About Me

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I am a 42 year old woman that is about as happy and content as one person can be. My husband of 21 years and our 15 year old daughter live on five and a half acres out in the country. We moved from the city four years ago and never looked back. I homeschool our daughter. We also love our animals. Our daughter has a miniature horse and two rabbits. We also have a border collie, two cats (again), two pot belly pigs, four peafowl, three emus, 2 llamas and an undetermined number of chickens, lets just say ohhh about 200. I have many breeds, from layers to fancy chickens. I love poultry shows, I love fowl in general as I have come to find out through having more than just chickens. Chickens will always be my first love though. I do show some of my birds occasionally.

Thursday, February 14, 2008

Bad News First

Yeah, so lets just get this out of the way and move on. :(

What was it, Monday I think. I looked out into the back half of the property and saw a reddish yellowish lump in the back laying on the ground. Sigh...I got out the binoculars..yep..sure enough. It was a dead Red Star. The Red Stars are some of the new layers...hard losing one of them as they are laying full force right now. They are great egg layers.

I grab a jacket and shoes...out I go in my nightgown. Everyone was surprised to see me so early and several followed for a little bit. Halfway there they lost interest in my travels.

I got back there and the all the signs pointed towards a bird killing the chicken. When a bird kills they go for the breast meat...they tear out the intestines and they are strung out but not eaten. Sorry, didnt mean to get graphic, but that is how you usually find a chicken eaten by an owl or a hawk. There was so much of the meat gone, down to the bone, I had to wonder...what bird would eat SO much.

Well, it may have very well been a bird the first night, I don't know...but the second night...was devastating. There were no bodies left behind...just signs of a struggle and many many pulled out feathers...in three spots. THREE birds were taken in the night.

Faith is gone.

A yellow banded Silver Phoenix Rooster.

and

Another Red Star.

All in one night.

Then, to make matters even worse, when I went to uncover the pens to feed and water...I found one of my two white Serama hens dead.

Faith had been killed right behind their pen, so I am assuming she was frightened to death or frightened so badly from all the commotion she was running into the wire and broke her neck.

I was so sad, and then I got mad.

Mad drives me...at times it is a motivator. I got out screws, boards, tools. I went over to where Derbys old house siding lay...and I started seperating parts out and chunking them over the fencing. I pulled the truck around and loaded up all usable pieces...and I got to work.

I took those two frames that Ian built for me, put braces on the sides, then put two roosts in each frame. I pulled them to the back...set them side by side. I began pulling pieces of siding out of the truck...I began nailing and drilling and screwing in screws. I put sides on those frames...I put a roof on that house and covered it with tarp til I can find out where the heck Ian stashed my roll of tarpaper. It took all day, but I got a new house built. Every chicken was going inside an enclosure this night, and for every night to follow til I got my predator.

I mixed up my secret recipe and put it out by the fence line after dark. I caught ALL birds out of an enclosure and put them inside one or another. I was considerate enough to put roosters in certain ones that would get along.

I took the silkie trio out of the nest boxes and put them in a cage and on the porch for the night. I took Tiny, Chanteclear and Blue and they were in a box, in a cage, and Blue roosted on top of Bonnie and Clydes enclosure in the porch.

No free meals tonight. No sir.

Needless to say...since I worked all of Tuesday on this...I didnt get any birds washed...so..last night I got three washed and blow dried...that is for a seperate happier entry though...which is to follow this one.

I havent gotten anything to take the secret recipe yet...I am waiting til first light this morning...and will check again this morning.

For those that feel sorry for the predator. I realize the animal is just doing what it has to do to survive...but once any predator finds a food source..they WILL continue to come back, until the food source is GONE. Can't have it.

 

 

 

13 comments:

Anonymous said...

I don't blame you one bit you're right they'll keep coming back IF you don't stop it. So sorry you lost so many.
Take care, Chrissie

Anonymous said...

I feel sorry for predators on tv but NOT when they are taking your chickens.  You're stronger than I am.  I would have been in tears.  

Anonymous said...

I think I missed something...what is the secret recipe?   I am so sorry to hear about you little guys...that is so sad!

Anonymous said...

Kelly, I'm so sorry for your loss.  I know how much you love each & every one of your chickens. I personally don't blame you for going after your predator.  Let us know how it goes.

Hollie

Anonymous said...

you get'em girl!!!!

Anonymous said...

Way to go Kelly. Do what you have to do to get rid of those chicken stealing theives. Helen

Anonymous said...

I feel so bad for your loss.  That's a horrible way to lose a pet.  

Hugs and condolences,

Nelishia

Anonymous said...

Kelly I am so sorry this has happened to some of your birds ~ Ally x

Anonymous said...

I don't blame you. I felt so upset when something got our two chickens. It happened in the daytime, we put them up at night. All we had left were feathers so it must not have been a hawk like we thought. We plan to get two more this spring and take our chances. We had really grown fond of them and they laid all the eggs we needed.

Anonymous said...

I'm so sorry you lost some of your gorgeous birds. (Hugs) Indigo

Anonymous said...

That is terrible.  I wonder if it was an owl?  

Anonymous said...

AWWW This was so sad to read!  I would have been mad too!  hope you catch your predator!  

Anonymous said...

I'm so sorry you had to go through this, how sad.  We were losing chickens left & right to owls & hawks.  They can't go out anymore since we are so overrun with them.  Sounds like you are doing everything you can - isn't anger a great motivator!
xxx
Lisa

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