RIP Effie - December 2010 - October 8, 2011

Well, he finally did it.  I had plenty of warning, but thought he outgrew this behavior.  Kenny finally killed a chicken..and it just happened to be my favorite one - the grey naked neck, Effie (short for favorite chicken).

She was my first to lay an egg.  She was the chicken that was tormented and almost pecked to death (a story for later), but I nursed back to health. 

She was always happy to see me and would follow me around the yard, would always come up to me and want to be hand fed, she would always let me pick her up, all-in-all the perfect pet chicken (I even decided I would let her hang around after her egg laying days were over.)

I got home Saturday from the St Paul Oktoberfest and Dachshund races (no, none of my dogs raced - but I may start training for next year).  As with most days, the dogs were let out upon getting home, they chase around, do their dog thing, then go back inside.  Meanwhile, I go let the chickens out and collect the eggs.  Effie was, as usual, hanging out in the coop/run after the other chickens run out and start doing their chicken thing in the yard.  I hand fed her some scratch and she went to lay her egg (or at least she sat on the nest of eggs.)

A little while later, as the dogs were eating their dinner, I went out back to do something in the gardens and i recall hearing a dog go outside (the front door doesn't shut tight, so they can push the door open and let themselves out).  This is part of the routine so I didn't think anything of it.  I came back inside a few minutes later (maybe 5 minutes?).  Kenny wasn't at the front door, so I went out and called him.  He wasn't responding, but I could hear him.  The noise was coming from the behind a bush, next to the garage.  I thought he was chasing a chipmunk (it's where they hang out and all the dogs go mental back there from time to time).  I turn the corner and there's Kenny on top of a very dead Effie.  I'll spare the readers the state she was in.    Needless to say, I picked Kenny up off the carcass, loudly scolding him and putting him back in the house.  I grabbed a bag and bundled her up while I thought about what to do with her.

Kenny knew he did something wrong.  Normally, he's all over a person (usually me) looking for attention.  But on Saturday night, he was just laying on the floor, cleaning his paws, not looking at people.  Even at bedtime, he didn't even put his chest on someones foot (his signal to let him out).  He did come to bed, but just burrowed at my feet.

Sunday morning, he was acting like nothing happened.  In his dog world, it was so long ago, that the murder was old news.  I, on the other hand, was still annoyed, but really, what could I do?  It's in his nature to hunt prey.

Anyway, Sunday was yard work day.  (Back story:  Saturday morning I had dug out a bunch of overgrown bearded irises and day lilies but didn't know what I was going to do with them or where to put them.)  I pulled out all the dead/dying annuals from a few gardens and decided this is where a good number of the plants could go.  I paired an iris bulb with a group of the day lilies and circled the gardens.  I'll put something else in the center in the spring - or i'll do annuals again - whatever...not really relevant to the story at hand. 

Why do you care about gardening?  You don't, but it was while I was preparing the garden at the mail boxes that I decided on what to do with Effie.  I couldn't just put her in the garbage can to be picked up on Thursday.  Instead, I buried her in the garden.  I made sure it was deep enough and hopefully compacted enough to keep predators from digging her up (the dogs can't get there, but wild predators could). 

My hope is that she will be able to give back to the flowers I have planted/will plant in that spot.  I may even put up a sign "Effie's Garden - Dogs not allowed." 

Dogs Will KIll a Chicken - No Really

In thinking back to when the first set of eggs hatched, I knew there may be issues with the dogs.  Exhibit A, B, and C.  Yet, I didn't factor in Kenny's determination to get to the chickens.

There was a perfect storm of ineptitude that occurred while putting up the run.  Not being an expert in chicken behaviors yet, I didn't really think about how the chickens were going to react while the run was going up.  Once the panels were in place and the locking mechanisms were finger-tightened, the chickens were invited into the run.

Well, there were still people in the run holding up the panel that hadn't been affixed to the coop.  So the chickens were just milling about doing chicken things, but on the other end of the run. 

Then the dogs were let out. The yard has an invisible fence.  The bad dogs (Kenny and Izzy) had their collars on, the old dogs (Betty and Bailey) didn't as they panic when they get buzzed.  Anyway, Kenny ran towards the coop/run area, stood and barked at the chickens.  But only because there's a line where the invisible fencing cuts across the yard.  The chickens are all "what? you can't touch us".

Well, Kenny doesn't like being tormented like that.  And he bolted through the invisible fence.  It was at this point that it was learned that the battery in his collar was out.  Oops.

So now Kenny is right up at the run barking at the chickens.  Remember, there are still people in the run area, too.  So the chickens were trying to get as far away from two different sets of danger.  They ended up crowding next the fence in the corner where it was currently being held up and not attached. 

Oh no.  Easy pickin's for a tenacious dog who's nose can fit through a kennel fence.  Sure enough, Kenny got himself a chicken.  I'm not sure which chicken he got, but he pulled out a mouthful of feathers.  The non-captured chickens ran to the opposite corner of the run and pressed themselves against the fence.  Oh Lord.  I'm sure you know what's coming.

Lots of screaming and kicking at the fence ensued.  Rat-bastard dog would not relent.  Finally, the chicken got away and ran to join the rest of the flock.

Being a fast little dog, Kenny ran to where the chickens were and got himself another (same?) chicken and pulled out another mouthful of feathers.  They got away from him and settled in the middle of the run so they couldn't be reached.

I left the run, swearing at Kenny, picked him up and put him back in the house. 

Lessons learned:
If Kenny is outside being a jerk, people can't be in the run
Little dogs - specially badger dogs (that's English for Dachshund) - are bred to hunt.  And will (see exception below)

Bailey not bothering with instinct.
Unless that instinct is eating poop.

Little dogs with pointy noses can get said nose through chain link very easily.  This tells me I need to put the predator proofing netting a little higher up that I originally wanted.  In fact, I may even electrify the fence - that'll teach him.
Yelling at a determined dog will not deter him from his task.
Old dogs can't be bothered with hunting.

Dogs and Chickens, part 3



Devil Dog



Kenny showed me today how he got up on the table and into the brooder.  Before today, there wasn't as much room where the wood storage is.  The chimneys were cleaned today for the first time in years and the first fire was built in the house since moving in.  With the extra room, Kenny was able to easily get a closer eye on the chicks. 

The glow from the heat lamp really makes him look naughty.

Fox in the Henhouse

Or rather, dachshund in the brooder.

As I was getting ready for work this morning, I hear a commotion coming from the brooder area.  I poke my head out of the bathroom and I see a dog in the brooder with the chicks.  I run out of there, toothpaste foaming, yelling at the dog.  I get over to the brooder and pull the dog out, screaming at him the entire time.  He goes running, but is still lingering in the area.

I do a quick head count and I only count seven.  I get the dog to see if he has a chick in his mouth.  Nope.  I start scouring the floor, no movement.  I turn the light on, do a better job of looking on the floor.  Still nothing.  I look back in the brooder, and there are still eight chicks.  Whew.  Not sure where it was hiding, but all eight are still around and all look just fine.

I ended up blocking off the part of the lower level where the chicks are with a baby gate so the dogs can't get over there.  After work tonight, I'm going to move the brooder over to the bar area (where I was incubating).  I'll have to rig up something for he heat lamp.  I'm not sure what the dog did/would do to the chicks, but I don't want to take the chance that he only wants to be friends with the chicks.

Damn, Kenny.

Dogs Like Chicken, Too

But not in a good way.



What's up there?  Betty and Kenny smell chicken.



Ever since the chicks hatched, the dogs have been very interested in what is going on in the corner of the basement.  Any time the chicks make noise, the dogs' ears prick up and they feel the need to go investigate (or at least bark if they are being lazy).



My original intention was to leave the brooder on the floor with a lid on it.  I knew the dogs would be curious, but they (and by "they", I mean Kenny) turned out to be a bit crazed.  I think he only sees little snacks.

Because of that, I put the brooder up on a card table.  The heat light is not really set up ideally - I hope the pop cans don't fail me and I get BBQd chicks - but is doing the trick until I can set something up more permanently.



All the dogs milling about.

I'm hoping as the chicks get older, I can start to introduce them to the dogs so they don't see them as food but as just a curiosity.  I would like to have both the chickens and the dogs free ranging in the yard in spring/summer, but time will tell if this can happen.