- Jul 5, 2012
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Well... I've never had chickens before this year, but we decided to try some. The kids were delighted! They designed a coop (with dad's help) and made it as a boyscout project for my oldest and youngest sons. It took several weeks, and looked like the Taj Mahal of chicken coops (to me). We painted it to match the house, and stenciled designs on the outside, gave it a double vented roof, and a box that holds 4 chickens for laying. They created a run in both the backyard and frontyard of the coop. Then we bought a magazine and read. Then, we decided to take the plunge (our only pet up to this point, in 15 years, has been a very loved, well worn hamster(s)). We bought 4 Bantam hens, probably 4 months old, and brought them home. Three months into our new love affair, a local coyote tore the triple layered, varied density chicken wire apart. Took the door off the coop, front and back. We found nothing but a handful of feathers. We think it's a coyote because one has been spotted several times in this neighborhood, and in our yard, by neighbors. It has taken out several family pets here. I paused, decided this wasn't for us, that we had instead made a death trap. My boy scouts decided to improve the palace instead. They redesigned the "cage" and wrapped it over the entire chicken house, buried it 6 inches in the ground, and layered 2 feet of foot long stones around it to keep digging down by predators (we live in the suburbs). They wrapped it in heavy wire, and we brought home 6 new chicks for Easter. Again, though, we came out to find 5 of them still in the backyard run with broken necks and layered in a circle. The cage was intact, even locked still. One had escaped the slaughter. She was terrified. We moved her into our house, in a cage in the bathroom, where she remained for several weeks, taken out to "play" in the yard with supervision. We were told that it sounded like a raccoon did this. We continued to fortify our coop, with locks on the door to the yard, and locks on the door to the coop itself. The windows have a second screened inside window with locks. Our "Lady" has recovered mostly, and remains in her coop now, with continued supervision for some daily free roaming. She talks to us all the time and walks in the garden with us. There has been no further incidents. But, tonight she seems really sick, croaking loudly, almost wheezing. She is back inside with us now, since temps have been in the triple digits here. This chicken raising is a mixed blessing. I have been looking for answers to her "asthma" and stumbled across "Backyard Chickens". It has brought some hope back that I may have some "friends" out there who can teach me how to be a better chicken owner.. We wish Lady well, and hope she gets over whatever is making her sick 
