Ready to throw in the towel!

[MissChick@dee]

We all live and learn. Sorry you’ve had to learn so much the hard way.
Sometimes we don’t know what to do. But we always know what we won’t do.
I’ve had to adapt, lower my expectations for the yard. If you search your heart you’ll already have your answer. Best wishes

 

[starri33]

Yeah, my sister lost her chickens to predators, and my father in law lost most of his, so that was my focus when I decided to get them. I'm hoping it works out. I'm not sure exactly how big my run will end up being either, but my county rules seem to be vague.. I'm going to put my garden next to the run and then fence it in and add a chicken tunnel going from the garden to the run so they can have access in the fall.

You should be able to call your Planning and Zoning office or the public works, I tend to get on my Board of Supervisors nerves by speaking at the meetings so that is how I knew about the size of the building, they restrict them and ban power to them to keep people from using them for small rooms for people to live. There is no restriction on the size of the run, I had a heck of a time explaining that to my hubby, that it is the building not the run that has to be 300 sq ft, not both combined. Just told hubby I was thinking about recessing the nest boxes into the wall and saving myself some floor space that way.. my old coop was just kinda slapped together because I had to get the girls out of the pen they were in, they were to start laying in a weeks time by the time we got it going, I had little to no space for roosts, nest boxes with out taking up all of the floor space. This time around it's going to be better thought out. I'm sticking to my guns when it comes to getting things the way I want..lol.

 

[Ms Biddy]

Maybe chickens aren't the right project for your situation and that's okay. Whatever hobby you choose should bring you joy.

 

[northdakotaoutfitting.com]

I have had to replace my flock three times due to disease or predation. I've had to say good-bye to more chickens than I care to ever in a lifetime; many times by my own hand. Despite thousands spent on coops, wire, feeders, feed, incubators, brooders, traps, decoys, and medicine, my flock continues to decline. I lost my best, and most beautiful, breeder last night to another Owl attack. My backyard is a mess of chicken poo and dead plants that will never return, and I've given up on trying to grow my grass back. I can't sleep past 4 AM because that's when the roosters wake up....
When do you decide that enough is enough? I have, for the most part, enjoyed this hobby. But, that's all it ever was or will be. I don't sell or eat the eggs, we don't show the chickens, and the level of destruction to my backyard is very likely insurmountable. I've even had to pay to repair the paint on my car after my red sex-links decided it would be a good place to roost! I love my babies; perhaps enough to know that I don't want to see another one ripped to pieces by opportunistic and uncontrollable birds of prey.
I'm not writing this for pity points. I'm looking for an honest discussion regarding thoughts, experiences, opinions, and advice. This is a big decision, and I want to be as informed as possible before making it.

I lost around 150-160 chicken and 3 expensive pheasants this summer. I know what you are going through. I have a coyote,Fox,weasel and owl wipe me out. I’m now starting over with birds. Currently I HAD 15 chickens but coyote took 3 again. I’m making a automatic coop door now to open and close at dusk and dawn.
I did trap a coyote this this summer but didn’t get the Fox. I have snares set up now but no luck so far. You will have to do what you see fit for the owl. Just remember it’s illegal to to anything to them but I’ve heard if you take a tall 12’ 2x4 and put a foot hold trap on the end of it and screw it down to the board then stand the board on end by your coop that works. Just what I’ve heard from other ppl. I’ve never done it. You could also get some netting and put over your coop or run. That’s what I did to keep the owls from eating them. If your chickens are completely disappearing you have a Fox or coyote taking them and eating them somewhere. If there missing there heads it’s an owl. Coons do lots of damage too.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

I'm on the side of those saying that it is OK to quit, at least for a while.
Losing lots of birds is heartbreaking and I've considered doing something else for a while but like you I'm deeply invested.
One summer I lost about $4,000 worth of chickens to mink. They squeezed through the tiniest holes that had kept raccoons at bay - though the latter have eaten their share over the years.
I often wonder why people keep chickens if they don't eat or sell eggs, and likely don't eat chicken either. I've had chickens for long periods of my life. I eat lots of eggs and I eat all the extra roosters. So my family and I reap nutritional benefits.
My closest neighbor with chickens didn't eat eggs and by his explanation, only had them because he liked to look out into his yard while drinking coffee in the morning and watching them forage. That was his only interaction with them and he didn't properly feed or house them.

You have learned so much over the span of time that you have kept them and more in this thread. Take some time and ponder all of this. Reconsider housing, breeds, etc..

 

[starri33]

I lost around 150-160 chicken and 3 expensive pheasants this summer. I know what you are going through. I have a coyote,Fox,weasel and owl wipe me out. I’m now starting over with birds. Currently I HAD 15 chickens but coyote took 3 again. I’m making a automatic coop door now to open and close at dusk and dawn.
I did trap a coyote this this summer but didn’t get the Fox. I have snares set up now but no luck so far. You will have to do what you see fit for the owl. Just remember it’s illegal to to anything to them but I’ve heard if you take a tall 12’ 2x4 and put a foot hold trap on the end of it and screw it down to the board then stand the board on end by your coop that works. Just what I’ve heard from other ppl. I’ve never done it. You could also get some netting and put over your coop or run. That’s what I did to keep the owls from eating them. If your chickens are completely disappearing you have a Fox or coyote taking them and eating them somewhere. If there missing there heads it’s an owl. Coons do lots of damage too.

I'm sorry about you losing all of those, it's hard and expensive to replace, my friends who lost theirs lost between 20 and 40 each. Here most supplement their food budget with gardens and raising chickens, pigs, etc.. so the loss of a flock really hurts. We all chipped in chicks to help rebuild his flock, those who raised ducks helped too. I think he ended up with a bigger flock than what the coyotes wiped out..lol.

 

[northdakotaoutfitting.com]

this is only one of the many ideas you can get for pallet chicken coops. Ask around at your local stores and businesses that get in pallets, you can probably find them for free. Will take some work, but it won't cost a bundle. Check Craigs list and any of the buy and sell facebook groups for your area for free lumber/sheds/chicken wire etc.. I found my bird netting at Lowes, $20.00 a roll, 7 ft wide, 100 ft long. Ask any of your neighbors you see that have a scrap lumber pile about getting theirs.. if you can't afford the hardware cloth, you can use the wood off the pallets, bury it 6 inches deep and then run it at least 4' up on the sides of your run, use bird netting for the rest of it. I was blessed in being gifted 4 x 4 x 8's from a friend who delivered pipes. I've used those in building my coop and run. I have one of those store bought coops, but the osb I bought for the new one is only 150.00 more than what I paid for that thing. If you don't eat the eggs, sell them to help off set the cost of the feed.

I built a pallet chicken coop this summer. Cheap build and it works really well. All I have into it are some nails,screws, spray foam for the gaps that I had in a few spots and the electrical boxes and socket. The rest I had laying around

 

[Shorty22366]

We have snakes and we use snake be gone from Lowe's. It smells horrible and will keep them away for about 1 month and then re apply. It works and not real expensive.
I put my chickens in a closed run 40ftx40ft and covered the top with chicken wire.keeps all flying predators at bay. My chickens also have a 16x20 coop. They love when I go out and sit with them. I have 52 right now but am getting rid of some of the roos that hatched this summer. I enjoy my chickens we do eat the eggs but not the chickens. My chickens are my stress free hobby. A motion light may help keep owls away. Good luck with your decision.

 

[microchick]

I don't mean to sound mean at all, I'm sure you love your birds dearly, but I have a question. You said you don't eat their eggs. Why have chickens then? I have mine for their eggs and entertainment but it does sound like it has become more of a stress to you then a relaxing hobby. Again, it's ok to rehome and not have chickens. Just do what is best for you. I wish you the best of luck in whatever you decide.

Another POV to this. I have recently been diagnosed with at least 3 types of inflammatory and degenerative arthritis and currently have a flock of approximately 50 birds. I started my flock 5 years ago when we retired as a hobby to keep me active. These little feathered souls depend on me to haul myself up and outside every day, twice a day to feed and water them no matter how badly I hurt or how bad I feel. Everytime I go out I am helping myself staying active. One more day the diseases don't win and I do.

I do not eat my chickens. I do eat a lot of eggs as does dh and what we don't eat we give away to people who need them. We never charge we never accept payment. I'm playing blessings forward.

As of date I have not lost one bird to predation. Why? Chain link run, nets covering the runs, coop sided with metal siding. Securely locking door and pop doors. The entire run is hot wired. We have coyotes, fox, cougars, owls, hawks and bald eagles. I came home last week to find a red tailed hawk sitting not 50 feet from my run watching the bantams. Watching is all he could do.

I hope y'all see where I'm going here. No matter what you do you are going to have to contend with predators. It's up to you to see to it that your birds do not wind up on one of their buffet tables.

You will enjoy your birds more if they are safe and you can watch them from the outside of their pen. Don't get me wrong, I fully understand what it is like to loose birds. I've lost over 30 to Marek's disease in the past 4 years. Somethings no matter what you do you can't keep your birds safe from. But keeping them safe from predators is doable and really simple. Lock them up in their own pen and coop! Make it impossible for a predator to get in and treat any predator that you see with extreme prejudice.

I hope you find the answer that is right for you. Personally, I think it would be sad for you to throw up your arms in defeat. But the final decision is yours and yours alone.

 

[Shadrach]

Quit. If you no longer know why you do something then imo you should probably be doing something else.
There is no shame in discovering that the heartbreak and the work and expense just doesn't make it worthwhile.
I believe a great many people get sucked into the 'chicken keeping is just plain fun' hype.
It isn't. It isn't in particular if you care about your chickens be they livestock, pets, or something in between.