Need to complain to someone who will understand (New-PART III, Page 5)

[darkmatter]

Quote:
Ain't that the truth I had a Brother-in-Law that moved to the country and plunged full tilt into the whole livestock/garden/self sufficient concept. He was talked into coming to look at my setup and methods (See my BYC page for coop/run/garden setup) and spent an afternoon looking over my stuff and talking to me as I explained how and why I did things with what I've learned over the past couple decades at it.
The next year I was visiting them and found a huge coop built on concrete with no easy way to clean. It was full of ammonia stinking matted straw with sick and dead chickens. He didn't have a very large run and what he had, allowed the chickens to get out only to be eaten by their dogs. The garden was a thin weedy patch that was shaded most of the day by trees close to the house rather then out in the sun. I could go on and on, but obviously he had either seen a picture or read stuff without understanding of any of it. I'm all for experimentation and trying new things----but you have to "think" about it.

 

[Flamineagle]

That's such a sad story Luke13:34. I'm sorry that all your hard work, and generosity was not appreciated.

I get attached to my chooks, when incubating, and brooding them all. I gave one of my extra black silkie roos to Dixie, a woman who lives a few blocks from me. She wanted him to breed with her hens, and we had been talking about chickens for about a month before I gave her Mr. Bossy. She seemed nice enough, had a large coop, with small pens outside, and a large chicken run. I told her if Mr. Bossy didn't work out for her, I will take him back. Mr's bossy is very sweet, 7 months old, has all feathered feet, nice dark mulberry walnut comb, perfect bird. But he started fighting with his dad, so I wanted to rehome the little guy. So I decided to rehome him with Dixie.

She had him for a week, then called me to tell me Mr. Bossy got out of the pen, when she was moving him into the hen house. My son and I walked to her house to help her catch Mr. Bossy. However her car was gone, and no one answered the door.
Her neighbors told me her husband let Mr Bossy out of the pen, threw a rake at him, and chased him down the road! I was horrified by this behavior. How could her husband do this, and why wasn't she out trying to catch Mr. Bossy. Her neighbors said she went to the bank to cash her check, so they helped us look for Mr. Bossy.

We looked all day but couldn't find him. We seen stray cats, and a few dogs running in the area, and I shuddered to think we would have to end our search as it got dark. We got up early the next morning, to hear Mr. Bossy crowing, and walked back to start our search again. We finally found him, about a half a block away, from the woman's house that we gave him to. But Mr Bossy was so traumatized, he wouldn't come to my son or myself! We raised him from an egg, he was so friendly, but now he was very stressed.

I walked to Dixies house, to enlist her to help catch her bird! She was sleeping, and I asked her why did she leave to the bank yesterday, instead of helping us catch Mr Bossy. I told her if she didn't want him, I would take him back, so why did her husband let him out of his pen, throw a rake at him, and chase him down the road.

Dixie said they decided they didn't want him, because he Crowed, and turned him loose, chased him down the road believing he would go to my house!

OMG, what idiots! Well I chewed her and her husband out, big time. I said it was very irresponsible of them to do that, when all they had to do was call me and I would take Mr Bossy back. I told them the least they could do was to help us catch him, and we left them to continue to capture Mr Bossy.

It took a week, I even called animal control, but they didn't help us at all since we live an hour from town. But Mr Bossy was finally caught, and we took him home. He buried his little head in my arms, as I carried him home. I don't know how he survived out there for a week fighting off owls, hawks, cats and dogs, but we gave him lots of love and attention.

Some people just don't care about animals, and they think chickens don't have feelings like a dog or cat. But they are dead wrong, chickens are very smart, and I love all of mine. And that idiot woman or her husband, never once helped to look for him, or called to say they were sorry for being such jerks!

BTW, it took Mr Bossy some time to get over all the trauma he endured. He was fine physically, not cuts that we could see. But mentally he had a hard time healing. For a few weeks, he stayed to himself, got spooked at the slightest sound, and didn't challenge his dad to any more fights.

I don't know about you Luke13:34, but it took me some time to trust anyone again with my chooks. My son even said we should do a background check on them, lol but he is 12 years old. He even renamed Mr Bossy, to Bruce Lee

 

[Chicken Chaperone]

Luke13:34 :

Two more birds have been killed. She never strengthened her run, although she kept them inside the Eglu when at work. She would let the cat follow her down to "help" feed the chickies every morning. Yesterday she put the birds out into the open run and walked away again. Came back to find two of the four birds dead inside the Eglu run (the predator had gone into the Eglu) Back of the chickens were eaten with wings, feathers and heads left on. My guess is that it was the cat.

Anyone want to take bets on the last two birds surviving the frigid temps we are supposed to get this weekend? grrrr

OMGosh, Luke13:34 Do you think you could go and get those last 2 babies and maybe save them from more predator attacks and/or the freezing temps?? I could understand
if you felt like you never wanted to see or speak with this woman again (I doubt I'd have a civil word for her...) but maybe you could refund some of the money she paid and go
get those last 2 sweet fuzzy butts?? I can tell this whole ordeal has been hard on you and my heart goes out to you so much!

Good luck with whatever you decide
and keep us posted!​

 

[noitulover]

so sorry this happened to you! We raised three ducklings for a friend and neighbor of ours because he didn't have a brooder setup, and less than a week later, all three were dead

He swore he was going to build proper housing for them, but never "finished".

If I had known he didn't have a properly enclosed run and shelter, I would never have given him those babies

So Sorry for you losses! Try to get the last ones back before anything happens to them!

 

[Catz1611]

AW!!!!! Man that STINKS!!!

I know if it were me...I would want to (and would probably) execute a reconnaissance mission to rescue those remaining chicks.

 

[BigDaddy'sGurl]

I am so saddened by this news. I think that many of us have had the misfortune to have to share similar stories. Lets' just say that I know some people who I can give all the advice in the world to and even lead by example and they still have birds sick and dying because they just don't want to do it the right way because it is not the easy way. I am sorry!

 

[Baymule]

You can't fix STUPID.

 

[Luke13:34]

Got a call Sunday.. a fox got number eight. I am now the owner of the last chicken.

 

[ARose4Heaven]

My mother used to have a house chicken, but lost it a few years ago to her houseful of dogs. It had gotten too old to out run them anymore.

So this winter, January, I ordered up a bunch of assorted layers. I told her I would give her 5 hens and a roo for her birthday, if she would get a nice coop and run for them to keep her dogs out of them.

Now she says, " I have a shed for the chickens, but need you to move it and set it all up for me" Sheeeshes! I am giving her the birds, now she wants me to build the housing too? I will do it of course, because I want it to be secure for the birds to be safe. I will also make it very anti-dog, with built in electric wire around the perimeter of the run.

She is amazing with animals! She can diagnose and treat illnesses and injuries better than the vet, but just hasn't yet gotten it into her mind that a chihuahua is a predator. Once I show her how to let her dogs and chickens co-exist without harming one another, she will be great.

I think it just takes time and training for some people. It is awful when animals suffer at the hands of an inexperienced keeper. I think that those of us who have "some" expertise need to step up and train those our birds go to, to care for the animals we provide. If someone refuses to accept advise and/or help, then don't give em the bird. at least not the feathered kind.

 

[galanie]

I think the first mistake people make when building a coop or run is that they're thinking "keep chickens in" rather than "keep bad guys out." The second one, and this doesn't affect many, thank goodness, is stupidity. Makes you wonder how people like that have the brains to function normally.