Good Morning! in 2018

[windwalkingwolf]

I think the first one is Charlie--I think I see points near his tail...?

[SusanH]

Bad news. Lost two chickens and all three ducks. When the first chicken went missing, I thought it was like a recent disappearance and she'd turn up later, but no, I found the feathers. Then the next day all three ducks were gone. I was distraught. No sign of feathers or anything. What could it be? Those runner ducks are so big. Then the next day I was out in the chicken yard and one dog came in, as he often does, and sniffed at the chickens and started herding them, so I yelled at him to get out, and then suddenly the little dog Stella comes tearing in and grabs Mercedes and shakes her and rips out mouthfuls of feathers, right in front of me. I'm screaming at her to drop it and she's running away like it's a game, and finally I do a flying tackle (cracked a rib doing that) and she runs out and I slam the door. Mercedes is still breathing, so I hold her under my coat and rock, and then I hear a squawk coming from outside the fence and I yell, and Stella suddenly appears! She has managed to dig under the far gate. Mystery solved. All those missing birds weren't due to some predator finally finding this secret lunch spot, no, it was my own dog! So I am trying to decide if I can forgive her and whether I can fortify that gate and check the others and prepare to defend what's left of my flock, or whether I should admit that I can't handle this now that I am alone.
I can't put her in day care because she's not reliably housebroken. Only one kennel will take her. I can't take her anywhere because she is leash-reactive aggressive. She costs me a bundle with health issues, cherry eye, impacted anal glands, two porcupine battles, mystery lumps. Did I tell you about the time she ATE a porcupine? It was roadkill. She threw up bones and quills, and then the other dog got quills in his snout from licking up her barf. I mean, really, how can you love a dog like that? But I do, and every time I think about giving her up, I bawl like a baby.
Anyway, Mercedes came around, and I put Polysporin on her wound, and she is walking around like nothing happened. So I still have both Wyandottes and three Polish. Something is off with Miranda, who was not attacked (that I know of). After her broody phase, she went straight to moulting, but still doesn't have all her feathers. It's been months. Her comb and wattles are pale pink, compared to Mercedes, whose comb is bright red. Miranda stopped laying when she was broody but never went back. So right now I am getting ZERO eggs. The Polish are six months old now, but maybe they won't start laying until spring? Miranda quit in August. Mercedes was laying regularly but may need to recover from her scare. The 3 ducks were laying at least two, usually three eggs daily until they were killed. I miss their eggs but I miss them more, their happy quacking and their purposeful running about. I wanted to make them fancy neckties. They looked like accountants with their hands behind their backs.
RIP Elfie, Happy, Charlotte, Millie, and Doris.

[WLLady]

aw crap, that sucks. i had a dog that did the same......we lost him to cancer last christmas and i cried like a baby.....hated him, loved him, he liked chicken and i swear could defeather a chicken in nanoseconds and get the next one in 2 seconds. we ended up having to kennel him and put bricks around the fence so he couldn't dig through (i mean BIG bricks...concrete A brick) and he could never be out if the chickens/turkeys were out and vice versa. he chewed through wire to get to them once....so either they were locked in or he was....sigh. I'm sorry....but i'm glad it's not a weasel or a mink....those are worse believe it or not.
miranda may need a pile more protein-moulting is tough work. i just supplement dry cat food if i have a girl that was broody, then moults and just isn't getting feathered. it seems to help. the pale comb is normal if they are moulting-or cold....

[Killerbunny]

Little girls
So very sorry to hear this. Gut wrenching to have this happen. Keep up on the poly in Mercedes wounds. It's amazing what they can recover from. My 2 hens with broken toes and 2 other hens with bites from a dog attack 2 years ago fully recovered. Make sure you look after yourself too.
I am currently getting 0 - 2 eggs a day from 17 hens.

[Happy]

@SusanH I’m so sorry to read this. I understand having to make choices to keep your life in check. Just focus on what you want in your life and what brings you joy. Then find a wAy to make it work...where there’s a will, there’s a way.

[Jaye]

@SusanH , that's terrible and heartbreaking!
I hope that you can find a way to keep your dog confined and away from your chickens, and a way to secure the chicken perimeter fencing so that she can't get in again. Electric fencing, maybe?

[Jaye]

I think the first one is Charlie--I think I see points near his tail...?

Uh oh ... and here I thought it was the second one that I heard crowing. I'm going to have to hang around until one of them crows again.

[ross]

Sum beech , 2 years ago when we first got this dog , no idea from rescue cept dog aggressive which is good here against coyotes , dogs , all walking predators . She was also poultry aggressive, city dog so said no to her a lot & also muzzled her when outside & accustomized her to birds in barn . Now she ignores them & lets um walk all around no issues . Worked for us it ain’t the first dog we’ve done this with . PS our dogs are never loose unless in bush hunting or around barn yard with one of us . We are to close to 2 lane hwy to take that chance . Luck just after got her & now .

[Killerbunny]

Well I let Maman and Bebe out this am and I have a nasty feeling there is a slight pinking up of the comb on Bebe. DIfficult to tell with cushion combs but only just over 4 weeks? Was so hoping for a pullet.

[Jaye]

I have the same sinking feeling about my two chicks. I thought it was the bigger chick with the bi-colour crest that was practicing crowing, but didn't actually see him/her do it (whoever is doing it, doesn't do it unless I am out of sight). While I was checking him out for other masculine features the other day, I noticed that the little one has a rather pink and more pronounced comb. Is it possible that I may have two cockerels?
I had to scrape the windshield this morning before heading out. Mixed precip in the forecast for tomorrow, high of zero. I guess Fall is over.