SAD SAD Month

[drdoolittle]

The best thing is to keep the chickens closed in their coop at night. A friend told me that if you shoot one coyote, the rest stay away for quite awhile-----but I would shoot as many as I could.

By the way, where do you live? I have some eggs that should be hatching any day, and I didn't really want any more chicks. There are at least 30 eggs (maybe more----not sure how many will hatch), a variety of breeds----New Hampshire Red, BO, EE-----the father is an EE cross. If you wanted the chicks, I can give them to you free-----even if I had to ship, you could just pay the shipping/box cost (I've never shipped before, but would give it a try).

Here's pics. of the broodies and the dad:

 

[bobbi-j]

My advice would be electric fence. I haven't used it around my chicken coop, but is certainly works around the sweet corn patch. Three or four strands, starting at about 3" off the ground.
Then pick yourself up and get some more chickens. Hang in there. Oh, and congrats on being so close to graduating from nursing school! That's alot of hard work.

 

[andisgarden]

I live in Sapulpa OK. My run is 50x25 and I have a shade cloth and large trees over the run and that's the best I can do. I have NEVER lost birds in almost 3 years until the last few months. Well I say never, I mean never in the coop or run. If they free range as I love to let them do, the do get picked off occasionally by coyotes. I am wanting some more peeps because they really give me so much joy just watching and raising them. I guess I have been niave to the dangers that are around because I lock them up each night and I had the bottom of the coop raised almost 3 ft to give them shade and some predator protection. I also covered the bottom with hardware cloth before I put the floor in. We also dug 12-18in deep around the fence to put it underground. The yard fence is 5ft tall..I guess where there's a will there is a way. They have probably been planning this break in for years.

Thank you so much for your kind words!

DrDolittle your roo is beautiful! I think he knows it too

 

[Evelle]

oh dear. i keep loosing my birds also i started with 25 last year and by this year i had 9. and this year its turkeys i started with 8 now i have two. yesterday my neighbors dog got ahold of my one and only tom and im so sad. its true once an animal knows that there is food they keep coming back.
im sorry for your loss. im sure once it cools down youll have better luck.
lot of luck.