Michigan

[MrsChickendad]

Chickmate, if you can discern that it was the neighbor's dog, contact them and tell them what happened. We did when it happened to us, and were reimbursed $10 for each bird killed. If they don't know their dogs are doing this, they need to know so they can take steps to correct the problem. If they still don't do anything, then go to plan B. Make sure you report it to animal control so you have a paper trail. The tricky part is, of course, determining that it was those dogs.

 

[Bluemoon420]

So sorry about you loss. Similar incident happened to me last night, but it wasnt a dog. I lost a bunch of pullets last night ( about 630pm) to a raccoon. Broad daylight, and they were in their grow out pen. The raccoon just pulled them thru the wire. He grabbed an additional two when I ran back into the house to start cleaning up.
I only have 3 LF partridge Cochin pullets left, and 3 EE's. Very sad about the cochins. I finally got them this year. Thankfully, None of the alive ones seemed injured, but last night was dubbed the Great Massacre of 2011. The Raccoon lost.....

Bluemoon

 

[babigyrl22]

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:: nods approvingly ::

 

[fifelakelooper]

Between the corn they have got in past years (we gave up growing it) and the chickens...I really dislike those rascally coons!! Coyotes and coons have just gotten out of hand population wise. I remember when there weren't coyotes downstate...we thought it was "out west" where you heard /saw coyotes.

 

[babigyrl22]

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Being in a rural community, we pretty much see it all. I've actually had deer snort at me trying to claim my rosebuds and apples (in my front yard).

I am also on special watch for skunks.

Between our wildlife and the neighborhood roaming dogs, I don't dare let my girls venture out of the run...EVER. I don't want to be put in the situation where I am harming someone's pet becuase they are attacking mine. (However I feel that it's fair game if your animal is on my property attacking any of my pets) We've already has someone on my street have their puppy bitten by someone's crazy standard poodle that got away from their owner.

 

[keyt1969]

the bantams are hatching! the bantams are hatching!

 

[babigyrl22]

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Pictures! :: waits patiently ::

 

[Huston's Happy Hens]

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Hey HenoftheWoods - IF you do decide you'd like a rooster, i have a beautiful EE that I actually got from Sara on this site....He is about 4 yrs old and a very friendly - NEVER been agressive and he is beautiful. Here's a pic for your viewing pleasure...I'd like to rehome him because we have a BO rooster that I'd prefer to mate with our girls....Have plenty of EE's right now -


We are going to Chickenstock too - and bring him to you then if you'd like - PM me and I'll send more pics - this one really doesn't show his true colors - BTW, his name is Brewster to Rooster!

 

[Henny Penny04]

Chickmate- Sorry about your chickens. That's rough. I hope your EE came home today. That's troubling. I have a dog that came home one night last winter with someone else's hen hanging from his mouth. So yes, they can and will kill even if they seem fine with their own flock.

As much as I would probably melt over Mom2's baby raccoon, they are a problem. We came home late one night and a raccoon had killed our Rouen drake, chewed on his beak, and left him for dead. It bothered me because I liked the duck a lot, but also that he didn't even bother to eat him! The raccoon came back the next morning, but our viscous little Shiba Inu took care of him. Never saw him again!

Yesterday, I cleaned my classroom, entered my grades, and locked the door! I'm free for the summer!!

 

[Chickmate]

Update to my message below. This morning at 5:30 I looked out the window to see if my last missing EE hen might be hanging out by the coop to get in, but she wasn't. Who WAS hanging out by the coop and sniffing the ground where I buried my six dead birds was a large red fox! When I opened the door she bolted around the pond and back into the woods at the spot where I found five of the dead chickens. I was so sure it was dogs because so many were killed at once and the bodies just left. I thought a fox would kill one or two and take the bodies back to the den or eat them in the woods. I'm guessing she killed all of them and then put them near the spot where she comes and goes through or over the fence so she could more easily retreive them later, I just got home before she could. The one thing I couldn't figure out if it was dogs was how they got over the fence without bending it down when they went over. It's just wire farm fence that has gotten looser with age and the ground is completely saturated and mostly under water back in the woods. A large dog like a GSD wouldn't have good enough footing in that mud and water to go over without getting a foot hold somewhere on the fence which would bend the wire down. Also too big of a coincidence to see a fox for the first time in my back yard the day after I lost seven chickens. So, I almost feel better knowing it was a wild animal trying to survive than my neighbors dogs. Either way, no more free ranging for my flock.

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