Unpleasant Task This Afternoon

I love my mini poodle boy, I truly do, but sometimes its hard because he has a killer instinct and has killed his share of squirrels, chipmunks, mice, snakes, and assorted amphibians. Basically if it moves and he sees it and it can't run or fly away, it dies. This afternoon he killed the second chicken in less than a month by reaching through the fence and grabbing them by the head or neck. He killed the first one outright, ripping her throat out. She staggered away from the fence, collapsed and died in seconds. Today he caught the unlucky girl by the comb on the top of her head, and tore off her face and upper beak. She was conscious and walking around, but there was no way she was going to survive such an injury, which meant I was going to have to do the humane thing.

I put the dog in the house, and went in the chicken yard to get her. She was not blinded and tried to stay away, but I cornered her between the fence and a tree. She settled in my arm and did not struggle at all. I went to the barn and got a small axe, and walked over to the log standing on its end I use for splitting firewood. I laid her on her side (she was still calm) and held her body securely. I told her it's OK, I was sorry, and it will be over soon. The deed was done quickly and I held onto her body until it went still. I put her remains in one of the empty feed bags I keep on hand for just such an event, rolled it up and placed it in the trash.

Since the dog killed the first chicken back in July I have been working on reinforcing the fence separating the dogs and the chickens. But with the blistering heat outside and the many hours a week I work, progress has been slow. I thought I was good with the progress I had made so far because except for the gate, the other section of fence has a large stump and rocks in front of it making hard for the dog to get to the fence, and therefore the chickens. Nope. I have a section of reinforcement cut and ready for the gate, and have placed some temporary barriers in front of the section requiring work.

I bought these 12 Rhode Island Red pullets back at the end of April and have 8 left. I am told 1 year old laying hens become available over at UConn in Storrs at the beginning of the fall semester when they restart their flock from chicks for the next school year. I'll grab a half dozen.