OMG What a nightmare!!!!

[gryeyes]

I'm so sorry you had to experience that, but don't beat yourself up over it. *I* thought my elderly dachshund would not kill chicks or chickens, and I was wrong. Just a little inattention and I lost 3 chicks, each at separate times.

My bathroom is my Nursery, with the brooder in there. The bathroom door only opens outward, so the dogs (and my cats) can't paw/push it open to get in to the chicks in the brooder. I have to be very vigilant about closing and securing that door, as well as not letting ANYBODY slip by me when I enter or exit the bathroom. No matter HOW sleepy I am at the time.

I even replaced the chicks, so I ended up with 3 different ages in the brooder, about a week to a week and a half difference each time. So the youngest was almost a month younger than the first few I bought.

They're happy, healthy 19 - 23 week old pullets now.

 

[NWChicks]

I'm sorry that happened to you guys. I'm sure you did your best to make sure the cats couldn't get to them. I know I've been on here looking at how to predator proof our coop becasue I'm new too. There are so many things you just don't think about until something happens.

We have two cats and two boxes of chicks (some are older than others and so separate). For one set we have a large plastic bin with a heavy screen on top. My husband built a wooden frame and screwed the wire cloth to it. That just sits down on top of the bin. Before I go to bed at night I put something heavy right up next to the box so our cat can't get on top and somehow manage to topple the bin. Given the opportunity, I'm sure he would.

Our other setup is a very large dog crate with a metal grid door. The openings on the door are wide enough for a cat to put a paw through and play "chicken ball" so we put more wire mesh over that. Our cat can sit outside and look to his hearts content but he isn't getting in there! It's a great set up and gives them plenty of room.

Hope you find a secure set up and that you don't give up on the idea of chickens. I hate the idea of losing one but understand it comes with the territory.

 

[noitulover]

i'm sorry this happened to you!

i keep my brooder on the ground, so it can't get tipped over. I have two cats, so I know how they can get into things.

I would put the chicks in a solid brooder (one where curious paws can't get through), and put it in a room that will have the door constantly closed.

This way, even if the accidentally cats get into the room, the brooder is predator proof enough that your chicks can't be harmed or knocked over.

 

[Domestic_goddess]

I am so sorry for your loss, please try to remember accidents happens and you've got 5 others to care for still. I have a wooden framed box with chicken wire all around it, and a door that gives to access my chicks.....I have 5 cats, they like to watch them and sit on the cage......and you can tell that if given the chance, they would totally have a snack. I keep them in locked room in my basement and always check to make sure I don't leave any cats in there. I think the bathroom is a great place to keep your chicks and keeping the door closed 24/7 is the best way to keep those babies safe. Good luck, I know it's hard to think about losing any of them...but don't beat your self up about it.

 

[catdaddy66]

I am sorry to hear about your chick...I know when I lose one (hasn't happened yet but it surely will sometime) I am going to be beside myself!

I have cats as well and just cannot trust them to stay away from something as facinating as chicks in a brooder! So I have the chicks in the spare room w/ door shut 100% of time! No access for cats even when we are in the room. They would have a buffet otherwise.

Spend some time thinking how to catproof the brooder/room as you would to your coop and then you can say you have done all you possibly can. Good luck!!

 

[Whisper]

I kept my first six chicks in the bathtub on paper towels for weeks. I had to move them to a brooder when they started flying out of the tub-- not because of the mess, but because the cat would reach under the bathroom door to try to grab their little legs as they wandered around the bathroom!

Don't give up, it's always hard to lose a pet, but persistence leads to great rewards. I don't have my original six anymore, sadly, but I am getting new babies in two weeks. They're usually pretty tough little creatures, on the whole. They have to be, in the wild, to follow Mama chicken around and survive off of what they can find in the woods and fields. They're likely do just fine! Good luck.