Kicking myself

[clfehler]

Major tragedy over here - a lesson learned very painfully.

I lost SEVEN of my 13 chickens to my own dogs. My dogs spend the days in the house lately because it's been so blessed hot and humid here in Southern California, but are usually kenneled during the day. My ladies put themselves to bed as usual,(they free range during the day) and I let the dogs out after dark (unsupervised) and went and picked a few cucumbers and tomatoes from the garden, got distracted, and didn't latch the gate on the chicken run. (We have a large covered dog kennel attached to a shed we made from a kit for the henhouse.) I think you can see where this is going.

Well, I ended up with a nasty case of hives that evening and took a benedryl and went to bed. The kids forgot to let the dogs into the house to go to bed, so when the sun came up, out came the chickens. I walked around in my bathrobe picking up dead chickens and crying my eyes out and cussing at myself. **sigh**

This morning I discovered that my daughter hadn't fully latched the door into the hen house after she collected eggs last night - nearly another tragedy. I've lectured her endlessly about it. (She's 8)

So here are my security measures...

1. I set a reminder on my phone to remind me to go outside and PHYSICALLY check the chicken run instead of asking the kids if they've done it.

2. I out a padlock on the large access door to the henhouse so my daughter and her buddies can't go in to collect eggs. ONLY ME.


So a very difficult lesson learned in a very painful way.

 

[RoosterAddict99]

I've learned that lesson the hard way myself. My wiener dog (Sara) killed on of my chicks (Prissy) when I first started out with chickens

. I'm sorry for your loss. It's always sad when life is ended before its time.

 

[LaynaDon95]

I'm so sorry.

I recently had some neighborhood dogs kill 15 of my chickens, injure 7, and one died from her injuries. I woke up and went out to feed than and there were feathers and bodies everywhere! I was sobbing my eyeballs out. I'm very sorry this happened to you. It's such a sad experience. I hope it never happens again. To anyone.

 

[Baymule]

I am so sorry for your loss. My own dogs would like a chicken snack too. I have to keep my girls in the coop or they would become squeaky toys for the dogs. Big Hugs.

 

[Baxter-Shamo]

And thats why I keep a good ol' Collie-Greyhound, Knows what and what not to hunt.

Any way,

Sorry for your loss I know how you feel, I've lost every single one of my animals in a similar way, Move on, forgive & forget, learn by your mistakes.

 

[Ole rooster]

I would say move on, yes. Forgive and forget, I say no. You forget and it'll happen all over again. The dog killed from lack of training. It can be fixed.

 

[clfehler]

And thats why I keep a good ol' Collie-Greyhound, Knows what and what not to hunt.

Any way,

Sorry for your loss I know how you feel, I've lost every single one of my animals in a similar way, Move on, forgive & forget, learn by your mistakes.

The Greyhound mix is the biggest culprit! LOL!! The Retriever mix learns much faster!