My dear sweet dahlia is gone :(

[Chickenaddict]

Yesterday we had my MIL out for the day, she brought her 2 dogs shihtzu breed. Both dogs have been here before without leashes and have been just fine in the yard with the chickens because my white cochin rooster (now rehomed) always protected them. Her male named reno went after my little black serama hen named dahlia running her into a chicken wire fence at optimal speeds. I was on the other side of the fence and saw this happen, the way she buckled her neck running into the fence was really bad.

She had the strength to run away and the dog then went after whitey my best serama roo. My MIL sat on a chair and didnt get up once to stop her dog, he doesn't listen when you tell him to stop or anything he just kept chasing. Finally my hubby got ahold of the dog and brought him back to his mother. Afterwords they left to go shopping instead of staying here to help me look for dahlia. They were gone for 4 hours and i looked for her the whole time with no luck. No feathers or any trace of her whatsoever.

When they returned I told them she was still missing and i was really concerned that she had been injured from the impact of hitting the fence and that was why she was still hiding, again his mother never lifted her rear from the chair to help look for her!!! All she could say was "i am sorry I don't know what else to say"

. Finally she left and we continued to search the neighborhood, woods, under the deck, everywhere literally and still no sign.

By this time it was starting to get dark and she is usually on the roost for bed at 6:30 pm. I felt sick to my tummy and had this feeling come over me that indicated she wasn't ok. I had no choice but to stop the search when it was dark out. I have been searching all morning as well and still no trace of her. There are bear, fox, wolves, possums, racoons, ect so she didn't stand a chance outside overnight in the great outdoors here, she was only 11 oz and my best hen, by far my favorite hen out of the seramas.

I am now blaming myself because she had gone broody the day before and that morning I took her off her nest to go do her business and have some breakfast and she never got back on the nest. Had i just left her alone she would still be here today

What do you think the chances of her return are? My Dh seems to think she is just gonna stroll back home any time now but knowing the predators here I don't think she can make it. Part of me thinks she went back to her broodiness somewhere very well hidden but the realistic part of me thinks thats just me hanging on to hope.

I spent the entire day and evening just balling over it and now again this morning. I am still sick to my stomache about her and miss her sooo much already

I am really PO'd at his mother! She should have been responsible and had him on a leash despite the fact he had been here beofre and not been on one! If he is unpredictible keep him on a leash! This stinks!

 

[77horses]

Ohh I'm soo sorry!

That's just awful!
I don't think the chances are very good for her coming back, sorry.

If there are that many predators around as you say, and if she's injured, it's not a very good chance. But still, you never know. Maybe she will come back with a bunch of chicks. But still, not very likely, sorry.

What an ignorant, lazy person! She should have gotten off her butt and stopped that dog; better yet she should of put a leash on it, if it wasn't too much work for her!

Again, so sorry for your lose.

 

[wanda047]

So sorry to hear about Dahlia. Don't give up hope yet. She may still return. I read last night where someone's hen came home after 3 weeks with 14 chicks in tow! Give her a little more time.

Keep us informed and let us know when she returns

 

[goldeneggtees]

I'm sorry for Dahlia and for you to have such a stinky MIL! She should have gotten up and helped and kept her dogs on a leash. I wouldn't let her bring her dogs over again, that's fer sure.

 

[Chickenaddict]

Quote:
I agree, she will be going to montana for 1 week in september and asked my DH to watch them dogs that week, she didn't bother asking me seeing as i am the one who will have to take care of them while they are here. She said to me last night before leaving "Do you want to take the dogs overnight as a trial to see if you can handle them?

How bout you find someone else to watch over your little ankle biters. They are BANNED from this house for sure! and if DH doesn't like it well he can go live with his mother!

 

[SallyF]

We live on the top of a mountain, surrounded by 270 acres of woods, with coyote, hawks, racoons, foxes, and whatever else lives out there. One day my husband let the chickens out and the dog started chasing one and grabbed her up in his mouth. My hubby told the dog to drop the chicken, which he did, but before hubby could get to her, she ran off into the woods. He looked for her to no avail, and wrote her off as a lost chicken, figuring she had gone off to die. About a week later, she showed up, walking around the coop and trying to get in. We have no clue as to where she was or what she did during that time, but nothing got her, and she lived for another year before dying of old age!
Sometimes it's good to hear something besides the horror stories, so good luck with Dahlia. Give your MIL a couple of pretty new leashes for her birthday!

 

[dadof4]

Let her leave them with you. It would be a shame if they "ran away" while they were there. Hope your girl gets back safe.

 

[Chickenaddict]

SallyF thank you for that story of hope, I do hope she comes back unharmed. The MIL had leashes for her dogs in her hand so she doesn't need them she just needs to use them. Dadof4 I think she is scared to leave her dogs with me now and she should be! Yesterday was sadness, today is anger. I could never harm an animal but I can't say i hadn't thought about it..... I am more angry at her then the dog, Its just instinct for the dog to chase something thats running around but she could have gotten off her kiester and stopped him before it got to that point but she just sat there and giggled about it until she realized dahlia didn't come back home. Her last comment to me before leaving was " honey she is just a chicken and things happen so don't beat yourself up about it" Oh the things I would like to say and do to her right now

 

[Brindlebtch]

Let her leave them with you and you can get some serious "LEAVE MY CHICKENS ALONE" training on them. It might be a satisfying thing for you to do and keep the peace in the family. Then you can see if the little darlings want to get out of the car next time they come for a visit.

You might invest in a couple of inexpensive shock collars and can train them on those. Then if MIL wants to bring them back to your house you can say "sure, but they have to wear their training collars while they are here". I'm sure MIL would ask "what training collars" and you can imagine the conversation from there.


Edit - Just read your last post. Your MIL sounds like a winner. Can her son your hubby tell her how much those chickens can mean to people - as much as her ankle biters?

 

[Chickenaddict]

Her and I have never really had a good relationship, for the past 13 years there has been "issues" He is her only child and she feels that I stole him from her. She gets jealous of any PDA we display in front of her(even just a hug) and if we are ever fighting she sides with him no matter how wrong he may be. The shock collar idea is a GREAT idea! You are right it would be no different then if something happened to her dog. I think of my chickens as my kids seeing as I can't have any of my own. They mean the world to me and I love them more then life itself. Some people just don't understand that. One can only hope she starts feeling the guilt and hopefully it will consume her altho not likely with someone who is so selfish and heartless.