The Worst Predator Ever

[mikejana]

Greetings,
Due to a county ordinace that we are battling, we were recently forced to relocate our chickens. We have property several miles away in Alabama and set up a coop and fenced protected yard as a home away from home for our flock. We set up automatic feeders and water and check them every other day.
We arrived yesterday to find a mess of lumber, broken cinder blocks and rocks with numerous chickens missing. We have about 15 chickens left of the original 34 in the coop, we found one adolescent hiding outside and no remains of the other girls. The chicken yard had obviously been dismantled and rebuilt in a very shotty manner.

We questioned a nieghboring teen and he confessed that one of his friends opened the enclosed and covered yard and threw a dog in to watch the show. Of course he claims to be an innocent witness who protested, but watched.

You read that right, THEY THREW A DOG IN WITH THE CHICKENS TO WATCH THE CARNAGE !

We are meeting the Baldwin County Alabama Sheriff this morning and they will write a charge of trespass and destruction of property. The parents of the teen knew about the event and are fazed only by the fact their kids got caught.

We are incensed, enraged and angry. We find this far more disturbing than the dog fighting that grabbed Michael Vick such bad headlines.

We would appreciate any advice and assistance to get some public assistance and visibility.

Thanks in advance.
Mike & Jana

[email protected]
Link to the Baldwin County Alabama Sheriff http://www.co.baldwin.al.us/Pageview.asp?edit_id=27

 

[4 Love of Baby Chickens]

I can't believe this!!!!!!!!!

Why those big dumb teenagers!!! I may be a dumb teenager sometimes but that takes the cake!!!

It's bad enough to hear about Raccoons, Coyotes, Foxes, Hawks, Mountain Lions, Bobcats, Lynxes, and Black Bears getting our flocks. Dogs too sometimes but to hear about a dog being put in your coop on purpose!!!!

Sorry that your first post was about your poor girls.

 

[ranchhand]

Please make sure to get the local press involved. The full story needs to come out for all to see, and these teens need some serious counseling/retraining, since the parents are obviouly NOT up to the job of raising decent young people.

I too am very sorry that your entry to the world of BYC was under such sad and horrifying circumstances.

 

[Chicken Boo]

Why not call the local media? A good angle would be how Micheal Vick's "message" is not sinking in. This would light a fire under the sherriff's butt and embarrass the kids and their neglectful, awful parents who raised their kids wrong.

I do not have any kids, but if one of mine did something like this, you would have to hold me back because I would be kicking his butt for days.


I am so sorry about this. I just built a new coop and hen house. Everyone is looking at me like I am crazy because I wanted it built so that I could lock it. Stories like this make my case.

 

[mikejana]

Thanks everyone. We have been reading the forum for awhile and have garnered lots of great information. We just haven't needed to post.

These are pet chickens, mostly rare breeds. We moved them from our low density "neighborhood" in Perdido Key Florida to a place in rural Alabama. We leave to meet the Sheriff soon and will try to impress our concern that this is a serious issue. If we can get a cruelty to animals charge I would feel better. We will contact media after our meeting.

The coop was locked and fenced with double chicken wire buried to prevent entry. It was covered with a landscape tarp that was "sewn" shut with aviation safety wire. They went to alot of effort to cut of the stainless steel twist-locked saferty wire to remove the cover. They reinstalled it with a few pieces of cheap quality bailing wire and some pieces of coat hangar.

Mike & Jana

 

[WyandotteTX]

You might want to contact the nearest Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals also. If the sheriff doesnt do much, for sure they would I imagine.
As a person who is in daily contact with young men, its disappointing to hear of such behavior. They need to have every charge possible levied against them to know that there is a consequence for their irrational actions. And depending on how old the young boys are and considering their parents attitude on their behavior a call to Child Protective Services might be in order to send a wake up call to the parents also.

 

[Falcon61]

Get the teen to confess again when you have a recorder in your pocket, then play it to the parents. Tell them you want your checkens replaced or you'll let the judge decide. Look on craigslist or similar ads to get replacement prices in your area for laying hens not chicks. You could press the parents to make the teen cleanup the mess, after tell him if he comes on your property again you'll report him for trespassing.

 

[panner123]

Press charges and have the parents as well as the teens do the rebuilding. DO NOT FORGET TO HAVE THEM PAY FOR THE REPLACEMENT CHICKENS. Rare breeds means high prices. Parents do not like to come out of pocket for kids pranks. To bad they no longer have wood sheds to take the teens behind. But darn if I wouldn't build one of them to for next time. Don't forget to take the parents there for some education also.

 

[calista]

Another vote for pressing charges and publicizing this horrible occurrence. Horrifying response from those parents.

Teens like this make me thankful I chose not to have children. Although mine would have never done such an awful thing without serious repercussions: grounding for a year, working part-time jobs to pay back every penny, volunteering at the local ASPCA, extra chores at home, etc.

I'm so sorry this had to happen to you. When you get your replacement flock and repair the damage, I hope you will be able to connect with a retired person in the area who can stay on site and be your "eyes and ears" in your absence until you successfully challenge the ordinance against chicken-keeping.

Good luck and keep us posted.

 

[kcsunshine]

I don't have any more to add to what's already been said except, I'm so sorry you are having to go something as horrific as this. It's too bad the wheels of justice turn so slowly these days. I wouldn't have been able to set down for a month if I had pulled a prank like that in my youth, but then I always loved all animals and can't imagine what they could have been thinking. They'll be in juvinal court soon with the lack of guidence they get from their parents.

I hope you took plenty of pictures for the local media.