So after having a great day at work I returned home to find 5 of my 6 hens mauled to death and the 6th is in shock, not real sure if she will make it. But I have high hopes as I couldn't find any visible serious injuries. I am so upset by this as they are our pets and we love them, even worse this attack was our own fault. We have a rescued German Shorthair who is a great dog but has a high prey drive. She does ok around the hens for short times (like potty breaks) but we don't let her stay outside when they free range or we keep her on a zip line or the hens in their run. We really try to have the best environment for all of our animals. My husband was home over lunch today, let her outside and forgot to put her on the zip line or didn't know the chickens were out, I'm not sure which. Either way I came home to dead hens. We have a very secure coop and I will be buying chicks to replace the ones we lost and my husband says he will be more careful. Honestly I am just planning on keeping them locked in the run instead of gambling on his attentiveness again.
What I am wondering is how long should I wait before ordering new chicks? I am worried that we are already late in the season and, if my EE survives, a long cold winter is closer than I want to think and I doubt she can survive it without a flock. But on the other hand if she doesn't make it, my daughter really wants to get bantams. My EE is a pretty bossy bird and we had troubles with her pecking the other hens so I imagine she would kill off bantams. Our coop/run is 75 sq. ft, so we cant keep too many unless we can consistanly free range. Do any of you think we can mix banties and heavy hens or should we just stick to one or the other? We do like getting eggs form our hens so at least a few heavies would be great but I want them to be as safe and happy as possible first.
Does anyone have any suggestions?
What I am wondering is how long should I wait before ordering new chicks? I am worried that we are already late in the season and, if my EE survives, a long cold winter is closer than I want to think and I doubt she can survive it without a flock. But on the other hand if she doesn't make it, my daughter really wants to get bantams. My EE is a pretty bossy bird and we had troubles with her pecking the other hens so I imagine she would kill off bantams. Our coop/run is 75 sq. ft, so we cant keep too many unless we can consistanly free range. Do any of you think we can mix banties and heavy hens or should we just stick to one or the other? We do like getting eggs form our hens so at least a few heavies would be great but I want them to be as safe and happy as possible first.
Does anyone have any suggestions?
