lost my first girl

[deannabirr]

My heart is breaking I lost my first girl this afternoon. They were free ranging in the pasture like they always do. I went in to take a Sunday afternoon nap. Afterwards I went to check on the girls and my Miss Black was missing. I looked all over and finally find a pile of feathers. While my husband and I were searching 3 hawks were flying around screeching. I'm pretty sure it was them. I rushed the rest into their coop. I really thought they were too large for a bird attack and we dont have any raccoons. I honestly thought if any of them were ever hurt it would be my dogs as the culprit. I feel like I let her down. RIP Miss Black.

 

[GoldenSparrow]

I am so very sorry.

Prayers of comfort coming you way

 

[flowergirl60]

You didn't let her down. You were letting her do what she wanted. Graze around looking for bugs. I too have struggle with "do I keep them pinned up or free range"? Free range is the way I go. Although I haven't seen any hawks I now it's a chance I take but my girls are alot happier this way. They get locked up in their coop at night though. So Sorry for your loss.

 

[deannabirr]

I shut them in a night too. However they have not been shut in during the day until now. They do have an enclosed run attached to the coop. It's just not all that big. We are going to expand the run this weekend and see how it goes. I'll let them run free when I can be there to keep an eye on them. Now the hawks know they are there I dont think they will be safe anymore. It still hurts my heart to know she was snatched away.

 

[NonnasBabies]

Quote:
X2 Sorry for your loss!!

 

[southerndesert]

Sorry you lost a hen and know how you feel....

We have lost more than I can count in my 55 years around these animals to predation, disease, and injury....

It is something we have to learn to deal with as their caretakers be they livestock, pet, or somewhere in between....

You did not let the bird down and it happens and likely will again one day and all you can do is try your best to be sure it is a rare event I have learned. I doubt thee are many that have kept chickens for more than 5 years that have not had a disaster of some sort which makes it no better, but you know you are not alone.

We let our birds free range daily when we are home and our dogs are able to be out with them as well and have few problems with their help, but every now and again one is lost to predation. I think the last was 3 years ago to a dog....

Generally a hawk will leave a big mess of blood and feathers if the victim is too large to carry off and a canine will often just leave a small patch of feathers where it wrestled your hen for a good grip before running off.

 

[RoosterRidge]

Reading this just breaks my heart for you. We lost two of our girls last week and I am still heartbroken. I am so sorry for your loss.

 

[deannabirr]

Thanks everyone. I have had pets over the years that I have lost due to old age or illness. This is just a first for me where it was because of outside uncontrollable forces. At least I gave her a happy life, though it was very short as she wasn't even a year old yet.

 

[deannabirr]

Here is the only shot I could find of Miss Black specifically.

 

[Runt Of The Litter]

Quote:
are there foxes in the area?
we have a big 'problem' with foxes in our area and have lost many chucks and ducks on our farm,as well as our house chucks; penny and ethel to foxes during cub season.
apparently there wasnt any actual mess as such from the devastation of our house chucks,however one was found virtualy untouched and buried with her feet sticking out of the ground [the vixen was obviously storing her for her cubs] and the other had vanished.

-loose dogs from a neighbours farm coud be another possibility?
have had an uncle lose sheep and chucks to neighbours dogs that had strayed onto his land though in his experience they had left behind a lot of destruction.


it is difficult to process and cope with losing a pet at anytime,but especialy through illness or at the control of another animal,though just remember animals woud not have done it for fun,its their way of survival whereas due to the advanced nature of humans we have a more complex society with supermarkets/shops etc.
its easy to see them as pests because of the vicious treatment of our feathered or furry family members but our own species woud be doing the same thing if we had not been given the mental complexity to rise above natural selection [the theory by charles darwin].