New to BYC...and to Chickens!

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AndreaH521

In the Brooder
Mar 21, 2024
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I am new to this community and to chickens. Sadly, I was only a chicken momma for a few days when my dog breached (what I thought was a totally secure) our coop and I lost all my pullets.

I am starting over in the coming days with a new little flock. I have reinforced locks on the coop and the run and we're moving it to the horse pasture that's completely separate from my dogs. I would love any tips/tricks/hacks that you all have come up with so everyone can live their best life.

I live with my husband and our 13 (almost 14) year old daughter, 2 horses, 1 donkey, 5 rescue dogs, and 3 cats on almost 5 acres in Paradise, TX.

Look forward to learning more and getting to know ya'll!

Thank you!
 
SilverBirds said:
Welcome to BYC! So sorry to hear about the loss of your first flock. Hopefully you have better luck the second time around.

Do you know how your dogs got in the first time?
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Thank you.
We are not sure. Our daughter was the last one in the coop that morning to check their water. Our assumption is that she didn't lock the door properly (not laying blame on her...I should've checked). We were absolutely devastated.

I am hoping that by moving the coop and run into the horse pasture, putting up provacy fence where the chicken coop will be, and upgraded our locking mechanisms, this will prevent any further dog and/or predator attacks.
 
Debbie292d said:
Hiya, Andrea, and welcome to BYC!! :frow

Just an FYI in case that's not really secure. One of the strongest fences there are that keep out just about anything is 1/2" hardware cloth. We run that 12-18" out in an L shape at the bottom and cover it with pavers and rocks so nothing can dig in.
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Thank you! I will look into this. We are going to move the coop and the run into the horse pasture and also put up privacy fencing so the dogs can't see the chickens. The horses and donkey are around birds all day everyday, so I am not worried about them there. I know the donkey will protect them if the dogs manage to get in there, but we have lived here a year and they've never gotten into the pasture area.
 

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