Pyrenees killed three chicks

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T P S said:
Yeah, owning chickens involves a lot of death unfortunately. Reproductive disorders are common in chickens and can't be prevented. There are numerous other diseases that just happens even if their coop is predator proof...

Its always sad, its never easy when a chicken dies...
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I always try to prevent diseases, so I deworm my flock 2 times every year because they free range. I also feed medicated feed for chicks until they are 6 weeks old and give electrolytes in their water until they are 1-2 weeks old. I always keep chicken medications on hand and check for poop stuck on their feathers, mites/lice, abnormal behavior, egg laying amount, feed intake amount, and other things. I mainly use it for tracking purposes...
 
Newatthischickstuff said:
One of the pups is 4 months old and pretty much ignores them, but the 1 1/2 year old seemed way too interested, so I am pretty sure he instigated the whole thing. I just don’t know if I should get more chicks at this point or give up…I guess I’m not very good at a loss of life, which makes me probably not the best person to be trying to have a small farm with animals ☹️
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Its worth it though, I love chickens! Its all about planning it right, at the right time. Just remember that even though some of your chicks lived short lives, they were loved and cared for during the time they were alive. Whatever happens, I always try to convince people to get chickens, because many chickens have to live in battery farms where they never seen soil, grass, and never really been a chicken...
 
Newatthischickstuff said:
One of the pups is 4 months old and pretty much ignores them
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I would separate this one for a while, this one shows promise but the other one will be a bad influence. This one should be a poultry dog, this one will defend them from the other one if you start the proper process now. An LGD should never ever kill your/their animals, but if they do training has to be prompt and strict. If you keep your chickens in a tight coop and don't plan on letting them free range then I would just work on making the lgds ignore them.
 
Newatthischickstuff said:
I feel like I have so much to learn and have no idea what I am doing some days. (Most days) There is so much information out there that it gets very confusing. I really thought this would be a nice hobby and we could get some eggs and I never thought about disease or death😣 and I am a nurse!!
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X2 this is every day of my life😊
 
Newatthischickstuff said:
I feel like I have so much to learn and have no idea what I am doing some days. (Most days) There is so much information out there that it gets very confusing. I really thought this would be a nice hobby and we could get some eggs and I never thought about disease or death😣 and I am a nurse!!
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As bad as it is to see your own chickens die, I LOVE watching chicks draw in their first breath! Yes, some diseases have no cure like: reproductive, tumors (including Mareks), micoplasma, water belly (no absolute cure), etc. But they are not too common, apart from reproductive issues. Reproductive issues are most common in high production breeds, but can occur in any age and breed. Thats why I tend to stay away from high production breeds...

Some chickens do live long lives, 8-10+ years...so it really depends on their quality of life and not really how long they live. The longest living chicken won't ever be older than a human, but their quality of life is so important! Chickens are worth it to me, at this point, its not really about their eggs, but about the chickens themselves. We have never butchered nor culled a single chicken for the years we have had them, its still an ocean we are not yet diving into....so, so far, we own them primarily for their personalities and eggs.
 
Welcome to BYC.
DobieLover said:
Hello and welcome to BYC! :frow Glad you joined.
Sorry for your losses. I would wait until the lone survivor is fully ambulatory and the wounds have closed before putting her out with the ducks. You will need to start looking for replacement chickens for her.
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Great advice, and good luck.
 

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