In house predator

[19hhbelgian]

Oh geeze - that's terrible! Thank god my dogs are all too big to do anything like that! Sorry for your losses, hope you find a home for the dog... REALLY soon! Oh Yeah, you're gonna have to change your signature line now...

 

[sundance300]

I've had chickens for 5-6 years now. I've lost maybe one chicken per year to natural predation.
My mother bought a Shih Tzu two years ago. I've lost over 50 birds to her, including three today.
She wouldn't believe me that her little dog would slaughter my chickens. It took her 10 seconds to kill my silky roo. That's us turning our backs for a second, her running 100 feet, climbing the fence, tackling him down, and ripping an artery in his leg. She's getting quicker and quicker about it.

Love my mother, but I told her if I see the dog off of a leash again, there's a bullet for her.
Moral of the story?
Toy dogs are still dogs. Rats can kill chickens and ducks, why couldn't a Chi? Which you found out already. Sigh, sorry, just a pet peeve I have with toy breed owners.

 

[Bizzybirdy]

Glad you found out who the culprit was.

>> The cat is gone regardless, just have to figure out what to do with it<<

Hope the cat wasn't killed when it wasn't even to blame. My cats NEVER bother my chickens...the hens chase them unmercifully whenever they even look their way. lol

 

[cmom]

So sorry for your loss.

 

[mikesbigroo]

the dog would be a a different list than craigs if it killed that many chickens of mine
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[Bird Brain]

I knew it wasn't the cat. Cats still alive and well and psycotic. That's why I want it to go. Not particularly friendly. Anywho so I am going to rehome him. That's what I meant. My cats don't give a crap about the chicks. Well, I take that back, Gray likes to sit on the toilet and watch. I guess its kitty ESPN.

 

[BroomFarm]

So sorry to hear about the damage caused by just one little dog. Maybe this will make you feel better...

We have the sweetest lab/rott mix you could ever want to own. He is great with the kids, never tears up anything and is my best fishing buddy. He killed three chickens this spring, before we figured out it was him and put up a strong fence for their run.

While I know many who will argue otherwise, it is my belief than any dog, regardless of size or training, is "capable" of killing a chicken. Prey animals move in ways that trigger predatory animals to attack them...it's all natural and you can't really blame either creature. There is no reason you can't keep the chihuahua, but you would have to make every effort to keep them separated.

I would get rid of him, but that's mostly because I don't care for tiny dogs.

 

[dragonlair]

All my dogs would kill a chicken, no matter what size. Most have, one bite one kill. I keep the chickens and dogs penned up, (seperatly of course!) so never the twain shall meet, because the chickens will never win.

Any dog is capable of killing a bird.

 

[Chicken Fruit]

I would say it makes most sense for it to be the stray that just came into the home.

However, investing in a large pet carrier with a latching door might be a better idea for your brooder, since you are well aware of the fact that some animal (and really any animal) can get into your chicks.

You could always screw a board to the bottom of the door too, to limit the access space there.

 

[tomato lady]

Sorry you lost chicks. Sometimes we underestimate the preditors that live with us. We get used to their sweet nature only to discover they are still preditory animals.

I know my granddaughter's little Pom would take down even a grown chicken in a heartbeat. I cannot let my chickens free range at all because of him. He is young, quick and would love the chase. He would treat a chicken just like he treats his rabbit toy, grab it in his teeth and shake the stuffing out of it. He is always there when I go into the coop. He barks and circles the run. He even trys to dig under the fence. Other than that, he is a nice little dog and my granddaughter loves him. In a sence, knowing who the preditor is gives me a lot of control.

The cyotes howling in my back yard are another story. They would love to have chicken dinner as well. And then there are the 12 raccoons that my neighbor is feeding.

For my situation security is the only answer. I am sure someday I will loose some chickens, but I am always thinking about how to make them safer. Hopefully, I am still at least 1/2 a step ahead of the preditors.