Massacred :(

[Folly's place]

I'm so sorry for your losses!
One of our dogs got out a couple of years ago, and killed many of our birds, and it's just awful.
Redo your kennel situation, because this dog has it figured out, and needs a major fence upgrade. And have fencing for your birds too.
Adding electric fencing to your set up will help a lot! Pictures here might give us a chance to make suggestions. 'Never again!' Is the plan going forward.
Mary

 

[cmom]

Thank you so much! I'm in New Mexico so it's a bit far....

I have shipped eggs all over the country. Granted shipped eggs are a risk. I only ship on Monday through Wednesdays so if the eggs shouldn't get held up in transit during a weekend which has happened in the past. Good luck...

 

[-Kiwi-]

Thank you all for your kind words and suggestions! It really means a lot to me. Yesterday we had a proper funeral for all the dead birds and I'm feeling better today.

My dog sure does have it figured out. He won't touch the chickens unless he knows we are going to be gone for awhile. And he's gotten one or two birds in the years past but he never killed them or even injured them. Of course, it's still not acceptable so that's why we have the kennel for him. I definatly need to make repairs.

My little silkie flock, which is cooped separatly from the rest for their own safety is down to two now . In my experience it seems like Silkies pair in twos, not like mates or anything but all the silkies in my past have had one best friend that they hang out with. Now both of those silkies have lost the other half of their pair. That little peahen was so protective of his mom. When she was incubating eggs, her adoptive daughter sat in the box with her for most of the day, only coming out to eat and drink. Poor things

 

[musikfan]

So sorry to hear this. Dogs can be merciless. I think cats would probably be the same way, too. I hope you can get the situation worked out so that it doesn't happen again. I'm feeling your pain though, since I just lost another one of my Buffs today - similar situation but I have no idea what got after her since we have no dog and only a cat that is always inside.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

 

[Geena]

And he's gotten one or two birds in the years past but he never killed them or even injured them.

That's odd, are you certain your dog is the one that killed them? Maybe he broke out to go after something else that was killing your chickens.

 

[Folly's place]

That's a good thought, hope it's true.
Very sad either way, but important to know! Footprints? Any birds eaten? If yes, watch your dogs poop for a couple of days. Any feathers or bodies in the kennel area?
Mary

 

[-Kiwi-]

That's odd, are you certain your dog is the one that killed them? Maybe he broke out to go after something else that was killing your chickens.

No it was definitely him. Once I was home when I heard a chicken screaming and I looked out the window and he had a hen by the legs and was chewing on her like she was a toy.
All chickens were wet with slobber and the dead ones had broken necks and bruises all over, like something with not very sharp teeth was gnawing on them.

One time the neighbor's dog came and killed a young cockerel after digging under the fence and Gadget (my dog) didn't chase him away even though he was outside. The neighbors dog could have had something to do with it but the fences were fortified and all holes filled after that incident.

 

[-Kiwi-]

That's a good thought, hope it's true.
Very sad either way, but important to know! Footprints? Any birds eaten? If yes, watch your dogs poop for a couple of days. Any feathers or bodies in the kennel area?
Mary

He didn't eat any and all the birds mostly had shallow scratches and bloody head wounds like he had been chewing on their faces. I didn't look for footprints but there was blood all over the leaves as well as some squishy blood colored objects, maybe clots or bits of muscle.

The kennel is in the back field where the chickens stay, and the birds were scattered about twenty feet away. There were a few feathers but not as much as you'd expect.

 

[theoldchick]

Just awful. So sorry.