Hi Everyone, My name is Gloria and I just joined your BackYardChickens Forum today...I am in the process of raising chickens...We bought 7 special Red hens and 1 rooster...I fell in love with them and then on Monday our next door neighbors dog broke into the coop while we were gone and killed all but 1 hen...I was and am so distraught over this and need suggestions on how to secure our coop so that this doesn't ever happen again with the 14 peeps that we have incubated and hatched and our hand raising....We thought everything was so secure but I guess it wasn't....We were so worried about a bear that lives in the area, never in our wildest thoughts did we think that the neightbors dog would be the couprit....We have dog fence 8 ft high around the lot and keep both doors to the coop secured at night....So what have we did wrong ???? I never want to see that kind of sight again...I have been looking at all the coop designs on line and ours is way better design that they are and my husband has even put up insulation and electric in the coop now...Thanks so much for all the help and reading this....
First, welcome to BYC! Second, I'm terribly sorry for your loss. It would help if you posted pictures of your set-up. It's hard to give helpful advice without a visual.
I am so sorry for what has happened to you, and from New York. The best way to help is to see pics of the arrangement. I am not sure if you can post pictures right away, but you will ask many questions sooner or later. In the meantime, I would have a talk with the neighbor....
Not able to upload anything until I have a few post under my username....But as soon as I can I will sure upload a few pics.... My hubby was so upset that he told the neighbor that if he saw is dog again...then the dog would be hurt but it's not the dogs fault it's pet owners that don't take the responisablitity of their pets !!!! We have 3 dogs and 3 cats and they never leave our yard....Thanks for the feedback...now I know that I have did this right and know how to get on and off right....
So sorry, that is awful. Now, have you talked to the owner of the dog to make sure it will be contained in the future? Have you contacted animal control? The killing of livestock is illegal in most places and if it is in your area, the dog owner needs to know the consequences of it happening again. As for securing the area, I have heard of people using electric fencing- not so much to keep the chickens in but to keep predators out. If you want them out in their yard, this may be what is needed, just be sure to bury it a foot or so to keep dogs and bears and whatever else from digging under it to get to the chickens.
Welcome Gloria. I am also sorry to hear about your loss. I don't know about your reasons for raising chickens, but for me they are pets more than egg providers. That makes them more like family to me and also raises my awareness of their comfort and safety. I was just watching mine run around in the backyard and saw 2 Mexican Eagles perched in the woods behind my house. That very second I shooed them into their covered , fenced, "yard" for protection. I keep a very close watch on them all day as I go about my business in the house and yard. That being said, when your chickens are pets it is hard to leave them unattended. There are so many things that can happen to them. (as you know from your horrible experience) Even the best constructed coop and yard is vulnerable. Post pictures of your set up so that the more experienced people can offer advice. I am still learning, but I have to say that vigilance is your best defense against disaster!! Good luck and enjoy your birds!!!!
Hi Gloria! So sorry to hear about your loss. If the dogs broke in through the fence, it might be that there is a vulnerable point in the fence that you aren't aware of. I would double check the whole perimeter of the yard, and look for a place they may have tunneled in enough to squeeze through. I had a couple of dogs (pre-chickens) who were master escape artists. Is it possible it wasn't the dogs but another predator? We've all be stressing about hawks around here. And raccoons are pretty shrewd. Check out the predator thread. Keep asking questions! You'll build up posts in no time... The people here are great, and once in a while you hear some really good chicken stories. I just got my first egg yesterday. Too exciting! Suzanne
Hi gloria and welcome to BYC Did the dog get in through a door? window? through the run wire? I had to do a lot of work on my doors, I thought they were varmint proof but have had to make modifications (and strengthen them) to keep out everything.
Thanks so very much for all the welcomes and advice....We looked everywhere and could not figure out where the dog got in at....Our fence is mostly 8ft dog proof fence and 1 small part was chicken wire but since this happened my husband has repace that part and is working on securing it better than fort knoxs.. ....One of the boards under the coop was slightly moved but I am talking about a 90 lb. lab/rotty mix....so I don't think that he could have gotten under there....We have checked everywhere and the only thing that my husband could think of was maybe he jumped over the part that was chicken wire....I thought of other preditors but they killed the chickens and let them lay....and most prediators back here would have taken the chickens for dinner....and I checked out how they were killed and it was puncture marks from canine fangs...I have 3 dogs so I know that it was a dog and his dog has been up here acouple of times and we have ran it off, so now told them that he comes up again then he is going to have the animal warden called on him and the dog will have to be taken care of.... I want to thank everyone for making me fill welcomed and yes I can see that this forum could become addicting.... I have so many questions about raising Peeps....this is the first time that we have used an incubator and raising them by hand....before I have always had a setting hen do the work for me but I wanted these peeps to be very tame and not scared of human's.....So far they sit on my lap and talk to me....Please don't laugh I am that crazy chicken lady !!!!!! In the next couple of days will try and get on here more so that I can get my posts in and will get everything else set up and will put up pictures of my coop and birds....the little ones are now 6 1/2 weeks old and growing so fast, at least these peeps are from the hens and rooster that I lost so I will still have them in a way....I will fill like the proud momma when I get my first egg !!!! We use to have 8 chickens and got 7 eggs everyday...now down to 1 egg a day...I just love my fresh eggs....
