I like to think I'm a pretty optimistic person. I mean when 15 out of the 26 chickens I grew from one day old were massacred on a Sunday evening I was initially quite angry. Later I realized that it's a lot easier to count 11 chickens than 26. It's also easier for them to all fit on the top roost. They eat less grain and poop less, leaving the cleaning up task to be less frequent for me. It really wasn't that big of a deal to pawn off the culprit dog on a local high schooler to take away the issue. But today here's another story..................
Last night at "Who's coming to dinner?" I was chatting with my neighbor about his chickens and the possible varmit that has been eating them. He thinks it's a bobcat, jumping out in broad daylight to get his. I told him apparantely our dogs are doing a good enough job keeping the big varmits away because we haven't seen anything. We've been letting them out during the day to forage and they've been doing just fine. Then today, while chatting with a teacher at CHS about chicken experiences she responded with, "Well, the varmits just don't know you have chickens yet. You just wait, they'll find them." This is all just too ironic.
As of today I have successfully failed at my first attempt of raising chickens. Upon my jaunt out to the chicken coop this evening to feed them I discovered Kansas Chicken Massacre II. A few feathers on the ground and a crappy fence pushed down on the end. There were no bodies in sight and the pouring rain kept me from investigating further. My chicken count is now down to zero. There is no need for me to feed them any grain because there are zero chickens to eat it. There are also zero chickens to fight for top roost. I now have zero chickens to care for and watch scratch the ground. No more chicken dancing going on on this farm.
My optimism is not great right now. Maybe I'll go out in the morning and they'll be roosting in the nearby tree. Probably not. I do know that there will be no more chickens brought on this farm again until we actually get a real fence put up. You'd think I'd learn from the first massacre. Apparantely not, but the good news is tomorrow is a new day and they are just chickens.
Sorry to hear that I was the "Prophet of Doom." However, you can beat this. Just need to be smarter than the culprits. I have heard that pygmy goats are good watchdogs. I understand your grief. . . . :( Connie P.
ReplyDeleteProphet of Doom! So funny and true. Maybe I'll get a llama, but they spit. I also know that pygmy goats are devils to keep contained inside fences and they eat everything when they escape. I guess I have to decide what is more important, chickens or pretty flowers.
ReplyDeletesorry to hear Amanda, I grew up w/ chickens that were locked up every night and we never had any problems (except for my dog that had a killer instinct for ALL fowl). Do you have a way to lock the next batch in at night?
ReplyDeleteI should add my parents have two sets of chickens, one that is in a house and fence that is sturdy and immovable fence with "chicken wire". The other is a movable chicken house and electric movable fence so they can forage on new grass every week. I'm really surprised your farm dogs aren't keeping the chicken killers at bay, unless your dogs are the culprits. even my parent's trusty guard dog will cause mischief once in awhile. keep us updated!
ReplyDeleteThere is a way to lock them up at night. But this latest mystery massacre was during the day. We live in a wooded area so I guess maybe the dogs were sleeping and the varmit attacked pretty stealthily. I must say I would love to have the same set-up as described.
ReplyDeleteNOOO! Not all the chickens! That's so sad. Will you order new chickens?
ReplyDelete