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I am so devestated. I only got the chickens on Friday. I woke up this morning to my favourite chicken, a beautiful pure white Australorp frizzle in my dogs mouth. She broke open the chicken wire on the pen and removed the chickens! The frizzle was dead. I found two of the chickens hiding. One, the smallest, is missing. I think she ducked under the fence (I live in the suburbs) and now there is probably some housewife about to wake up to an interesting surprise in her yard, I'm sure.

Was it the way I made the cage? Was it because I left my dogs near the cage overnight? But I made it STRONG, I didn't know it was even breakable. My dog even busted herself open on the sharp edges of the chicken wire, so you'd think the pain would've stopped her... but no.

I think I'm telling people I am sadder than I am. I'm very... questioning. Self-defeating. I feel like I was stupid. Like I could've saved a life. Like I'm a terrible chicken owner. These were my first chickens ever. My fiancee is a farm boy though... he's lived with like 10 hunting dogs and hundreds of chickens and there's been a couple problems, yeah, but he said the chickens would be fine in such a well-built pen. He is sad for me, too.

Should I try again? I plan on crating the dog at night now. If I ever see her again. Last I checked she was on the side of the house cowering from me. She knows she pissed mum off. I feel bad but I caught the chicken in her mouth, so I had to punish her. It's not like I beat her up or anything, but she's a loyal puppy that never wants to see mum upset, so when she had me screaming at her, she hid and now won't come out.

*sigh* Poor little chickens now in the corner of my livingroom (laminate, thank goodness) huddled up. I hope they didn't see the death of their friend/family.

Should I try again? I mean, this happens right? Right? Am I a bad person? I thought it was safe. I'd have never... I swear.. if I'd known...

First of all You aren't bad person, nor are you a bad chicken owner. Dogs are dogs, chickens are chickens, dogs hunt, chickens are prey - it's the way of nature. It's a bugger but Mother Nature is like that. You say your dog is a pup - it may be that it's her first experience of chickens and she did what came naturally. Maybe being shouted at will be enough to let her know that she's not to do it again. Who knows? But keep trying - just because something goes a bit wrong don't give up - see it as something learned not lost. PS my sisters dog ate all her chickens and then stood behind the Landrover wheel - get the picture - I think they call it Shaudenfreuede!

That's what everyone says. I mean, Lola is only 6 months old. She's hyper and a puppy and a Staffy, so a little destructive by nature. Dogs are dogs and chickens are chickens.

I just feel I could've DONE something. Made the pen stronger (but how?! I made the pen from the book and that thing is STRONG, those boys know what they're on about). I even used 5 and 7cm long steel screws to put it together FFS.

Thank you for telling me it happens. I mean, logically, I know it happens. Dogs kill chickens. But in my head, I keep thinking it's my fault. Plus there's some chicken out there wondering the streets... who knows if she'll come back addicted to crack or not? I can't afford a crack chicken!

(just trying to keep my humour)

ElizabethBinary wrote: I just feel I could've DONE something. Made the pen stronger (but how?! I made the pen from the book and that thing is STRONG, those boys know what they're on about). I even used 5 and 7cm long steel screws to put it together FFS.

Yeah - but what else could you have done? I suspect the answer is nothing - short of keeping the dog chained up several feet away from the chicken hut. Either way you can't change what happened by worrying about it or being upset. Use your energies in a more constructive way - don't try to change Mother Nature or beat your self up about it. It can't be undone

Oh and I have heard of stuffing chickens with certain interesting herbs - but never crack!

Milims wrote:

ElizabethBinary wrote: I just feel I could've DONE something. Made the pen stronger (but how?! I made the pen from the book and that thing is STRONG, those boys know what they're on about). I even used 5 and 7cm long steel screws to put it together FFS.

Yeah - but what else could you have done? I suspect the answer is nothing - short of keeping the dog chained up several feet away from the chicken hut. Either way you can't change what happened by worrying about it or being upset. Use your energies in a more constructive way - don't try to change Mother Nature or beat your self up about it. It can't be undone

Oh and I have heard of stuffing chickens with certain interesting herbs - but never crack!

I had asked my fiancee to put an electric fence around the pen, but he said the pen was so strong he didn't think it needed it. But yeah, how was I supposed to know? How was he supposed to know? We're gonna wire it up tonight. I was headed to the grainery this morning to get chook feed and the place sells chooks too, so I might check it out.

My mother in law says it's the law of farming. Dogs will eat the chickens and they'll always eat your favourite one first.

Crack stuffed chicken is addictive, letmetellyou.

ElizabethBinary wrote:Dogs will eat the chickens and they'll always eat your favourite one first.

Strange dogs maybe, but your own dogs must be taught that the chickens are yours and they must not bother them. The old farm method of dealing with a dog who kills a chicken is to rap it over the nose with the dead chicken so it knows what it did wrong. To prevent it happening again, you have to teach the dog that the chickens are out of bounds. Once taught dogs can be fantastic security for any livestock, so don't beat yourself up just start training the dog (on a lead if need be).

contadina wrote:

ElizabethBinary wrote:Dogs will eat the chickens and they'll always eat your favourite one first.

Strange dogs maybe, but your own dogs must be taught that the chickens are yours and they must not bother them. The old farm method of dealing with a dog who kills a chicken is to rap it over the nose with the dead chicken so it knows what it did wrong. To prevent it happening again, you have to teach the dog that the chickens are out of bounds. Once taught dogs can be fantastic security for any livestock, so don't beat yourself up just start training the dog (on a lead if need be).

My fiancee's father beat our other dog with a chicken it killed once. It refuses to touch chickens now and hides on the other side of the house when they're unpenned. I want to have Glynn (my fiancee) do the same, but that frizzle meant a lot to me and I couldn't bear to know the dead body of my baby was being used like that.

I caught her with it IN her mouth though and she ended up on her hind legs with me pinning her chest to the fence holding the chicken up to her nose screaming a medley of curse words even I didn't know I had in me, and I kicked her in the chest (she's a staffy and I'm five feet tall, it probably shocked more than hurt her). She hasn't been seen since. Hiding at the side of the house again.

The dog KNEW the chickens were out of bounds. We screamed at her whenever she even got near them. But she's a f*cking puppy that likes to push boundaries.

She knows now if she didn't before, anyway.

UPDATE! The third chicken was found and IT WAS MY FRIZZLE!!!! I got confused because the chicken I got from my dog's mouth was wet and, well, frizzles look like perpetually wet chickens. They're all inside until the pen is fixed and electrified tonight. MY FRIZZLE IS ALIVE. I mean, it's super sad my other chook was killed. I'm still upset... but my favourite hand-tame loves-to-be-pat-and-loves-Dharma-and-Greg Frizzle is ALIVE!!! :D

Glad your frizzles alive EB my wife found her favourite but very old bamtam rooster Rocky had had a stroke and she was sad to loose it, but you can guess who got the job of putting it down and burying it.

I'm glad it's alive too and I'm sorry about the problems you had. I think the electric fencing is a good idea.

sad,my jack russell got my favorite pet chicken and broke her neck,i was advised to put him and the dead chick into a bag together your advice bashing the dog with a dead chicken makes me think of a monty python sketch,cant imagine what the pdsa would think of either? i now bring in my dogs at 3pm and let the chickens out ,i did try putting an electric collar on one and buzzing him every time he went near the pens,it didnt work but time did,now they dont bother with the chickens,wouldn`t trust them though.i think the electric fence would work as staffs are very clever and wouldn`t chance a second time ,unlike my lab/spaniel cross.

I don't really agree with beating dogs with chickens either, but so far all the advice I've gotten is 'tie the chicken to the dog', or that bag one you mentioned or that beating them up with it! O_O

I electrified the fence and put two chooks out there. I was scared and kept my frizzle inside (bad, I know, using the others as bait).

Lola didn't even TRY. When she saw my fiancee nailing the pen, she knew exactly what that little buzzing sound and that battery did. We had to electrify the whole fence when she used to escape. She doesn't like that wire much no more.

Stop beating yourself up. Fix your pen and get more chickens. Be bold, be brave, be confident. If it hadn't been your dog, it would have been another that you hed no control over. Also this borders on animal abuse I know, but it works. Smear the carcass with tabasco sauce, I mean turn the white chicken orange. Then give it back to the dog. That has broken four dogs for me.