Our only predator so far.....11 year old boy

[chicmom]

I'm so sorry too! It's a bad sign when a younger child hurts an animal....it can be so touchy too, depending on the parents. When we first moved into our house, a neighbor boy came over, and the boys let him (they were all around 10 or so), anyhow, he squeezed our gerbil and gave it a stroke.

Well, sent him home and word got back to his mother....I found out that he was mildly retarded. The gerbil lived, and slowly recovered, but never fully. Mom actually did apologize for him......that was real nice.

But some parents, you just never know how they will react.

My nephew came over and poked some goldfish we had (they were feeders), and threw them out in the snow. BOY DID THAT MAKE ME MAD!.....

Anyhow, I'm really sorry that happened and I hope you get some resolution...whether you just talk with the boys parents, or the boy himself.....

 

[MissJenny]

I would definitely DEFINITELY say something to the parents. I would say their son was seen kicking at the chickens and that the next day one of the chickens was found dead. Let them draw their own conclusions. And give them the opportunity to address their child's behavior. This is what they mean by "it takes a village to raise a child." If the parents don't know what this idiot is up to how can they be mindful of what to watch for?

I can picture an 11-year-old kicking at chickens -- an 11-year-old who needs more focus and responsibility. (And an attitude adjustment.) There's nothing more destructive than a youngster with way too much time on his hands!

Jenny

 

[koop]

Yes, say something. Like it was said it takes a village to raise a child. The point being that the behavior needs to be addressed, the point of saying something is not to enact revenge. The chicken is dead, but this boy will live for a long time yet and needs to have this fault worked out.

Don't let this be a divisive issue between your two families, invite them over again, but yes watch him closer.

 

[biddybird]

I am sorry for your loss, I too mourn over anyone of my animals, particularly when I have a death that is suspicious, ususally the first one I blame is me for not noticing or whatever.

Children have to be taught and I have learned that alot of parents think whatever their kids do is "cute", and don't really get onto them. My policy is if they are at my house, and I see parents are not in charge then I am. If the parents don't like it they can leave.

If these are good friends, and a friendship you value, I would not accuse him totally since you can't be sure, even though it is an awful coincidence, the next time the child is there I would tell him what happened and let him know you like him to visit, but any living thing on your property is special to you you will not tolerate abuse and he is not to go near your chickens. If you see he is being anything but nice to anything he will have to sit in a chair by you or will be asked to leave. Then watch him like a hawk. 11 yr olds can have attitude!! Say it in front of the parents and be stern, it may not cure him from the Dahmer thing, but it will keep your girls safe. You will probably be able to tell after that how this kid is being raised. The parents should be on him at that point. If they are not or are defensive--you have another decision to make.
This has actually happened at my barn (shooting a show pig with a TOY air soft gun-Mom thought it was cute and neat that he could aim so well--7 yr old kid and it didn't hurt the pig, I caught it fast), but it showed the child I was not going to tolerate it at my house. The parents are very good friends of ours and now they watch him better too, though we have had no more incidents.

Good Luck, You have to protect your girls!

 

[Chickenmaven]

Chickens bruise. Not sure if you saw anything on your, but I once treated a rooster that had been attacked by another roo & he was bruised.

Stand up for your girls!

 

[possumpatrol]

I would invite them back as soon as possible!! And make sure he has the opportunity to be alone with the chickens.

Put up a hot wire (electric fence)around the chickens and turn it up high as it will go. He will try to get them again and when he hits that wire he will not try that again!! Trust me. a little electricity does a lot better then a time-out! and most kids that do that stuff to begin with have parents that let them get away with stuff like that. I think a hot wire is the best solution!

 

[bobbi-j]

Oh boy - what a dilemma. On the one hand, the timing of the chicken's death is suspicious. On the other hand, you didn't witness the kicking yourself (not saying that your mom is making stuff up - I'm sure it happened) and no one saw him kicking that chicken in particular. That behavior is disturbing from an 11 year old. I agree with those who said that the parents should be told that he was kicking at the chickens. Not sure about the dead chicken. No matter how you say it, it will sound like you're accusing their boy. You'll get one of two reactions. Either they will talk to their son, an apology will come your way, and they may even replace the bird. Or, they will say, "Not my little darling!" and the friendship will likely come to an unpleasant end. You'll have to decide which approach to take.

 

[Prodigal son]

Quote:
Very true on all counts! Couldn't agree with you more. If I would have done something like that my dad would've...gives me chills to even think of it! Heck, when I was 5 or so I shoplifted a pack of gum at our town's little store. After I got my hide tanned he took me back to the store and made me tell Inez, the store owner, what I'd done and pay her twice what it cost.

 

[fancbrd4me02]

Why not just have a chat with the mother? Something like this:

"Hey (whatever the mom's name is), I just wanted to talk to you about little Hellhound's behavior with my birds the other night. The reason I thought I better talk to you about it is that I want to make sure that he understands why that behavior was unacceptable. It may be just a coincedence, but one of my hens died sometime in the night following his kicking the hens. It may not be a direct result of his kicking the hens, but what he did may have contributed to the hen's death, either by stressing her out or causing her to go into shock. I thought that I better let you know so that we can make sure he learns how delicate animals can be and how what seemed like horseplay can result in potential dire consequences. I want you to know that I'm not blaming little Hellhound for the chickens death, it could have been something else that caused it, but i just want him to get a chance to learn how to interact with animals safely, for him and for the animals sake. "

 

[Elite Silkies]

Quote:

His little behind would look like a Baboon when I got done!