Okay - I'll message the admins and see what we can do about a booth there and a get together as well. We will then set up times people can man the booth too, I think this would be fun.
Yeah about the distance and weather but I'll bring some of mine there, I know they would love it.
I need to go to bed now so I can get up early in the am.
Good morning everyone. I hve been up for hours and am exhausted. We had a rough night.
Last night Elvis was barking up a mad storm. We let him out once but he didn't do anything and we chaulked it up to him being extra irritating. Mark said he heard cats fighting outside so we assumed he was freaking out overr that.
3:30 am we hear the most dreaded sound ever. A chicken screaming.
Mark and I BOLTED out of bed and ran to the kitchen to let the dog out. He goes tearing into the yard and I see a coon running out o Mama's kennel. I run back into the house to get a flashlight and when I get back I see that Elvis has trapped the coons up a telephone pole.
Two of them.
I run to Mamas kennel and Mark runs to the pole and starts throwing rocks at the coons. Everythings good in Mamas pen. They couldn't get into the coop. Couldn't figure out the door. Mama and all babies are okay.
Run to the big girls' coop. Everyone is fine. Everyone is accounted for. There is no way a coon can get in there. Phew.
Check the showgirls' coop.
Oh god. There's blood smeared on the side and the door is busted in. All showgirls missing.
I'm freaking out. Elvis is still watching the coons and mark and I are searching the yard for ANYTHING. we find Petey's body in the corner of the property. I'm freaking out oh god Petey! But then I see slight movement... He's still alive! We rush him into the house. He isn't doing well at this point. He is wheezing and breathing very heavily. He is in an out of consciousness. Mark and I go outside to check for the other showgirls, which we never found. Peteys feathers are everywhere though. From what I gather based on the feather trail, the coon grabbed him, he screamed, we let the dog out, coons dragged him up the pole and dropped him when they got to the top. Petey landed and ran across the yard before collapsing. There are no feathers from Priscilla or prudence anywhere.
Elvis guarded the pole until sunup, then the coons started getting really antsy. Mark and I threw rocks at them until they fell off the pole and ran off.
Petey is here, but I do not think he is going to make it. He has puncture wounds all over his body and I think his shoulder is badly broken. He has blood coming from his mouth and is wheezing badly. I'm just happy he can die here in the house instead of the jaws of those horrible creatures.
I don't know what happened to Priscilla and prudence, but there's a lot of blood on the coop and on peteys crest feathers, but Petey is not bleeding from anywhere.
I am devastated. Sorry for the language but the only way to truly describe how I feel is f*****g devistaded.
OMG! Maybe it was not Elvis that got your other chicken then. I know if I am angry about something the dogs automatically start acting guilty and they did not do anything. You poor thing... *hug* I feel sick to my stomach and it did not even happen to my chickens so I can only imagine how you are feeling. I have been leaving the big door to the chicken house open at night cause it has been so hot the last week or so and I have not had the opportunity to cut out the windows yet. Now I am going to cancel all of my plans today and work on getting those windows put in just in case we have any visitors in the night. We used to have racoons come in the yard when we first moved here but have not seen any since we got the dogs. The girls have been terrorizing the boys toys and clothes the last couple of weeks so I have been locking them inside at night to prevent them from stealing stuff and taking it outside. I think I should stop that entirely now.
Let me know if there is anything I can do for you Sweety. *bighug*
How close to town are you - do you have a gun. Nothing big, a 22 is perfect. And a live trap, you might seriously want to get one - greens has them but you might be able to find them less expensive at a sporting goods place. Once trapped, you can shoot or drown them (or drive them out here and I will kill them) They will be back and will figure out the broody kennel. They are evil smart. They are horrible - will pull a chicken apart thru wire
Keep petey warm - he will have trouble regulating his body temp, and semi dark so he rests. I hope he recovers
You might want to go down and get the heavier gauge hardwire cloth and wrap it around the inside of your fenced in area. It is a bit expensive but totally worth it.
Definitely keep Petey warm, that pet carrier you let me borrow to bring home Bertha in would be perfect, I used that for a couple of days before you came and picked it up for one of my chicks that got picked pretty bad and it was great. You could even wrap him in a towel or small blanket too. He has had quite a shock and he needs to feel safe to calm down and regulate his heartbeat. It is really easy to scare them to death so regulating their heartbeat is key.
Good idea Nikki, I'd definitely get those windows finished today. A chicken scream is an awful thing
They don't have a run right now, were doing the free range thing, I'm gonna buy some iron rods to run across the vents o the big coop, and maybe three or four more locks. The big girls have been using the showgirl coop as a nesting box so I think I'll just let that be that and never use it as a coop again. The big coop is solid and large and safe. I may even move mama and her chicks in there.
Genny we are very close to downtown. I am going to call animal control and see what the laws are as far as what we can do to these coons. I think there were more than just the two that Elvis ran up the pole. I think there were another two that ran off with my girls. Mark wants to get a gun but for me it seems to dangerous when we have houses so close. We might get an air rifle and a trap. Shoot maybe I'll just do as you say and trap em and bring em to you.