Lost four chickens yesterday - LOST them!

[sgtmom52]

Quote:
Thx, sgtmom. Am I guessing correctly by your forum name that you've got some military background?

Close ~ I am a retired police officer ~ 28 years of service.

 

[Piper1998]

Close ~ I am a retired police officer ~ 28 years of service.

Ah! I thought I sensed a fellow public servant. I have 11 years active duty Air Force and my hubby retired from the Air Force. All that discipline and we're all about the silly chickens now.​

 

[Piper1998]

BTW, sgtmom, what is that awesome creature in your avatar pic?

 

[sgtmom52]

Ah! I thought I sensed a fellow public servant. I have 11 years active duty Air Force and my hubby retired from the Air Force. All that discipline and we're all about the silly chickens now.

Exactly ~ I worked in a City of over 50,000 people with a fair amount of crime & am very happy to be retired now on my little 6.5 acres of paradise with DH, the dogs, chickens and bees!

BTW, sgtmom, what is that awesome creature in your avatar pic?

That is Fern one of my splash Ameraucanas. She does have the nicest beard ~ for a girl!

 

[Peachesbabychick]

Thankyou very much for your service. Is that a wheaten araucana? She's lovely!

 

[sgtmom52]

Quote:
Ah! I thought I sensed a fellow public servant. I have 11 years active duty Air Force and my hubby retired from the Air Force. All that discipline and we're all about the silly chickens now.

Thank you to you and your hubby for your service to this great country of ours!

 

[Piper1998]

Thank you all for mentioning our service; it was fun until the babies came and I had to make a choice. Thx for the info on your ameraucana, sgtmom. I really tried to get some from our local farm supply store this past spring but they went fast. Are they good layers? While I love the fancies, they can't live with us unless they have something to contribute

 

[sgtmom52]

Quote:
I understand ~ I had my daughter 6 years into my service and it was difficult to handle as I worked swing shift and became a single parent when she was 3. I stuck it out and things worked out well.

I have pure Ameraucanas and they are OK layers (maybe 4 to 5 per week per hen) although they lay medium size eggs instead of the large / extra large most people prefer. I also have a few Easter Eggers (mixed Ameraucanas which most feed stores sell) and they seem to be better layers of larger eggs.

 

[Piper1998]

The case is now solved. We found two of the four chickens carcass' just behind the dog run, and two feather piles further up into the woods today. It appears that our dogs (Irish Setter and a very large poodle) have been biding their time all summer, and the chickens ranging just out of their reach finally got to be too much for them. My husband spent the better part of today fortifying the fence in the spots where it was breached. I read in another post where one farmer tied the remains of a kill around the dog's neck and made him live with it for a day to stop the bugger from killing any more of his chickens. I'm afraid that it would just be a prize for either of these rotten mutts. Thank you all for your posts - at least I know we don't have a "wild" predator to find. Anyone want a dog?