New member from Vt.

[Belkins]

Hello, new as a member here, From northern Vermont.
We just lost our 5 hens & RIR roo last nite to a weasel We suspect.... little hole, no more that 1 1/2" next to where My power cord went in for the heated water dish, Most birds in tact except one that had been decapitated.... sad day :-( the girls were an Aracuana cross, A silkie a RIR & 2 ASR sexlinks. I've been following backyard chickens on social media (facebook) and gained a multitude of helpful advice
I had raised pheasant Quail & meet birds years ago, & then with young kids, ended up getting busy in other areas of life. We actually had some trouble with roaming dogs & predators back then which was kinda of rough for then pre-school aged kids.
After today's experience I am more determined than ever to build a safe (AKA predator proof) coop for our next flock. We had a year of fun & fresh eggs with our flock and definitely hooked on raising chickens.
We also have 2 cats & a dog (a rescued Chihuahua)

 

[Lazy Farmer]

 

[007Sean]

Howdy Happy to have you join the family. Enjoy your time here at BYC!

 

[ronott1]

Welcome to Backyard Chickens!

I was going to suggest that you beef up the coop and start again!

There are other things you can do--look up scare eyes.

Go here: https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/category/chicken-coops.12/

You will find lots of coop ideas there. Also, start a coop page and document your work. Others will critic and help with the fine points!

 

[Teila]

G’Day from down under Belkins Welcome!

Oh, how sad I am so sorry!



While the circumstances in which you join us are not the best, I do hope you enjoy being a BYC member. There are lots of friendly and very helpful folks here so not only is it overflowing with useful information it is also a great place to make friends and have some fun.

BYC has Topic of the Week discussions which I have found to be a great resource, informative and sometimes entertaining; so definitely worth checking out. This one may be of particular interest to you:
Topic of the Week - Keeping the Flock Safe from Predators

If you include your general location on your profile, this will assist others. Location, climate, season etc can be important factors when members are responding to any questions you may have and vice versa.

You might want to also Find Your State Thread and pop in and say hello.

Best wishes and good luck!

 

[Plip]

That's a horrible thing to find in the morning! Sorry that happened. But welcome to BYC! Glad you're here!

 

[drumstick diva]

So very sorry about your tragic loss. You may want to post on the predator threads for advice on safeguarding coop and run.

 

[Pork Pie]

Hello and welcome to BYC. Good luck with dealing with your predator issues