove some stuff around and get INTO the brooder box

She completely destroyed hiro, my 4 wk old rouen

And only mouthed the rest

They are all gone

I'm livid and so upset. ..I'm very sad mad

I'm not getting anything else until I can keep them safe

I'm turning a wooden shed into a coop
I'm going to lay hardware cloth around the perimeter and put some decorative mulch on top

for the run. ...the dogs are Boston terriers, I was going to do hardware cloth on the lower part and maybe chicken wire or ?? For the upper, then some garden netting over the top to prevent swooping attacks

What do I need to do to keep the new guys safe from my dogs? it needs to be relatively cheap right now with the possibility of upgrading later

How can I teach my dogs to leave the chicks alone?

 

[Chickenshoe]

my sense is once they killed em, you wont be able to teach them to leave them alone,, taste of blood and all that... hardware cloth 1/2 inch will do the trick, burry it about 1 foot- ie trench. if you planned on free ranging them.. your dogs will probably kill em then too.. best to pen up the birds or the dogs... chicken wire to cover the roof will work,, cloth up sides tho. your dogs wont climb the mesh to get to the chicken wire, wire keeps hawks out...

 

[comptonkids]

my sense is once they killed em, you wont be able to teach them to leave them alone,, taste of blood and all that... hardware cloth 1/2 inch will do the trick, burry it about 1 foot- ie trench.  if you planned on free ranging them.. your dogs will probably kill em then too.. best to pen up the birds or the dogs...

going to build a dog run for the dogs for when I free range, and just in general for when I'm not home

One of them destroyed the garden pots I'd put seeds in last week

Its like they've lost their minds lately

 

[HighStreetCoop]

I'm so sorry, that really sucks. Terriers can have HIGH prey drives (my mom's Boston ripped apart my sister's parakeet cage to get to her bird and kill it). Sounds like you need a brooder with a locking lid or a room with a locking door so the dogs can NOT get anywhere near the chicks. Then when you have adult chickens, you can try acclimating the dogs to them (on leash!) and see how it goes. Odds are though that you're just going to have to keep them separated.

 

[comptonkids]

I'm so sorry, that really sucks. Terriers can have HIGH prey drives (my mom's Boston ripped apart my sister's parakeet cage to get to her bird and kill it). Sounds like you need a brooder with a locking lid or a room with a locking door so the dogs can NOT get anywhere near the chicks. Then when you have adult chickens, you can try acclimating the dogs to them (on leash!) and see how it goes. Odds are though that you're just going to have to keep them separated.  

thanks

This is our brooder
I like it but Def think I'll build a top for it

 

[DelightfulChick]

That is so sad to hear! I would absolutely be mad and upset. I just had one of my chickens eaten about a week ago because I did not have a proper coop to lock them up in at night. Just today we actually caught a bobcat trying to get them, scary But my dad has a golden retriever who always has tried to eat the chickens but never succeeded because he actually concreted the entire coop to the ground and it also has a caged top. My friend who has a lab, her lab actually killed two of her chickens.. after that every time he went near them he got scolded, if he tried Nipping or biting them he got put into a kennel. It's been about a year now and he's never tried to eat one again. She has about 30 chickens in a big open but fenced area, it does not have a top. I'm not sure if any of that helped, but I hope you find a resolution soon.

 

[sideWing]

That is just heartbreaking I'm so sorry to hear this. I have often wondered how often it's the family dog that get's to them. I had a lady call me two weeks ago asking if I had any extra pullets because her dog killed hers and she didn't want to start over.

 

[comptonkids]

That is just heartbreaking I'm so sorry to hear this. I have often wondered how often it's the family dog that get's to them. I had a lady call me two weeks ago asking if I had any extra pullets because her dog killed hers and she didn't want to start over. 

it is heart wrenching
these poor things didn't even stand a chance
my dd2 is just heartbroken....she has a strong affinity for all animals

I plan to get a couple of layers once I'm fully set up and then a few chick's to keep in the brooder box IN the coop

 

[tracecom]

I'm not getting anything else until I can keep them safe

That's the key. They are so hard to resist when they are just chicks, and it's easy to underestimate what it will take to house them safely. I hatched some eggs last year, and had to really hustle to get the coop and run ready by the time the chicks were too big for the brooder. I am sorry for your misfortune.

 

[bobbi-j]

Good plan on not getting any more birds until you can keep them safe. I'm glad to see that you're going to use a shed for your coop, rather than buy a pre-made one. I just don't think those are as sturdy. Once you get your shed converted, you can brood your chicks out there when you get them, if you can run electricity for the heat lamp. The only time I have chicks in my house is when I incubate the eggs rather then use a broody. Otherwise, when I order them, they go right to the coop. I would advise against using chicken wire on your run. The dogs can tear right through that. I use 2x4" welded wire with the bottom 24" lined with 1/2' hardware cloth. My runs are also covered with the welded wire. Here are some pictures of one of the runs, and how I brood chicks. As far as the dogs are concerned, I'll admit to not being familiar with terriers, but I would definitely do some training with them. Dogs can be trained even after they "taste blood". That - in my opinion - is an old wives' tale. Most dogs kill chickens merely because they're playing with the flapping, squawking thing. It's even more fun if the can run it down first. I'll admit, some dogs are just too hard headed to train, and in that case separation is your only choice. It sounds like you already have a plan for that. Good for you! I wish you all the best.

ETA - I wouldn't trust any dog with baby chicks, no matter how good they are with adult chickens. I think the peeping would be just too tempting.