new, from Missouri

[chutewoman]

Hello all, I have been coming to this site for quite some time just to look and learn, but now I figure I need some help with this crazy world of chickens I am living in. I am a 37 yr old mother of 6 boys, with one wonderful husband, two small dogs, one sassy cat and I have 4 black sex links (one was picked raw this morning, she is in the house with us, trying to survive), two red sex links(I think one of these likes the taste of chicken), and two white silkies(brothers dog killed one yesterday, dug under the pen and grabbed her ) this is all I have left out of 30 total chickens from the start last spring. My trouble has been with raccoons, neighbors dogs and cannibal chickens. My new my trouble has started with the onset of winter, does everything go crazy in the winter? My husband and I are thinking of throwing in the towel, I can't take the heartache anymore. Hoping my run of bad luck will turn around and all of this work will start to be rewarding. So I guess I am here to see how others are managing to keep their spirits up amongst the carnage. I appreciate all the work that has been put into making this site possible. Thank you BackYard Chicken!!

 

[andehens]

Keep reading and learning and don't throw in the towel! It won't always be all carnage, you will start seeing solutions as they apply to you and you'll get it all worked out! Have you checked out the coop section yet, there may be some ideas there that will help you with predators and dogs.......... Good Luck to You!!!

 

[B. Saffles Farms]

Dont give up just yet. We all go thru some tuff times, just learn from them and it'll get better.

 

[stormylady]

Hi,
Im so sorry for your loss!!! And i understand about you wanting to give up. I haven't even started with my chickens (They're due to arrive in Feb.). And it almost makes me want to give up before I even start. But take heart, And as the other commentor said Read and learn some new ways of securing your coup from preditors. I'am sorry I can't help more but hope this helps with the moral support part. Im sure some of the fine knowlegdable people here will chime is and give some time tested good advice. Something maybe you or I haven't thought of yet. All the best luck to you and your family, Stormylady

 

[showme31]

Welcome from a fellow Missourian. Don't give up yet. Reinforce your run and get a hav-a-hart trap. I still lose some when I let my guard down, but I wouldn't give up my birds for anything. The joy of having them is so worth the extra work.

Smiles
Jul

 

[chutewoman]

Thanks for the warm welcome. I also thank you for the encouragement. I do not want to give up it has just been rough lately. We haven't had much trouble with the predators lately, but oh they do try to break in, amazing what an animal will do to get at a chicken! After the first loss this spring due to free ranging our chickens we went to a portable tractor type run. We were good until a raccoon tore through our coop "window" and slaughtered ten more. With reinforcement steel nothing has gotten in the coop since then. We do let our chickens out into the run during the day and that is where my brothers dog (who is now chained up) dug in the new mud and grabbed her and pulled her under the pen. I have tried to fix this problem today and feel like I am running out of options, besides just putting them in bed with me at night and letting them in the garage during the day. Now my girls are attacking each other from within, we were told to give them tomato juice to make them stop pecking at the bare spots but my cannibal hens just lapped it up and licked the bowl clean ( do normal chickens lick bowls clean!)and then looked at me like "can we have more please?" I will probably find a bloody group of bald hens in the morning after that one!! My goodness will the insanity ever end!

 

[andehens]

my goodness, you sure do have your work cut out! Theres several posts on here about canibalism and lots of ideas. Theres are products you can buy to help stop the picking, hang a cabbage if they are bored or give them more space if they are crowded. Again, good luck!