Lost My Mr. Henry And Lacey

[Lacey1988]

well at least Ill have a part of them...My BO is sitting on eggs from Lacey and Henry is the father ....I'm a keep one roo out of the clutch

 

[JoePa]

Please take this comment correctly - don't mean to be judgemental - but - I keep reading about all these chickens getting killed by predators while in their run or coop - I can't understand how this happens after reading all the advise given on how to protect your chickens - it isn't that there is a lack of information available - you got to build a run and coop that is predator proof - the run must have welded wire with hardware cloth over it 4 feet off the ground with a skirt extending out approx 12 inches so something can't dig into the run - the run needs to be fully enclosed - that means wire on all sides and roof - the coop needs to be built lik- e fort knox - in other words you got to build so that nothing can get in and get your chickens - it seems that people are raising chickens in runs and coops that are not built correctly then when something gets their chickens they wonder why - and the chickens suffer -

 

[chicknmania]

He might have taken the hit for the rest of the flock...sometimes roosters will go to that length in trying to protect them. If it took the bigger chickens it was probably a bigger predator...coyote, maybe.
Definitely predator proof your pen.

 

[chicknmania]

It is true that you really have to do everything possible to predator proof your pen. You can bury hardware cloth or weight it down, use cement, even use sheets of plywood or sheet metal around the outsides of the pen, as a temporary measure, so that predators can't dig under. The higher the chickens can roost, the safer they will be, though if it wants to, a raccoon can climb up anything. The safer you can make your chooks , the less worries you will have, and much less heartbreak later. And check the pen every once in a while for holes or places where access becomes possible.

 

[kelar]

Quote:
x2! They need to be securely locked into something that nothing can get into, especially after a predator comes calling. Wild animals are feeding their young right now and will be much bolder about getting a meal.

 

[poseygrace]

Sorry for your loss! They were pretty birds. I do have to say that not everyone can afford to "predator proof" their coop/run to the degree that it is Ft. Knox. That hardware cloth is darn expensive! Plus, I choose to free range my birds during the day, knowing it's a risk, but also knowing that my chickens love it. It's a risk I take, but it won't make me any less sad if one is killed.

 

[Lacey1988]

Quote:
On I did I put them in the covered part to roost(which its bottom has bricks all around it)and my BF is going to build me a better pen this weekend

To Quote myself(They're in a safe place now just small) lol...... I tried as best I could today but with a 100 degree weather its really hard to do things 30 minutes at a time...any labor in that heat feels like your in well Hell

.....But I will take all ya'll advise and put my boyfriend to work this weekend