Put Chicks Outside Too Soon.

[Queengoddess]

i had 6 one-month-old chicks (Bantam Cochins and Silkies) which I made the mistake of thinking were ok to put outside in our smaller pen, which we wittily refer to as the Juvenile Detention Center, which allows them to get bigger before I introduce them fully to the flock.

I have regular chicken wire on the small run area and never thought they'd be in a y danger. However, night before last, either a raccoon or possum pulled them, one by one, THROUGH the small holes of the chicken wire and killed and ate them.

I am devastated.

My reason for posting in this: were they too young for outside yet (if they'd gone into the coop to sleep instead of on the grass in the run they'd still be alive)? Or were they old enough,I just need a different type of wire?and if so, what kind?

Thanks in advance!

 

[Bulldogma]

I don't think it was so much that they were too young. I think it was the use of chicken wire that may have been your problem. Raccoons and the like will pull chickens of any age to the wire and chew them apart

Go to your farm store or hardware store and get "Hardware Cloth." Get the stuff with the really small openings and use that instead of chicken wire. Yes - it's more expensive, but it will save your chickens.

So sorry for your loss!

 

[backwoods mom]

I'm so sorry you had to find your chicks like that. It happened to us one time when I was a child and it was indeed devistating. I'm not sure if age was the problem or not, but I will say that we coop up every night for this reason. They would have been fine during the day, but definately coop them up at night, we do this even with our grown chickens and they learn quickly that when dark comes its time to get in the coop. If anyone doesn't want to coop up, I catch them and put them in there for the night.

 

[bcmama]

So sorry to hear about your chicks. I don't know the answer because I am new too but I know that we are using hardware cloth. Again so sorry.

 

[featherz]

They were not too young to go outside. It was the wire. Even big chickens could be killed through chicken wire. I have three day old babies outside but they are behind hardware cloth and an electric fence.

 

[mi chicken]

SORRY ABOUT YOUR LOSS. CHICKEN WIRE SHOULD BE CALLED CHICKEN DINNER WIRE. GET SOME HARDWARE CLOTH. SECURE YOUR RUN. DONT BEAT YOUR SELF UP THIS HAPPENS ALOT COONS WILL PULL FULL GROWN CHICKENS [THREW GET A TRAP AND GET EVEN

 

[featherz]

I'm so sorry you had to find your chicks like that. It happened to us one time when I was a child and it was indeed devistating. I'm not sure if age was the problem or not, but I will say that we coop up every night for this reason. They would have been fine during the day, but definately coop them up at night, we do this even with our grown chickens and they learn quickly that when dark comes its time to get in the coop. If anyone doesn't want to coop up, I catch them and put them in there for the night.

With chicken wire, they won't be fine during the day if you have dogs or foxes that hunt in the daytime. Down to chicken wire!!! =) =)

 

[Queengoddess]

ThanKS everyone for your quick responses and advice. On my way now for some hardware cloth. They have a little coop area attached to the run, but for some reason that night they piled up in the corner of the run outside.

 

[what did I do]

This always blows me away. We lock all our chickens and chicks up tight at night. None of our birds sleep outside.

 

[guesswhatchickenbutt]

The way I was taught was that chicken wire will keep chickens in, while hardwire cloth will keep predators out. Sorry for your loss