Lost 6 chicks 5 dead and 1 still missing Warning graphic picture

[Kims-Little-Zoo]

Came home after being gone for 2 days to a trail of baby chicks from the coop to my garage. Somehow the gate to there run had gotten opened and one of my RIR adult hens was in the babies coop with the rest of the babies on the opposite side of where the adult hen was. i removed the hen and closed off the gate and that’s when i noticed the first dead chick lying right outside the fence. She was still in one piece no missing parts and no obvious signs of an attack. As i walked towards my garage i found a trail of chicks one after the other a few feet away from each other but again all intact, no missing parts and aside from a little blood and one of there beaks there were no bite marks or chunks missing feathers all still intact.
My initial thoughts were one of my hens killed them but the trail of birds leading into the garage tells me my 2 little chihuahuas are to blame. Anyone else have any thoughts on this?
Background on dogs one is a rescue that we found on freeway super sweet and one of her puppies that she had after we found her. The puppy has tried “Playing” with the chickens before which results on 2 adult hens dying. I caught him in the act with the 2 hens and he wasn’t attacking them viciously he truly was just trying to play. anyone have experience with dog issues and is there hope for training the puppy not to play with the chickens? (assuming it was the dogs)

 

[Kims-Little-Zoo]

I should mention the chicks were all about 4 months old.

 

[McChooky]

You might want to put heavier hinges and locks on your gates to prevent dog attacks. Training the dogs can take a year or more but is certainly possible. A camera allows you to monitor the dogs and the flock while away. Sorry for your loss!

 

[rosemarythyme]

x2, reinforce the run door to prevent any accidental opening. Make sure to reiterate to any family, pet sitter, etc that the door must always be securely shut when they leave the run.

Can the dogs be trained, probably. You don't mention how much training they have already. I find it far easier to adhere to this rule: as I don't trust my dogs with my chickens if the dogs are out, the chickens are locked up. If chickens are out, dogs don't come out. My dogs have decent recall but I'd rather not test them with the temptation of a live, fluttering target.

 

[Penpal]

The dogs should have been acclimated to the chicks and hens right off. Right now, train them both to "leave it". Using "no" is too vague. You specifically want the dogs to not nose the birds, not chase them. Use a leash and treats. If you understand how to use a clicker, use it.

 

[fatimastic]

Came home after being gone for 2 days to a trail of baby chicks from the coop to my garage. Somehow the gate to there run had gotten opened and one of my RIR adult hens was in the babies coop with the rest of the babies on the opposite side of where the adult hen was. i removed the hen and closed off the gate and that’s when i noticed the first dead chick lying right outside the fence. She was still in one piece no missing parts and no obvious signs of an attack. As i walked towards my garage i found a trail of chicks one after the other a few feet away from each other but again all intact, no missing parts and aside from a little blood and one of there beaks there were no bite marks or chunks missing feathers all still intact.
My initial thoughts were one of my hens killed them but the trail of birds leading into the garage tells me my 2 little chihuahuas are to blame. Anyone else have any thoughts on this?
Background on dogs one is a rescue that we found on freeway super sweet and one of her puppies that she had after we found her. The puppy has tried “Playing” with the chickens before which results on 2 adult hens dying. I caught him in the act with the 2 hens and he wasn’t attacking them viciously he truly was just trying to play. anyone have experience with dog issues and is there hope for training the puppy not to play with the chickens? (assuming it was the dogs)

The position is similar to that of a hen died due to heart attack

 

[McChooky]

The position is similar to that of a hen died due to heart attack

Very probable they died from a heart attack under the circumstances.

 

[gtaus]

Sorry for your loss.

FYI, I have locking latches on my coop and run doors. I also use a carabiner on each latch in the lock hole. Easy for me to remove but difficult for predators. Latches cannot bump open if the carabiner is in the lock hole.

 

[bobbi-j]

A strand of electric fence around your coop and run will deter the dogs and any other critter that wants to play with them.