I move to the country for peace... I move to the country for simplicity... I move to the country for privacy... I move to the country so that I can have my animals and, as my lawyer teases me, "live off the land" and in a manner of speaking, we do.
Today, however, I am feeling the loss of my chickens. This summer my hens hatched out and raised some 20+ chicks of different sizes and cross breeds. It was a completely zen scene... hens clucking about the yard with chicks. I even had a pair of hens share responsibility for one chick. Today, I am down to the last surviving chick. Coyotes, hawks... natural predators have taken a few, but the chickens learn to adjust to these and hide when necessary. The real problem is neighbor dogs. I love dogs and I know even my dogs kill things, but my neighbors live 2-4 miles away and their dogs run over to my place and in two incidents have massacred almost all of my chickens. My surviving chickens are depressed... this is real. The rooster won't crow, the hens sit in the coop and won't come out. In a couple of days they will forget, but now I wonder about my plan. I could keep the chickens locked up all day, but I have learned they they help the cats survive better. If it comes down to losing the cat or the chicken... well sorry chicken.... and yet they are my pets too. The neighbors feel bad, but what can they say? Pay for replacements? Chicks are cheap, but you can't replace the time into them... and the favorites... just look at my friend here sharing his lunch.
3 comments:
We have had two flocks of sheep decimated by neighborhood dogs. We have two Maremma Livestock Guardian dogs now, but at the time we only had one, and she was no match for the two Dobermans and two Rottweilers that got in and killed everything. We got the second Maremma, and they do a wonderful job protecting our animals from coyotes. Our vet told us it was a good thing that our first Maremma didn't go up against the Rottweilers... they would have killed her. Our Maremmas defend by barking, not attacking.
I am truly sorry for your loss.
Mokihana
I had never heard of a Maremma until reading your comment. I have been researching dogs that will be protective and yet get along with the other animals. I have an Australian cattle dog and a lab. The cattle dog does her best, but she is old and was crippled last year when the 90 lb. lab puppy jumped off the flatbed onto her back. My lab, Emma, is sweet and she is happy to chase deer (who threaten nothing more than the chicken feed), but not much else unless she has "back up" -which is generally me with the BB gun. Of course, the attacks happen when I'm not around. Thank you for your thoughts.
I love Maremmas. They are similar to a Great Pyrennese but a little smaller. Maremmas are fabulous with other animals; as a matter of fact, one of our Jacob sheep follows them around. It's amazing to watch them guarding... one stays with the sheep, the other cruises around at night. Then they switch places the next night.
I can't recommend the breed highly enough. We got both of our pups from Breezy Meadow Farms in Bellingham, WA (they ship all over); we got to drive up and pick our own puppy. They are full sisters, born two years apart.
Mokihana
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