Rural Gardening: Dog attack, 1 by Stovall_Gardens

Stovall_Gardens wrote:
I have read this thread and found it so close to home. I have a pair of black silkies, well they have two babies with them now. They have always roamed around...never had any problems. Then they all disappeared...one day, then two days...started to worry. These fellas follow me everywhere, in the greenhouse, in the growing area..if I sit down anywhere..there they are Phil, Lil, and lil Jack n Jill. Well I was getting beyond worried. So I started looking around and found a pile of feathers in the front yard. I was devastated. I just knew..

My son found one baby under the pond house, it had several feathers missing. So I was relieved to at least have one. Then the next day the other baby popped up. Here again, relieved. Then two days later, Phil the roo shows up. He was beaten up badly, lumps and bloody spots all over his back, most of his feathers gone. I was again, relieved..but there was such sadness as it seemed Lil had laid her life down for her babies. Well a day or two later my daughter goes out to tell her Dad to come in for supper...there was Lil in his shop. She was worse than Phil. But not dead...thank God!!

I am NOT a chicken person...in fact for the most part I grew to despise them. My husband got on a chicken kick...and we had them everywhere....and I hated them. They were all in the horse feed room, greenhouse, everywhere. He was always having to catch them and pen them up. Dummy bought chicks..no pen. Nor a clue how to raise them...arghh..anyways, I made him get rid of them. As they were tearing my plants up, some of the plants were already sold that got destroyed by their pecking and jumping in them. But Phil and Lil stayed. They never have been trouble, other than the occasional pile of doo in an unwanted place, and of course being followed everywhere.

But these things grew on me. I had no idea. Now I have all four of my babies put securely up in an old hoophouse and have a fan on them. I am really thinking about getting some more...silkies, and the fancy type chickens. I love the exotic looking ones. I am working on some white silkie chicks right now...they are so addicting! I love them. So I guess I will be back here and there to pester yall with some questions from time to time. I am glad Brownie has survived and the rest of the "victims" of cats and dogs. I have shot at the one dog I think did this deed...shot at him 4 times of course not aiming to kill, but to scare, the stupid mutt keeps coming back...everyday, even though he now has been shot at by me, my husband and my son. He is gonna get hit one day. Not being mean, but we cant catch him, so we have no choice but to shoot at him.

I do know that if he keeps going by the new chicken house, he is a dead dog. I love animals..have 7 dogs of my own, but will NOT tolerate any dog to come in my yard and kill my animals. I keep my dogs in my yard, others should do the same. We are all thinking someone has dumped this fella off, as we have a really high rate of stray dogs due to not having a humane society any where nearby. The only one is nearly 70 miles away. It is sad. But at any rate, my "kids" are safe now, and that is all that matters.

Here is a picture of Phil, he was soaked! I love to see him wet, he looks so funny. This bird will not get out of the rain, seems to enjoy the rain.