Dh just let the dogs out into the run, been snowing all day and we got a good dumping of that white stuff. the dogs were whining in the house and usually they are fast asleep by 9p.m every night. tonight they are jittery and every so often low growls and barks come out of them as they stare at the mudroom door that leads to their run and is attached to the front of the barn.
So we got annoyed with their whining and let them out, figuring maybe they just need one last run and play in the snow, well all we could hear was the 5 of them jumping at the steel fencing and growling/barking super aggressively. Now my dogs are super nice teddy bears unless there is something/someone who is not supposed to be around. So Dh goes out into the run and see lights in the barn. We have an in-barn coop and the lights are set to go on and of on a timer. So DH figures the timer failed for some odd reason. He leaves the run and goes around the backside of the house where its super dark, the dogs behaviour makes him nervous enough that on his way he grabbed his hunting knife out of the ATV. As he gets tot he barn door something comes running out form the side of the run super fast. the motion light goes on and he sees its a huge wolf. Took off running towards the woods. But knowing every year we have a pack that roams around here he runs inside the barn. shuts the lights off and quickly comes back out so they chickens are not disturbed while sleeping all cozied up on the roosts. As he is locking up the barn door and double latching it, he hears things rustling and running through the snow not far from where he is standing. I guess he didn't even have to think too hard but he went back in the barn, and locked the door form the inside. as he did this the motion light came back on, 3 more wolves, but when the light came on they retreated back towards the darkness. He decided to go through the door in the dog run and came in the house through the 4 foot tall dog door in the mudroom.
I was kind of surprised to see him coming in through the mudroom door and the first thing he said was, the wolves are back early this year. Now I am worried.....I know if they really want to they can get access to the inside of the run, the pop door to the in-barn coop is screwed in on the outside but the interior pop door isn't. We had decided on double pop doors for larger predators, Dh doesn't want to go back out there now, says it wouldn't be smart seeing how close they came to him. and assures me the chickens will be fine. BUT I am freaked out right now. I can see the motion light from my bedroom window going on and off. it is not windy tonight, and sky has cleared up. no blowing snow, its cold, but its calm so I know the lights are going on and off because they are testing them. The pack of wolves we get every year only shows up in late December early january, and usually we hear reports of where they are before they even get here. Our land sat vacant for many years and they den every winter in our woods. We built a steel fenced in run because they tried luring one of our males dogs a couple years back, when that failed they just took my neighbours dog that was leashed up in their yard.
So this is me being scared that I will wake up to no chickens..... :-( but DH is saying I am worried about nothing, cause they cannot get in, but with 6 dogs in total I know how smart canines can be....
So we got annoyed with their whining and let them out, figuring maybe they just need one last run and play in the snow, well all we could hear was the 5 of them jumping at the steel fencing and growling/barking super aggressively. Now my dogs are super nice teddy bears unless there is something/someone who is not supposed to be around. So Dh goes out into the run and see lights in the barn. We have an in-barn coop and the lights are set to go on and of on a timer. So DH figures the timer failed for some odd reason. He leaves the run and goes around the backside of the house where its super dark, the dogs behaviour makes him nervous enough that on his way he grabbed his hunting knife out of the ATV. As he gets tot he barn door something comes running out form the side of the run super fast. the motion light goes on and he sees its a huge wolf. Took off running towards the woods. But knowing every year we have a pack that roams around here he runs inside the barn. shuts the lights off and quickly comes back out so they chickens are not disturbed while sleeping all cozied up on the roosts. As he is locking up the barn door and double latching it, he hears things rustling and running through the snow not far from where he is standing. I guess he didn't even have to think too hard but he went back in the barn, and locked the door form the inside. as he did this the motion light came back on, 3 more wolves, but when the light came on they retreated back towards the darkness. He decided to go through the door in the dog run and came in the house through the 4 foot tall dog door in the mudroom.
I was kind of surprised to see him coming in through the mudroom door and the first thing he said was, the wolves are back early this year. Now I am worried.....I know if they really want to they can get access to the inside of the run, the pop door to the in-barn coop is screwed in on the outside but the interior pop door isn't. We had decided on double pop doors for larger predators, Dh doesn't want to go back out there now, says it wouldn't be smart seeing how close they came to him. and assures me the chickens will be fine. BUT I am freaked out right now. I can see the motion light from my bedroom window going on and off. it is not windy tonight, and sky has cleared up. no blowing snow, its cold, but its calm so I know the lights are going on and off because they are testing them. The pack of wolves we get every year only shows up in late December early january, and usually we hear reports of where they are before they even get here. Our land sat vacant for many years and they den every winter in our woods. We built a steel fenced in run because they tried luring one of our males dogs a couple years back, when that failed they just took my neighbours dog that was leashed up in their yard.
So this is me being scared that I will wake up to no chickens..... :-( but DH is saying I am worried about nothing, cause they cannot get in, but with 6 dogs in total I know how smart canines can be....
