Catholic Info
Traditional Catholic Faith => The Catholic Bunker => Topic started by: Matthew on June 02, 2016, 09:44:43 PM
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One of my kids failed to put the brick up against the left-side of the door of the chicken house yesterday evening -- I saw the results of that mistake today.
A total loss. All 9 hens were slaughtered by some stray dog or wild animal.
I had bought 9 chicks (pullets) about 2 1/2 months ago, on St. Patrick's Day. All of them were healthy and not a single one died...until today.
We could only find 3...maybe 3 1/2 carcasses total, all inside the structure. The other 5 1/2 chickens? Gone without a trace.
We don't have a lot of wildlife here, so I'm thinking a stray (or neighbor's) dog did it.
I'm still days (or weeks) from finishing a more deluxe home for my...er...chickens (though I no longer have any). It would be done by now if we hadn't received so much rain during April and May. We're in "monsoon season" here. Rain every day, or every other day. The 3 month drought (which we get almost every year) can't come fast enough for me!
I burned the bodies until my kindling supply gave out (which charred them pretty well -- they smell like a barbecue!) and placed them inside a different "chicken coop" (enclosed structure) and secured the door. I don't want some idiot stray dog nourishing himself on these bodies.
The only thing worse than losing all your chickens, is losing your chickens and feeding stray (or loose neighborhood dogs that might as well be stray) dogs!
I'd rather they liquefy and fertilize the ground.
I was going to bury them, but that would be more work. I have enough work to do, which I am quite behind on.
Unfortunately I had to *buy* the original chicks for $3 each (I paid $1 extra to get all hens), plus whatever food they ate is a loss. I don't know if you can even get chicks during the summer -- certainly not at the Tractor Supply store. All the local, private farms around here want a lot more per chick for some reason. Maybe I'll place an ad on Craigslist or something.
My kids were getting pretty good at taking care of them too. That's why I got them, of course: for the rural livestock learning experience. My oldest 2 girls were the best at handling them. They liked to go in the cage and play with them.
But first I have to get that fenced-in chicken run built, in between thunderstorms!
Today was not a good day for me.
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I am sorry for your family's loss.
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I feel bad for you, but your little children are no doubt crying about their chicks. It is so sad to see the children cry when there is not much one can do about it.
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That is terrible. In the past, a nasty raccoon killed our chickens.
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This has happened to me twice. Pisses me off every time it occurs. I even lost a rabbit because of this. I've since taken measures against this sort of thing.
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Could be a Racoon, Opossum, Dog, or Cat ?
You need a good dog.
(https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/06/39/51/0639515b6b687be9d28c5a103e675a69.jpg)
Who loves to chase them all.
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Could be a coyote.
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I am very sorry that this happened to you. I have experience withis this type of thing and have lost chickens to dogs, foxes, ringtail cats, and badgers.
From the look of it, I would say a dog. A few years back I gave my neighbor 13 six month old chickens to get him started. Well, that evening his dog tore into his wire enclosure and killed every one of them. Did not eat them just savged them and left. He then came up to my place over a mile away and broke into the chicken yard and killed five more. Some dogs just go into a frenzy and kill this way. As they say out here, "once they get the taste for it"
If the carcasses were more or less intact, they still had their heads, then you can rule out ringtail who kill by biting off the heads.
You could have foxes out there but they do not usually kill more than one or two and are likely to drag them away before eating them.
Other predators will usually consume almost the whole bird.
This does sound like a dog, and it might be hanging around to look for more, but if you get set up again, it might return for act two.
The best way to be safe and have peace of mind is to put them up at night and close them in their house. Early morning is prime time for attacks, usually just before sunup.
So sorry, I know how distressing this is even to lose one this way, but the whole flock. Well Matt, it is life and death in God's wonderful creation.
God Bless you and the kids. (Wife too :farmer:)
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I am very sorry that this happened to you. I have experience withis this type of thing and have lost chickens to dogs, foxes, ringtail cats, and badgers.
From the look of it, I would say a dog. A few years back I gave my neighbor 13 six month old chickens to get him started. Well, that evening his dog tore into his wire enclosure and killed every one of them. Did not eat them just savged them and left. He then came up to my place over a mile away and broke into the chicken yard and killed five more. Some dogs just go into a frenzy and kill this way. As they say out here, "once they get the taste for it"
If the carcasses were more or less intact, they still had their heads, then you can rule out ringtail who kill by biting off the heads.
You could have foxes out there but they do not usually kill more than one or two and are likely to drag them away before eating them.
Other predators will usually consume almost the whole bird.
This does sound like a dog, and it might be hanging around to look for more, but if you get set up again, it might return for act two.
The best way to be safe and have peace of mind is to put them up at night and close them in their house. Early morning is prime time for attacks, usually just before sunup.
So sorry, I know how distressing this is even to lose one this way, but the whole flock. Well Matt, it is life and death in God's wonderful creation.
God Bless you and the kids. (Wife too :farmer:)
Wow, good G-2 J.Paul,
So what do you do with the doggy that kills chickens?
My buddy caught his dog eating his chickens and beat him black & blue.
After that, the dog never went near a fowl again.
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We had 30 hens and are down to 25, mostly due to accidents. None to predators (and there are a LOT around here). The solution is a good old fashioned coon dawg located near the chicken coop. ANYTHING comes near it and the dog alerts us/scares it away.
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I take that back. We lost 1 hen the winter before last to a bobcat. The snow was deep and the coon dog was in the garage for warmth that night.
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I'm sorry to hear it Matthew.
Don't worry though, I'm on the case! First, we'll need to bury a miraculous medal in front of the entrance so Pablo won't be able to get in. Maybe even sprinkle some holy water or place garlic over the door. Next, we'll need to see if there were any ChupaPablo sightings in the area, then we'll need someone to check the firepit at Boston!
:reporter: :detective:
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I am very sorry that this happened to you. I have experience withis this type of thing and have lost chickens to dogs, foxes, ringtail cats, and badgers.
From the look of it, I would say a dog. A few years back I gave my neighbor 13 six month old chickens to get him started. Well, that evening his dog tore into his wire enclosure and killed every one of them. Did not eat them just savged them and left. He then came up to my place over a mile away and broke into the chicken yard and killed five more. Some dogs just go into a frenzy and kill this way. As they say out here, "once they get the taste for it"
If the carcasses were more or less intact, they still had their heads, then you can rule out ringtail who kill by biting off the heads.
You could have foxes out there but they do not usually kill more than one or two and are likely to drag them away before eating them.
Other predators will usually consume almost the whole bird.
This does sound like a dog, and it might be hanging around to look for more, but if you get set up again, it might return for act two.
The best way to be safe and have peace of mind is to put them up at night and close them in their house. Early morning is prime time for attacks, usually just before sunup.
So sorry, I know how distressing this is even to lose one this way, but the whole flock. Well Matt, it is life and death in God's wonderful creation.
God Bless you and the kids. (Wife too :farmer:)
Wow, good G-2 J.Paul,
So what do you do with the doggy that kills chickens?
My buddy caught his dog eating his chickens and beat him black & blue.
After that, the dog never went near a fowl again.
Out here, when a dog kills the chickens, most folks kill the dog. My neighbor killed his after that episode. I felt kind of bad but after they do something like what happened at Matthew's home, you cannot take a chance. That kind of aggression could easily transfer to a crawling child, or to goats or cats.
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Update -- we found a big hole in the side of the "chicken tractor" where the slaughter took place. It was 1-ply chicken wire fencing.
The staples weren't just ripped out -- there was an actual hole in the middle of it! Some animal bit/muscled his way in.
I might have to repair it with thicker (but wider spaced) fence, so this won't happen again.
I just did some reading, and apparently this happens all the time with chicken wire fence. I need to use hardware cloth, apparently.
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That would be a vicious critter to be strong enough to rip through chicken wire -- what, with its claws and teeth, most likely? That would have made some noise, no doubt, probably disturbed the chickens too, making more noise. Any good guard dog would have heard the ruckus.
Hardware cloth would be a significant upgrade -- but be sure you don't overlook something. Like the beast could dig under the fence, or whatever.
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That would be a vicious critter to be strong enough to rip through chicken wire -- what, with its claws and teeth, most likely? That would have made some noise, no doubt, probably disturbed the chickens too, making more noise. Any good guard dog would have heard the ruckus.
Hardware cloth would be a significant upgrade -- but be sure you don't overlook something. Like the beast could dig under the fence, or whatever.
Our dirt is mostly clay, and very difficult to work even under ideal conditions. When wet, it would clog up the dogs' claws and he wouldn't get very far. When dry, our ground is as hard as fired clay.
There's a reason we don't have gophers or other burrowing creatures around here...
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Hopefully covering the bottom 3 feet with hardware cloth is enough -- I guess a dog or similar animal can't grind/bite and levitate/jump at the same time...
That stuff isn't cheap.
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Sorry about your loss. In my experience, domestic dogs kill more than they can eat, while wild animals tend to grab one and run.
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i lost 1 hen and 2 chicks last week, i would say that every once in a while you lose to the predator. sucks but that is life after the fall
:really-mad2:Adam :really-mad2:
Hardware cloth
i watched a racoon chew through it. i use cattle fencing then chicken wire over it. the tractor is heavier but i lose less so far
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Sorry about your loss. In my experience, domestic dogs kill more than they can eat, while wild animals tend to grab one and run.
I believe it.
Because in my area, domestic/feral dogs are much more numerous. I have never seen a raccoon around here. We are situated in very open farmland, with a few areas of mesquite brush here and there. There aren't even any deer around here, due to the serious lack of trees.
We have lots of native grass, lots of open land, some fields of corn and other crops, and many fields with grazing animals, usually cows. Some people keep goats.
Those fields have a lot of field mice and rabbits, and that supports a few predators up the food chain, such as various kinds of hawks.
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We had a mother duck and her babies on Easter Sunday. We put them in a bushel basket on top of the washing machine, a board on top and brick to keep them during the night. I guess my parents didn't have plan of where to store. They were in a room with doors closed.
Next morning I was the first to rise and go to see the ducks. Nothing there! I could not imagine where they were? No trail of them. but in the backyard we had bodies, blood and no heads. My dad said it was a weasel.
Our home was in the country, and we had woods on three sides of our home.
I will never forget.
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Dear Matthew,
Your post made me feel such sadness for you and your loss. I'm very, very sorry this happened to you.
That these things happen, is always devastating. I will pray for you.
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One of my kids failed to put the brick up against the left-side of the door of the chicken house yesterday evening -- I saw the results of that mistake today.
A total loss. All 9 hens were slaughtered by some stray dog or wild animal.
I had bought 9 chicks (pullets) about 2 1/2 months ago, on St. Patrick's Day. All of them were healthy and not a single one died...until today.
We could only find 3...maybe 3 1/2 carcasses total, all inside the structure. The other 5 1/2 chickens? Gone without a trace.
We don't have a lot of wildlife here, so I'm thinking a stray (or neighbor's) dog did it.
I'm still days (or weeks) from finishing a more deluxe home for my...er...chickens (though I no longer have any). It would be done by now if we hadn't received so much rain during April and May. We're in "monsoon season" here. Rain every day, or every other day. The 3 month drought (which we get almost every year) can't come fast enough for me!
I burned the bodies until my kindling supply gave out (which charred them pretty well -- they smell like a barbecue!) and placed them inside a different "chicken coop" (enclosed structure) and secured the door. I don't want some idiot stray dog nourishing himself on these bodies.
The only thing worse than losing all your chickens, is losing your chickens and feeding stray (or loose neighborhood dogs that might as well be stray) dogs!
I'd rather they liquefy and fertilize the ground.
I was going to bury them, but that would be more work. I have enough work to do, which I am quite behind on.
Unfortunately I had to *buy* the original chicks for $3 each (I paid $1 extra to get all hens), plus whatever food they ate is a loss. I don't know if you can even get chicks during the summer -- certainly not at the Tractor Supply store. All the local, private farms around here want a lot more per chick for some reason. Maybe I'll place an ad on Craigslist or something.
My kids were getting pretty good at taking care of them too. That's why I got them, of course: for the rural livestock learning experience. My oldest 2 girls were the best at handling them. They liked to go in the cage and play with them.
But first I have to get that fenced-in chicken run built, in between thunderstorms!
Today was not a good day for me.
Matthew, you should buy full grown hens or pullets this time of year. Ad on Craig's list should bring results.
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You might still be able to order from Murray McMurray Hatchery. One benefit is that you can specify not to give them antibiotic treatments, whereas all the chicks from farm stores are treated with them. https://www.mcmurrayhatchery.com/availableview.html. You should be fine starting over with chicks, as your location is far enough south. And yes, chicken wire is next to useless. Hardware cloth is much better.
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Thanks for all your prayers.
Here is a bit of a follow-up:
I placed an ad on Craigslist, asking if anyone had a chicken or two to spare (mostly for the kids' sake).
One lady let us come to her property and catch 5 chickens (which were all free ranging on her property) with a net, plus we got 12 chicks from her. She actually gave us that many birds! The kids are the most excited about having chicks again. It's easy to raise chicks this time of year, as we don't even need a heat lamp! Highs in the 90's and lows in the 70's, but they're in a metal shed so it stays warm all day.
Then several days later, another couple donated 3 Bielefelder roosters. I will only be able to keep one of them, but the couple wanted us to be able to raise funds for our chicken operation by selling the other two. They knew we'd need to buy more feed, fencing, etc.
Apparently Bielefelder chickens are highly sought after -- they are actually the product of German engineering!
https://greenfirefarms.com/bielefelder.html
So I guess I have to watch out to make sure these roosters don't try to take over the whole neighborhood or something... Is that a V2 rocket sticking out of the coop?...
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So happy that you got more chickens! And chicks and roosters tooo? What a bonus! All for Free!
I love Craigs list!
I got a new used car. Listed my old car on Craigs list. Sold it in 1/2 hr! Got 9 calls total!
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Could be a coyote.
^^THIS^^
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...Apparently Bielefelder chickens are highly sought after -- they are actually the product of German engineering!
https://greenfirefarms.com/bielefelder.html
So I guess I have to watch out to make sure these roosters don't try to take over the whole neighborhood or something... Is that a V2 rocket sticking out of the coop?...
Good looking breed!
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I visited my sister in Oregon two weekends ago, and they have three chickens. For a few years they had been living mostly in the coop, but since they don't have a vegetable garden this year, they allow the chickens to roam the fenced yard freely during the day. The chickens go of their own volition into the coop at night - that's what they are used to. My 13 year old nephew's job is to lock the coop at night, and let them out again in the morning. It's so nice to be washing dishes, and to look out of the window and see the chickens doing their usual chicken thing - scratching and then pecking the ground.
They have an Italian breed that is quite beautiful in feather colors, and the eggs are green. They aren't supposed to lay that many eggs, but they lay more than the one American chicken (white feathers) that they have.