My babies, dead! I'm so sad.

[xyresicchick]

This weekend I found a new home for my two roosters - one silver laced wyandotte and one bantam frizzle cochin. they were 18 weeks old. A guy who has a local family farm took them in for me. I live in the city and I cant have roosters because they are too loud. Anyways they fit in with the flock great, even their big rooster was friendly with them. Unfortunately yesterday morning - a day and a half after being there - a big hawk got the two of them as well as one of the guy's laying hens. I am so torn up over this. Those were my babies, I hatched them from eggs myself. I should have just kept them in my house until I found someone with a covered run. I am so sad. They didn't know the dangers of free ranging. It's all my fault. I should have listened to my instincts rather than my head that said "get rid of them a.s.a.p. they are too loud!" I am so mad.

Another thing is I wanted to breed them back to my girls in the spring for more babies. Now, I can't even do that. I still remember when they were babies. I'm so upset

This was Roo Boy the cochin

and the wyandotte Curt

what's more is my red cochin Carmen, and my female Wyandotte Midge don't trust me at all since I took their boyfriend Curt away. The three of them were always together. And now the girls are acting like they are ready to fly away from home

 

[shellie003]

Sorry for your loss.

 

[xyresicchick]

Thanks. I'm really upset about it. I added pics above.

 

[Gallo del Cielo]

I'm sorry about the loss of your chickens. They were lovely and clearly much loved by you. Don't be too hard on yourself, you were trying to do what was best by your birds.

 

[kla37]

That is sad! It's hard. I gave four of my chicks to a friend when they were 8 weeks old, and they didn't last a week. All of them were killed by predators.

They didn't even go outside their pen, it was enclosed in chicken wire, and pretty small, so whatever it was just reached in and helped itself. Security, security, and more security!

 

[colada584]

I'm so sorry for your loss.

Don't blame yourself, you were trying to do the right thing. It could have happened even if you gave them to someone else. Just know that you gave them a great life for 18 weeks!

 

[Chic-n-farmer]

 

[xyresicchick]

thanks guys. i can't stop crying about the loss. those boys were my whole world for the past 5 months. especially the cochin. he would always run over and jump onto my shoulder to croon. i miss him

i miss them both.

 

[Hockeychick]

I am so sorry about your birds. A fox killed one of my hens just 3 days ago, so I can understand how you are feeling. It is so easy to think "I should have done this or that", of "What if I did this, what if I did that?" I have been 'what-iffing' myself to death for 3 days now. Please don't beat yourself over what happened. You loved them and were doing what you though was best for the boys. You had no way of knowing how this would turn out. It may or may not have been a problem keeping them, you will never know. I think most of us have at least 1 neighbor who complains about everything and likes to stir things up.

I keep my birds in a covered run, and only let them free range if I will be home and in the back yard with them. And I knew there were 2 foxes in the area. I guess I grew complacent because we have only seen 1 fox a month or so ago, and my hens actually chased it away. A neighbor down the road lost nearly 30 birds in the spring because of the fox and hawks. I certainly knew there was a danger, but they love free ranging so much, so I guess part of my rationale is that it is inevitable to lose a few but they absolutely love foraging outside in the grass. It had just rained and was pretty late in the day. I KNOW that predators come out after the rain, but I didn't trust my gut. If I could have run faster, if I had something that made a loud noise to startle the fox enough for Egg Drop to get away, if I had something to throw at it....... So now they stay in for a while until we can do something about this fox. I feel terrible about leaving them in, but I cannot bear to witness something like that again and lose another sweet bird. This probably sounds crappy, but I am upset at which bird the fox chose. I would have been upset to lose any bird, but she was a favorite.

Just hang in there. You did nothing wrong.

 

[7L Farm]

Sorry for your loss. I've only had my Chic's for two months now & after reading all the tragedies in the chickens world it seems no matter what we do something always happens to the chickens. Its always shoulda coulda woulda.You never know. Good luck & hang in there.7L