Tragedy has struck.... So sad..

My chickens were attacked.. Out os 17, I have 6 left... Oh this is just errible.
I don't know what it was... 5 Americauna babiez are inside dead... 4 Buff Orps are gone..
I'm sick.. Just sick... and heartbroke.. They trusted me!!!

I'm so sorry to see this!

I'm so sorry to hear that. I'm sure it's not your fault.

zz, i am so sorry. i know you protected them the best you could, we just can't watch them 24 hours a day. it is not your fault

oh zz, my heart aches for ya, sometimes there just isn't anything we can do but do our best to protect them and it's not ur fault. it sounds like a fox or coon got into them but my guess would be a fox. if they r deturmined enough sometimes u just can't stop a preditor. so very sorry for ur loss. i hope the others r just in hideing and r safe and sound somewhere it is safe. sometimes they do that if they can get away and hide in trees or brush and grass. look around if u haven't found them there is hope mabe they got to safety somewhere.

OH ZZ Please don't blame yourself it was not your fault we can't be with them 24/7 and unfortunatly predaters come in the night and we can't fight what we can't see.

Please don't blame yourself just find the demon that did it and give it what it deserves.

Look around for your birds sometimes they do run and hide when they are afraid for their lives.

Oh ZZ, I am so sorry! Maybe a coyote? Or a raccoon? I am not sure of all the predators we have--I have some extra dog crates--the sturdy plastic kind--would you like to borrow them until your coop is finished?

I could barely type through the tears.

It IS my fault.. I didn't secure the door.. I closed it.. but didn't secure it.. I was so tired, and could barely get tools and things gathered up.. and didn't put the wood up that I have been. I worked on the coop till I could barely stand up. I'm so sad..

There is only 4 RIRs and 2 Ameracaunas left.. They will be in the house till I get it secure.

Thank you everyone. I know we all can feel the pain for our babiez when anything happens. I appreciate your encouragement.

Lesson learned..

Thank you Catscan... I'm not sure what it was.. but whatever set off the motion detector the other night was checking it out.. I'm sure. The roost was sitting on some HEAVY concrete blocks.. One of them was knocked over and whatever it was got out by jumping up on that and tearing through the top of the tractor. The block landed on an Ameracauna and killed it.
The roosters are okay.. so it wasn't a big animal!!! The bite marks are about 2" to 3" wide from the puncture to the slobber mark. One got it in the head.. One got it in the tummy, one on the back.. and one almost lost a leg..
I've searched for the others.. there is no sign of them.

I'm going to work now.. How can today just go ahead and be a normal Monday? I'm like.. Hold on here... I can't just go on like nothing happened!!

I burried the 5 together..

Oh man...I am so sorry for you. Do you know what it was that got them? If anything, please know that posting this helps to remind us to never get too comfortable with all the predators out there. I was about to leave the coop open for the Seramas to come out and forage while I went in and made a cup of coffee...I turned my back and a BIG CHICKEN HAWK and several crows flew by overhead. I was FREAKED. I will never leave them alone when they are out.
It is so not your fault. It is human nature to make mistakes. We all do it.
You won't go on like nothing happened, because you posted here and you have all of our support. Go to work to keep your mind on something else. And if you have any pics of them, please post here. It will help you in the mourning process.
Keep the faith- I found this poem online. Seems fitting:

In a churchyard by a river,
Lazing in the haze of midday,
Laughing in the grasses and the graze.
Yellow bird, you are not alone
In singing and in flying on,
In laughing and in leaving.

Willow weeping in the water,
Waving to the river daughters,
Swaying in the ripples and the reeds.
On a trip to Cirrus Minor,
Saw a crater in the sun
A thousand miles of moonlight later.


~music

Oh ZZ, I am so very sorry to hear about what happened. I cannot even begin to imagine your heartache. I am so scared for the day that this will happen to me, because it seems to happen to everybody at some point. I know there isn't anything I can say that will make the pain go away, but we are all thinking about you and will be there to listen and help in any way we can at this difficult time.

What a blessing that you have some eggs in the 'bator and that you will have new ZZ babies to take care of very soon. They will need your help to get a good start in life. Be strong for them! Could even be that Catscan might have a few too many chicks soon, and she might need a good home for a few!

Musicnotes - what a beautiful and appropriate poem. I love it, and I know ZZ will appreciate it too.

ZZ - let us know what the top of the tractor was made from so we can know if we need to modify our own tractors. If this predator could tear through it, some of us may need to re-engineer...

Oh ZZ! I am so sad for you. We all have done it though, I'm sorry the timing was just terrible.
I lost a bunch of babies a few years ago from not having small enough wire(2 inch instead of 1 inch). We all learn from our losses. :(

{{hugs}},
Sue

CF hugs to ZZ. This fairy was out all night running off predators from coops... saw skunks, racoons, coyotes, even porcupines! As hard as I try, CF cannot be everywhere at once, and your chicks were safe for a time, till I had to head back East. ChickenFairy feels very responsible for your tragic losses as well as anybody else's loss.
********************************DUSTING OF COMFORT**************************************
CF

ZZ--I also have a cat/possum/skunk sized Havaheart trap. It may just be a feral cat.....certainly not a bird. The manner of attack seems a bit random.

Also--I just won some beautiful Americauna eggs--which I don't need and which I don't really have room for--if you want. The parent's pictures look a lot like your babies. And there will be some bantam cochins and Old English Game that the CF sent me before she headed east. They are about 10 days along and doing very well. We could share those when they hatch.

If you ever need help with the coop, let me know--I am just about 5 minutes away--15 from work.

ZZ I am so sorry to read about your loss. I hope your remaining chickens are in good shape and raise many babies for you.

MollyD

ZZ,
I'm so sorry to read of your loss. I know there is nothing I can say to bring comfort, but I feel your pain and wish you comfort during this difficult period.
Kristin

So sorry to hear of your loss....it must be devastating.....

:(

My sympathy to you.

Teresa

Thank you everyone. I really appreciate the support here. I battled with a roller coaster of emotions all day..

I'm better today.

They are a nervous wreck.. flighty and scared of everything that moves. They even wandered out of their normal free ranging in the garden area. Poor babiez... I held them one by one and gave them a love... they calmed down and relaxed on my lap and in my hands.. I took them in the house last night.. They settled down and slept good... In fact, they are still asleep!

Thank you to all for your support. I hope this never happens to any of you.. and if it already has, I pray we all are kept from this ever again!

zz, it has happened to me, and i feel your pain. remember, it i not your fault

So very sorry to hear, ZZ. We lost a bunch of chicks this year, first to hawks, then to a fox. It's horrible, but the only thing to do is protect 'em better, somehow. There are a bunch of threads back in here somewhere about it -if you search Photographer. Things have settled at our place now, hopefully yours will settle well too. Keep you chin up!

Been there more times than i wanted to be Had a weasel get 8 of my doves over a period of 2 weeks you never seen a sight till you find a dove pulled halfway through the 2" wire and nothing left but bloody lower legs and a tail and that happened 8 times. had a snake get in my doves just back in june ate 5 babys and squeezed my wild male to death my dog took care of him after i jerked his butt out of my cage.

had a hawk attack a banty hen stuck his claws through one side of her head she survived but was blinded i had to put her down because she thought it was always dark. she just sat on the roost and wouldn't move i tried to feed her but she wouldn't eat. (that was 6 years ago and i still think of it)

So i know exactly how you feel ZZ and I'm praying that like that weasel got his that whatever got yours gets his!

Thinkin about you **Harmony**

ZZ sounds like they're still in shock! You might add a tsp of sugar to their water today. Give them a little boost of energy.

MollyD

ZZ Im so sorry for your loss. It is heartwrenching when this happens. Don't beat yourself up over this though. We all have suffered a loss of this kind. You are not alone as you can tell from the response to this thread.
Hope you are feeling a bit better today, thanks for the help with posting pic's I'll be getting those up soon. Couldn't have figured it out without you.
Seth

Thank you all... I'm super busy today.. and just hoping they stay where they are supposed to... I don't want them to wander around too much..

My son will be out there with them in a few..

Good Deal Seth.. I hope to see your pics soon!!

Hatchers check out this site. Might help.

MollyD

http://www.ext.vt.edu/resources/4h/virtualfarm/poultry/poultry_development.html

It's happened to nearly all of us one time or another. Very sorry.

Thank you Molly!!! I've looked at pics so many times.. and want my eggs to be just like that.. LOL It's still too soon I think.. Today is day 3.. so I need to just let them be...

Thank you Patchouli... I feel totally initiated...

Yesterday while I'm laying the 5 chicks to rest, carefully snuggling them close together, barely able to see through the tears..... telling them it's it's okay, like I always do..

Out of nowhere.. it started raining.. big giant drops... There were a few clouds North of us.. but nothing above me.. (well, no clouds anyway)

Then, as I looked up and felt soooooooo not alone, and so comforted.. I broke into a full blown boo hoo...

Then tears and the rain stopped...

I am now okay to go on... and on a mission to build "bomb proof" cages and runs.. and never put a chicken in it till it's complete...

I promise to lock the gate and double check it from now on.

oh zz.. so sorry you have gone through this.. you hate to think this was a lesson that will last you the rest of your life, but our lives too.. everytime this happens to one of us, it serves as a solid reminder to always double check that latch.

For the last 2 weeks I have been hearing the coyotes in the fields, they have been ciecling and comeing in closer and closer, each night a different field. Last night I had just finished changing, cracked the window a bit and sat on the bed when I heard the howling... It was WAY to close, it fact it was in my chicken yard... I flew.. throwing my jeans on and boots as I ran out the door... dh had no clue what was going on but knew it was important and flew dressing with me.. he never heard the coyotes... we got out just in time to see them flying over the compost pile and the fence.. there were 4 of them 2 were young pups... we have 3 pens of chickens and the goat, who has the 2 small papillon dogs with her... would have been a hardy meal.... They had knock the outside fence off the Bad-boys pen.. the 3 roos I am looking to rehome.. but thank goodness they were still asleep.. didn't even get jarred.. everybody else was just fine.. so we made a beddy for the big lab.. who is "suppose" to be outside anyway.. and left him out with the chickens.. I didn't sleep a wink, but they never came back.
I don't know how much more secure we can make them.. If something happens I will be heartbroken and feel guilty, but I will know deep inside, I did do all I could to keep them safe.. Tonight I added 2 strand of red flashing Christmas lights.. it was all I could fins that was red & flashing. LOL

frans530 you just described my worst nightmare with my animals! I am so glad you got out there when you did!!! Have you considered getting at least one guardian dog? They really help.

ZZ I so hope these eggs hatch out for you. I tried to find this other page I knew of with great pictures of eggs but I lost the link when my computer crashed this summer. It was on a page that sold eggs, chicks etc. They had managed to take some great full color shots of the developing embryos, some that had failed and some that were infertile. Wish I knew what page that was.

MollyD

Oh Gosh Fran.. that is horrible. But at least you've done what you could and you know there is a threat out there... it's so hard to rest with them out there! Good luck!

Molly, I appreciate the help... I've done quite a bit of searching.. and seen several sites with pics... but I think my eyes are not that great.. and I need to just get some experience under my belt to know what I'm seeing.. (maby some better glasses would help) LOL

My eyes stink too ZZ so I know what you mean! LOL Today I was working on the goats hooves. I can't see anything up close without my glasses. They kept slipping off everytime I bent over so finally I took some twine and secured them on my head LOL. I hate to think how that looked but it sure beat cutting their hooves wrong!

MollyD

That is so funny Molly... yep I can see it!! We do, do what we have to don't we... tying up your glasses.. the sustainable forum would be proud of you Molly.. you didn't run out and buy the stap that someone actually invented just for the purpose that you wouldn't look like a backwoods gal. LOL

Actally Cole is really a very good early warning system, he has just gotten very lax and fat.. it IS time for him to get back to work and earn his keep.. I have begun to harden in that respect.. everyone here has a job in one way or another.. earn your keep or go elsewhere.. it's tough enough to stay afloat.. I can't breath with dead weight hanging around my neck. I say that with the disclaimer.. I love my animals.. all of them.. including the meatbird.. my little nuggets...all are treated with the utmost respect and care, but we all have a job to do.. in order for us to maintain I have to keep my rules steadfast!

LOL Franz I use to have some of the chains for around my neck but I always seem to tear the chains on something. I've given up buying specialty items if I can make them from something else. Of course I wouldn't wear them out in public.
I was at an auction where they had these 'show chain holders'. People bid up to $50. for them. They were made from a 18" piece of pine with hooks screwed in. I know I can do that! I can even make it pretty with a stain and polyurethane! All for far less than $50. !!!

MollyD