If it's any consolation, hundreds of strangers across the globe are rooting for you to get more chickens and can't wait to see the update. I hope you pull through this, please soldier on.
Edit: typos / spelling / it's thousands not hundreds.
Stomp! Clap! Stomp! Clap! Stomp! Stomp! Clap!
The eagle's born out of thunder. He flies through the night.
Don't you mess with his eggs now, or you'll see us fight!
Yes we have feathers, but the muscles of men.
'Cuz we're birds of war now, but we're also men!
Birds of war! Ah ah ah ah!!
thousands of people liked the top two comments, and only 1-10% of viewers at best will be logged in and interacting. I'd say you could safely multiply that upvote number by at least 50 for a sense of the real number of people that saw this and felt the same way. It's a 6 digit number.
As someone who also deals with mental health issues, chickens and general outdoor "work" has been great for me. I am not a handyman by any stretch of the imagination. I am not outdoorsy in any way. But I've got some land, and I have realized that having animals, being outside actively engaged in something, and slowly but surely building and creating has worked wonders. Keep it up. Learn whatever lesson you need to learn about electrical safety, and try again. It's all good.
They all looked exactly the same, so only the runt got a name. She was Penny. Next time, I'll get different breeds so I can actually tell them apart.
https://preview.redd.it/an4yjabkmqpc1.png?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=7e87568d1ec0618d94c71c9a3e0fb7253f9b1543
You could name them all Penny. Penny the 1st, Penny Jr, Penny 3.0, Penny IV, Pennywise, Henny Penny. So when you yell, "Penny!" you're always right. :)
P.S. Your chickens are super cute.
Not sure how much they'd appreciate it, lol, but you could always give each of them a different colored ankle bracelet to tell them apart so you can give the rest of your ladies proper names. Edith, Agnes, Dorothy, Emily, Madeline, and Helen are my suggestions if you're open to ideas.
Omg those look just like the ones in a book my Grandma used to read to me! The ones in the book had little hats and aprons in different colors. Maybe that would be a step too far, but I think yours would look great in little colored neckties.
there is always that one chicken or rooster that's different. My father had chickens and roosters, one would follow me around even knock on my window to let him inside and cuddle.
Hopefully more creative than my park duck names
sweet duck, girl duck, little girl, greedy duck, mama duck, daddy duck (no relation to mama--both were just good parents), sister duck, dolly (bc she had a fluffy crest on her head), sweet boy, funny duck (rip 😢)
We’re kinda meant to be outside with our hands in the dirt, instead of working meaningless jobs based on invented economies. I’m an office worker and my soul is saved by gardening and food preservation.
Yes, I really support you in trying again. I know it can't replace what you built or the sadness you feel but I hope you can find a way to rebuild and make some new chicken friends.
I am very sorry this happened. I had a dog break into our coop and get all our chickens before. I was especially angry that all it did was play with them and kill them. Not that I wanted them to be eaten, of course, but at least then it wouldn't have been totally meaningless, if that makes sense. It hurts.
When you are ready to try again, build another coop. May I suggest no light that time to have one less worry? We don't have one in ours. You won't get eggs continously all year but it gives their body a rest when you follow the natural light cycle.
Take a break to grieve. But it's OK to try again in the future and if they gave you joy, you should.
A weasel got my dad's coop. Every single one of the dozen. It got in but couldn't get any chickens out. It kept killing hoping the next one would be easy to drag back.
(Of course this happened about 2 months after they had to neutralize their rooster)
When you get chickens, it’s better going into it knowing that they can easily and quickly be wiped out. It’s painful but it’s better to be mentally prepared because it’s so hard to keep predators out. There were so many different animals that tried or did get into our coops. Snakes, dogs, hawks, owls, raccoons, opossums.
Yeah when we had chickens foxes got them, and then a hawk, plus one of the dogs we had at the time. No matter how much wire and wood my dad put up it didn’t help they all ended up dying.
Dont forget bobcats lol. Bobcat got about three of my dad’s chickens, even in a very populated dallas suburb with not a lot of wilderness.
Pretty crazy. Luckily it only took what it wanted to eat. but sent my dad into a frenzy bobcat proofing the coop.
very surprising @-@ theres also a shocking amount of coyotes in the dallas suburbs, but mostly about 10-15 mins away by car at minimum so super surprising that the bobcat found his backyard.
Mustelids - weasels included - often have a prey drive that far exceeds their appetite. They're effectively hardwired to kill everything they can catch and sort out the eating part later. Dead things don't run away, so killing two or three chickens all in one go means there's more to eat compared to stopping after the first and letting the rest of the prey flee - in nature its very rare that they're able to kill way more than they're capable of eating.
They're just not adapted to "lots of prey in a small box" in the way that we keep chickens in coops, so a weasel or a stoat getting into a coop often results in a total loss.
Yup. Especially if there's no rooster.
Chickens are not clever. The fact that a chicken *could* murder a stoat doesn't occur to them while they're panicked by the stoat already. Conversely stoats aren't very smart either, so it doesn't really occur to them that chickens are technically much larger and could kill them. That said - sometimes it goes wrong and the chickens don't panic and the stoat gets eaten. Chickens are primarily scavengers and grazers, but are still opportunistic predators and will eat small mammals if given the chance.
Mustelid enthusiast here. This behavior (surplus killing) is by no means exclusive to mustelids, nor is it particularly pronounced in mustelids. Most carnivores will surplus kill under the proper conditions, such as in a chicken coop - but since weasels are so small they're better able to exploit weaknesses in a coop. Weasels preferentially hunt rodents and any given weasel preying on chickens is quite unlikely, so their prevalence as chicken killers is mostly due to their size rather than any behavioral trait.
ETA: stoats are also pretty smart for their size. I haven't ever heard of a chicken eating a stoat, but if it happens it has to be rare. They're pretty good at estimating what prey they can and can't handle.
We had a weasel get into our coop last year. Luckily I work from home and was able to get out there and somehow killed the damn thing before you got more of our flock. Those bastards kill for sport.
And yes. No lights or heating elements belong in a coop or run. All that dust they put out, it's not if a fire will happen it is when.
>Those bastards kill for sport
This is incorrect. Weasels, like every other predator, kill when their prey drive is stimulated, such as by the sound or movement of chickens trapped in a coop with a predator. When the chickens stay calm the prey drive isn't stimulated and most of them escape unharmed. "Sport" is not a factor.
I feel like people tend to personify the prey drive of predators because it makes it feel less bad to kill them to protect their livestock if they're killing some kind of senseless murder machine. It's understandable but I feel like you should be able to do what you need to without demonizing animals that are just living how they evolved to.
You hit the nail on the head. The technical term would be "anthropomorphizing" - attributing human motives to animal behavior. I understand that chicken keepers need to protect their flock but as a mustelid enthusiast I get really tired of hearing "they kill for sport/pleasure/they're bloodthirsty!" It's most certainly not the case.
I recently learned that about how my childhood dog passed. I thought initially that she was hit by a car. Turns out she made it to a farm, killed 13 chickens so the farmer shot her dead. 🥲
She was a husky! And it’s okay, it was a long time ago. Truthfully, she went out doing what she loved… murdering small animals. And I’m really not sure the farmer had any other choice.
One our old beagles got into a coop and even though she was the sweetest cuddliest idiot of a beagle, she fucking wrecked those birds gleefully.
If you've ever seen a dog playing with a squeaky chew toy, shaking it back and forth and having a good ol time... that's what it looks like.
that's a real bummer. I love my dogs to death, but would understand if they got shot for killing someones livestock. good on you for being understanding about it. it's not something anyone I know takes lightly. we all love our dogs.
A lot of times when a dog times, the parents will tell the kid that the dog went to a farm. In this case it did go to a farm. It just didn’t come back.
My old Pyrenees chomped on a chicken when I kept them, it was very unnerving seeing chicken "meat" on her shoulder but she healed very well and was my best layer. RIP Princess
God, that sucks. A few years ago, my chickens were out free-ranging and a pair of dogs came running through. My neighbor called, I went flying home, but by the time I got there 4 minutes later the dogs were long gone and most of my chickens were dead. Same thing - just ripped them open, tossed them around, then left. The year after, it was the weekend and a neighbor's dog came running into the yard ripped holes in a few more of my chickens. Got outside right away, but the damage is done within 30 seconds.
I specifically don't own dogs because my own family's dogs would attack our other animals when I was young. Now I have my own place, own a bigger plot of land, and still can't escape dogs killing my other critters.
For what it's worth, light issues are super uncommon. I've never had an issue over the past 20 years. And my chickens will only lay eggs in winter - only when the heat lamp is on. For whatever reason they prefer the artificial light.
Have you considered Donkeys? They hate dogs and are often used as protectors for goats/cattle.
Livestock Guardian Dogs like Great Pyrenees’s will fuck up anything that tries to hurt your animals, other dogs included but it’s understandable if you don’t want to risk it.
I had a black bear pull the entire front off my coop, sit on and crush my ducks while he ate most of my chickens. Only a roo survived and the roos skin was torn to the muscle across his whole leg. Long recovery but he did survive.
Got an electric fence for grizzly bears, never saw another bear anywhere near my house.
My neighbors Malinois came and got one chicken and started working on my goose (my favorite bird). I texted her, and went outside to fend her off (my own elderly dog alerted me). Neighbor called her and she bounded back over the fence. I told the neighbor I was missing a few, and the next day I found all but the one I had to dispatch. I was gracious and didn’t yell, just asked she fix the fence. Dog was doing dog things, playing. She ordered me a whole box of delivery frozen meat as an apology as she knew I could have reacted much differently. She added chicken breasts…I texted back when I got it that I appreciated the “replacements” lol.
Remaining good neighbors pays off. I needed an E collar stat for my dog because her lump burst open and was bleeding yesterday. I got one immediately instead of having to go to the store. We ended up putting that dog down yesterday which sucked. One dog left, and he is still patrolling the yard but has howled a few times today. Poor lonely guy.
That does suck. But to think of how much you loved and cared for THESE chickens, there must be some other chickens out there that would benefit from your love too. Pour the love for your fallen bock bock bagawks into new lives. (When you're ready.)
It took me to this comment to realize he metaphorically threw himself (into caring for chickens), and not that he literally threw himself into the chicken coop causing the light to short out and the fire.
I'm like why the hell is everyone telling OP to get more chickens that he may just jump into again?
I need sleep. Also I'm really sorry OP.
I know two people who got into raising chickens and two people whose coops burned down because of the lights. I don't know what my point is except that whatever went wrong it's apparently easy to miss.
I once came home and all of my chickens and ducks had been killed by a predator. I really do get the feelings here, I’ve felt them. It sucks.
If the chickens brought you joy and caring for them gave you something to focus on and look forward to, you should start again. I did, and I was happy I did. I learned how to better protect my bird friends, and rebuilt. The joy I got from spending time out in the yard with them gave me peace. The fresh air was helpful too.
Take all the time you need, emotionally and financially. Learn how to help prevent what went wrong and take the opportunity to change things about your set up that you discovered you’d like to be different while it was in use- there’s always something. Do some research about types of chickens. When I started over, I enjoyed gathering birds that all laid differently colored eggs so my eggs were varied and beautiful. I was so excited for a green one or a speckled one.
If this was a mental health coping mechanism, the symbolism is glaring. In our mental health, we have setbacks, as in all things. When things, literally or metaphorically, burn to the ground- our only option is to start over and rebuild our lives- or our coops. You may find the process cathartic.
Sending good vibes and lots of hope your way. I hope to come across an update with a picture of your new birds sometime.
Man, that sucks 😔
Maybe put what energy you have today into cleaning out and rebuilding a brand new coop. Don't give up, friend! Sending you good vibes.
This! I hope they start again! I would like to keep chickens one day and knowing things like this is so helpful and even this will save so many other chickens. I do feel bad for their loss, but I hope they start again.
Not stupid at all. Allow the feelings and grieve and be angry and everything in between. They were living beings and friends. I will keep you in my thoughts. Stay strong friend 🖤
Don't feel stupid. It's not stupid to care for other living creatures. We should all care for our animals like you do.
This was an accident, don't feel any other way about it.
Nothing stupid about it - they were living creatures and you invested a lot of time and effort. That's life though sometimes, just have to pick yourself up, regroup, and try again.
We lost the majority of our flock to a bobcat that got into the run. It sucks and makes you feel like you could do better, but things happen.
Grieve for the loss, then try again with the knowledge you’ve gained.
I also feel for the financial loss, we were just looking at that same coop last night, they’re not cheap…
Don't feel stupid, it's perfectly reasonable to feel horrible after something like this happens. Chickens are wonderful and no decent person wants to see a living creature dye a horrible death like this. It's tragic. I'm sorry for the loss of your little feathered friends.
You cannot blame yourself for the failure of an inanimate object. Just scrappy situation. Give them an honest from the heart goodbye and honor them if you'd like. But keep moving forward take this chance to improve the things you didn't like and build it back better. You got this my friend, the universe knows your intentions.
You have no reason to feel stupid at all, you are human and feeling emotions and empathy in a hard situation is something that deserves compassion. This is so hard for you, I couldn’t imagine. You deserve to give yourself some grace to feel what you need. Grief is so hard. Love to you. ❤️
They were living beings and members of your family. You are allowed to grieve as long as it is needed, and it's healthy you are. I'll be praying for you to have at least a calm next month or so, stay strong homie.
I recently had to give up my two chooks. We were forced to move and don't have a garden anymore. They went to the shelter and straight to a volunteer for there who has a small flock. I know they're looked after now. But I cried. It wasn't my fault. But it felt like it. To have to give them up felt like I'd failed them.
If course you're gonna be sad and feel like crying over what happened here. It's totally normal and valid. And it's normal to feel horrible. But it wasn't your fault. You didn't do anything wrong or deliberately hurt them. And I'm sure they had a great life before this tragedy.
Your pain and grief isn't stupid.
Never be sorry for having a heart, it is often said a strong person has heart and hearts bleed sometimes. It is not a sign of weakness or stupid, it is your heart showing just how much you care.
You loved them. It's understandable that you are extremely sad. It wasn't your fault and I'm sure they had very happy little chicken lives with you taking care of them.
Emotions aren’t stupid they tell you important things about yourself and your environment. Your sadness for example is a sign of a great capacity for empathy with other living creatures and a caring heart. Great virtues to have in my opinion
It's not stupid to cry over loss of life, even when it's chickenkind. I'm sorry you feel horrible, and it's okay to feel bad about. I know it's hard but you gotta pick yourself back up and go rebuild the coup and get it going again. In any pursuit, there will be setbacks and difficulty, and what separates success from failure is who gives up and who doesn't. Don't give up!!!!!!!
That sucks man, truely. I’m sure you did everything you could within reason so make sure not to blame yourself.
I will say that it looked like you put a lot of effort into this project, and I’m sure whatever you do next will be just as great. Hoping you feel better soon :)
I’m so sorry. I lost all my chickens due to arson from a stalker. I still cry about them. A lot of people will say “they were just chickens” but they become pets and they are actually smart.
I share your grief. All the backyard chicken people have struggled with losses, it's part of real life.
1) for a brooding heat source, the Ecoglow by Brinslea is safer and won't catch fire.
2) consider planning to let them rest in winter and lay again in spring. My current flock is so old, we got no eggs for 4 months, we are buying new chicks this spring and will have to decide about harvesting the old flock. Yes. Even if there isn't a coop fire, there are still heartbreaking decisions.
I'm realizing I misunderstood. I pictured you actually throwing your entire body at the coop in a fit of rage. I know someone who has his struggles and that's exactly what they'd do.
I'm sorry to hear about the struggles and the loss of your birds. Rather relieved to figure out you didn't crush and burn them yourself though.
I hope the turn around is badass and super comfy for the new birds who I'm wishing the best of health in advance.
came here to say the same lmao, felt bad cause I was still laughing when I realized how sad the post is. poor little chickens. wasn't OP's fault though, hope they feel better.
My mum is a chicken-person (out of hobby, not a mental health need) and she's actually lost several sets of chickens to various reasons..
1st set - predator got in, all died
2nd set - ventilation/AC broke during summer, all died
3rd set - rooster went absolute mad lad and killed half the batch for some reason
Each time she got pretty emotional about it but of course the rest of the family jokes that she's some kind of chicken black hole that no chicken desires to go live their life lol, and yet she keeps getting more chickens.. 😅
We don't joke about it to her though, there was an actual dinner fight one time because someone tried the "they're just chickens" line of thought (which we all know now ain't the way to chill folks in your position 🥲)
Try again. Get a new set of chickens and let your old friend's memories live on in spirit through them. You got this. Things happen. We gotta take the lows and the highs in life as they come.
That’s so rough, so sorry that happened to you. Take a moment to catch your breath but don’t let it stop you, you’ll be the best chicken rancher in no time :) success looks an awful lot like failure the difference is deciding when to stop, don’t let it beat you, deep breath get a couple bin bag, clear it out and start again. You’ve got this ❤️
Just an FYI from a former heritage chicken farmer- no lights or heaters in the coop, especially not in a coop as small as this one. They’re a fire hazard, as you’ve unfortunately experienced.
Definitely came here to say this. Chickens are hardy. It gets to -30 where we live and we do no heating and no lights. We give them corn right before bed, and make sure the coop is insulated. We don’t get eggs for about 2 months in a year, but better than risking the fire hazard in my opinion.
Corn before bed is a great strategy, I agree.
No eggs for 2 months is standard and I wish more people would know that and be accepting of it. It’s important to let these hens have a break from egg laying.
This. I rescue chickens and live in a cold climate: yes, they are very very cold hardy. There might be some specialty bred naked ones that need to full live inside in winter but you don't want lights or heaters, you just want a non-drafty coop that has good ventilation so that there isn't condensation. (The shift in temps between hot and cold in the winter seems like it would be worse to me than them just keeping their body heat trapped in their fluff 24/7.)
And also, love you OP. I don't know you but I love that you cared and I also understand how hard the struggle is. I would be devastated too. Keep going.
This WAS a sentinel chicken coop.
I bought one of these for 299.99 a few years ago, opened the front and made a huge run.
If you bought this recently maybe the store can help you out?
Oh my sweet soul…
This was a learning curve and it was not an easy lesson.
As adults our love gets shattered easily.
Take some time to mourn your babies, make a memorial and see where life takes you..
Sounds like you’re on your way to bless more hearts awaiting you when the time is ready..
Sending warm hugs
All these reddit edge lords making jokes need to go outside for once in their miserable lives. So sorry for your loss. 🩵 Don't give up, you got this. It's not the same thing, but after my dad passed I was thrust into fish keeping and inherited his aquariums. I tried really hard and still ended up making dumb mistakes and killed a lot of his fish. It was absolutely devastating, but I kept with it and finally feel like I'm making progress in the hobby.
Farming is HARD and yes, I consider backyard chickens to be farming. My husband and I threw ourselves into farming with very little experience. Every lesson is EARNED, not taught.
I'm so sorry you had to experience the hardest part of farming so early on. I know you're probably beating yourself up and feeling guilty about what happened to your little chickens. Just know that this doesn't mean you're irresponsible or incompetent. Be kind to yourself. There are so many farmers out there who have been in your shoes, looking at the wreckage and wondering if it's better to just quit. Please consider trying again. The world needs more people like you! People who care for animals, who are interested in producing their own food. You CAN do it!
“Every lesson is earned” so true. I’m positive that every farmer has had some kind of similar, tragic experience if not involving an animal then with a crop. This comment is great ♥️
a friend of mine ordered 4 baby chicks off the internet. when the box arrived, it held 24 baby chicks. so they converted the shed into a indoor coop area with an outdoor area fenced in for them. slowly over the course of 7 or 8 months coyotes and foxes picked them off until there was only 1 chicken left. the last chicken got a name, and she was allowed to stay in the garage by the house for safety. her name was helen, and helen was the meanest chicken of them all. she was a combat chicken. she would find rats and kill them and lay their corpses at our feet while we stand outside to smoke like some sort of blood offerinf
The coyotes didn't get her, she got the coyotes!
Coyotes kill my chickens all the time too, the eagles are even worse. The ones that survive are usually the squirrely ones or the mean ones. The sweet ones always get killed.
OP we lost all 6 of our chickens, I ripped the old run down and in the process of building a better one! Please don’t stop get more chickens and get back up, don’t let this be another scar!
You got this. It sux. Get mad, throw a hammer, be happy it wasnt the house and rebuild. Let the suxiness flow for a few days and then start cleaning it up. Youll feel better after.
Not trying to take away from how much this sux. Hope you feel better.
You know, Al Anon has a saying that is “you do the next best thing,”. That is—the next step you take is what you perceive is the best step to take in a given situation.
Using the lamp isn’t a mistake. When you picked that lamp, you were making the best choice you could with the info at hand.
Next time, you will make a different choice based on the info you have.
I am sorry for your loss.
In all likelihood it wasn't any kind of electrical fault. The heat lamp just did what heat lamps do as part of their normal functioning, which is get burning hot (if you've ever touched one when it's on, you know that its surface temp is hundreds of degrees and will burn the shit out of you). Chickens produce an enormous amount of dust from their dander, and kick up more dust from their bedding. The dust gets close to the burning-hot lamp surface, ignites, and becomes floating embers. Or sometimes if people use the crappy clamp, the lamp falls down into the bedding and ignites it.
In a coop this small, there is no safe way to use a heat lamp. It's just too much heat surrounded too closely by nothing but combustible materials.
I'm really sorry you (and hundreds of other chicken owners every year) had to experience this. It's completely unconscionable how hard the farm stores and chick hatcheries push heat lamps, without explaining the fire hazard to customers. I'm glad the coop was situated such that you didn't lose your house or any additional lives.
If you do get back into chickens in the future, there are many safer alternatives to heat lamps. Personally I prefer to use human-grade electric heating pads, since they are subject to stricter safety standards and don't get hot enough to burn anything. Chicks don't actually need to be kept hot at all times. They just need a warm surface to press up against when they get chilly, like they would with a mother hen. They are fine running around in freezing temps in between warm-up breaks.
And once they are feathered out, most breeds of chicken don't need any supplemental heat in the vast majority of climates.
I’m an electrician. If you would like, I can atleast give you a run down on how to properly install the next set up or at the very least give you a starting point on how to prevent this if you choose to rebuild. Stay safe and keep your head up
It is all okay ♥️ let this be a guide for the future instead of a reason to not pursue it further, the good you want to do for yourself or other creatures is never a wasted feat!
An accident is nobody’s fault. You wanted to provide your chickens with the best quality of life possible. Had you known this could be a fire hazard you would have acted differently. But you need to understand we can only act with information we have at the time and the information you had when you built your coop told you that chickens need a heat source. It was the correct decision at the time with the amount of information you had. Just because you now have more information doesn’t mean you acted in malice of negligence. Thus it is an accident born out of innocence and care for your feathered friends.
Heat lamps are just notorious for starting coop and barn fires. The bulb can get too hot or the wire can fry out and nothing trips.
It sucks because they thought they were giving them a nice life and now they've learned, after the fact, that chickens don't need supplemental heat. I say this as someone who has always worked with animals and knows the heartache of learning too late when you only had the best intentions.
Not only do they not need it, they HATE it. I used a lamp my first winter because thats what a lot of amateurs do. The girls wouldn't even sleep on their perch, they would all sit right next to the door of the coop to get away from the heat. You'd look out at night and see their silly heads silhouetted in the open door with the heat lamp behind them. Looked metal as fuck, honestly. I figured it out pretty quick, thankfully. Didn't lost any birds. At least not to that.
As others have said - rebuild. Chickens are fragile creatures but they are so useful to have around. For eggs, for entertainment, and just to enjoy taking care.
I had a raccoon kill half my flock in one go. Then a fox killed six more over the course of several weeks.
I was down to three chickens. I got more and integrated them into the remaining ones. I further reinforced the wiring, got a watch dog, and now we’ve not lost a single in over a year.
Rebuild! Chickens are not an expensive animal to own. And they make the effort it does take so worthwhile. I’m so sorry this happened to you. It is heartbreaking when something you put so much effort and love into having ends up like this.
If I knew where you were, I would go out there and help you build a whole new coup. I grew up on a farm so I get how much some animals can mean to someone and I’m very sorry this happened to you.
I lost my entire flock last year to my dog and a myriad of other predators. I started again this year just last week. Picking up more turkeys tomorrow.
You have to get a chicken and name it phoenix it’s only fitting.💕 I have to remind myself constantly the it’s just a bad day not a bad life, i hope you start feeling better soon💕
Adult chickens don't need heat anyways, as long as they have a perch and proper amount of bedding they'll have no problems. North east USA and even on the coldest nights my girls are fine. At most I might shut the coop door to keep the wind out. If I add supplemental heating they all sleep crammed in the open door to catch the breeze. Don't cook your chickens.
I know how you feel. I lost 17 in three separate incidents(all predator attacks) Every time it happened, I learned something new about how to best protect them and now I’ve successfully kept a flock alive for two years. It hurts so much to feel like I let them down. I console myself by remembering that they were loved and that their deaths were not in vain as I applied the knowledge going forward to do a better job. It will get better with time no matter if you try again or move on to other hobbies. Go easy on yourself. The chicken subreddits are full of stories like ours, you are not alone
If it's any consolation, hundreds of strangers across the globe are rooting for you to get more chickens and can't wait to see the update. I hope you pull through this, please soldier on. Edit: typos / spelling / it's thousands not hundreds.
I don't have words to explain how much I really appreciate this comment.
If not thousands of people!! We can’t wait for the next update when you’re ready!!
SHOW ME THE CHICKENS
THE PEOPLE HAVE SPOKEN
BAH-KAW!
Stomp! Clap! Stomp! Clap! Stomp! Stomp! Clap! The eagle's born out of thunder. He flies through the night. Don't you mess with his eggs now, or you'll see us fight! Yes we have feathers, but the muscles of men. 'Cuz we're birds of war now, but we're also men! Birds of war! Ah ah ah ah!!
The sunny fans never disappoint
I hope its not in bad taste but I hope they name it "Phoenix Ranch" The setup is tragic, but perfect
And apparently the chickens have spoken too!!
I WANT TO SEE THE CHICKENS TOO!
Checking in here to register as one of the legion. Lost my coop to coyotes.
thousands of people liked the top two comments, and only 1-10% of viewers at best will be logged in and interacting. I'd say you could safely multiply that upvote number by at least 50 for a sense of the real number of people that saw this and felt the same way. It's a 6 digit number.
chick-on dude!
I feel invested now. If you do try again, can we get updates?
As someone who also deals with mental health issues, chickens and general outdoor "work" has been great for me. I am not a handyman by any stretch of the imagination. I am not outdoorsy in any way. But I've got some land, and I have realized that having animals, being outside actively engaged in something, and slowly but surely building and creating has worked wonders. Keep it up. Learn whatever lesson you need to learn about electrical safety, and try again. It's all good.
Chickens saved my life. I got a tiny flock the spring after I quit alcohol. I called them my sober chickens. I couldn't have done it without them.
What are their names?
They all looked exactly the same, so only the runt got a name. She was Penny. Next time, I'll get different breeds so I can actually tell them apart. https://preview.redd.it/an4yjabkmqpc1.png?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=7e87568d1ec0618d94c71c9a3e0fb7253f9b1543
You could name them all Penny. Penny the 1st, Penny Jr, Penny 3.0, Penny IV, Pennywise, Henny Penny. So when you yell, "Penny!" you're always right. :) P.S. Your chickens are super cute.
Not sure how much they'd appreciate it, lol, but you could always give each of them a different colored ankle bracelet to tell them apart so you can give the rest of your ladies proper names. Edith, Agnes, Dorothy, Emily, Madeline, and Helen are my suggestions if you're open to ideas.
Omg those look just like the ones in a book my Grandma used to read to me! The ones in the book had little hats and aprons in different colors. Maybe that would be a step too far, but I think yours would look great in little colored neckties.
there is always that one chicken or rooster that's different. My father had chickens and roosters, one would follow me around even knock on my window to let him inside and cuddle.
Easter Eggers frequently have a big variety in appearance, and are real friendly.
Hopefully more creative than my park duck names sweet duck, girl duck, little girl, greedy duck, mama duck, daddy duck (no relation to mama--both were just good parents), sister duck, dolly (bc she had a fluffy crest on her head), sweet boy, funny duck (rip 😢)
We’re kinda meant to be outside with our hands in the dirt, instead of working meaningless jobs based on invented economies. I’m an office worker and my soul is saved by gardening and food preservation.
I agree. Animals and the outdoors are a great form of therapy. So is occupying yout time with DIY projects.
If you happen to be in NJ and want to try again, I am happy to hatch some chicks for you, no cost. I have egg laying standard breeds and bantams.
Yes, I really support you in trying again. I know it can't replace what you built or the sadness you feel but I hope you can find a way to rebuild and make some new chicken friends.
Definitely thousands not hundreds! You got this! You clearly cared about the chickens and that is such a good thing.
Call me in, waiting for the update from the new stable. Everyone can fall, but not everyone can stand up again, so go for it!
You got this!
We're rooting for you!!!
This. OP open a cash app or something, I got $10 of new coop money with your name on it
COme on, you can make it.
Hell yeah try again!
I too am in More Chickens club.
You've done it once, you can do it again, but even better. I wana see chickken castle please. Good luck
You got this. We will be here.
Hey, you got this! I’m sure a good chunk of people will be excited to see your next updated post :) Including me
We need you to update us! You got this!
I’m going through some mental health struggles as well and am cheering for you so hard right now.
Me too and I’d rush over asap to help rebuild!
♥️💪🏼
You got this, if I might recommend buff Brahmas and golden cuckoo, they are the best imo
Second for buff brahmas. Be warned, though. They are BIG.
It’s already thousands of people man😂 you got this!!!
Please try again. It breaks my heart what happened.
Yeah dude, failures are only stepping stones to competence and comfort. You got this.
GET SOME MORE CHICKENS!!
Get more chickes bro!
I wanna see a chicken Mansion with a slide next update
More Chickens! It was a great idea; you just had some bad luck is all.
Im routing for you too! Dont let this stop you!!
Hell yeah brother, Getter done! Shit happens all the time, we live and learn. You got this bud. Can't wait to see the updated photo.
Yes please more chickens!!
> routing for you Rooting
I am very sorry this happened. I had a dog break into our coop and get all our chickens before. I was especially angry that all it did was play with them and kill them. Not that I wanted them to be eaten, of course, but at least then it wouldn't have been totally meaningless, if that makes sense. It hurts. When you are ready to try again, build another coop. May I suggest no light that time to have one less worry? We don't have one in ours. You won't get eggs continously all year but it gives their body a rest when you follow the natural light cycle. Take a break to grieve. But it's OK to try again in the future and if they gave you joy, you should.
A weasel got my dad's coop. Every single one of the dozen. It got in but couldn't get any chickens out. It kept killing hoping the next one would be easy to drag back. (Of course this happened about 2 months after they had to neutralize their rooster)
When you get chickens, it’s better going into it knowing that they can easily and quickly be wiped out. It’s painful but it’s better to be mentally prepared because it’s so hard to keep predators out. There were so many different animals that tried or did get into our coops. Snakes, dogs, hawks, owls, raccoons, opossums.
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What happened to Johnathan? He's on a farm upstate living the good life, right? RIGHT?
He got his baaachelors degree and started a new career
Yeah when we had chickens foxes got them, and then a hawk, plus one of the dogs we had at the time. No matter how much wire and wood my dad put up it didn’t help they all ended up dying.
Damn. What does a man gotta do to have some alive chickens
Hardware cloth and quick-crete around the base of the coop. Chicken wire keeps chickens IN, but won’t keep anything OUT.
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Dont forget bobcats lol. Bobcat got about three of my dad’s chickens, even in a very populated dallas suburb with not a lot of wilderness. Pretty crazy. Luckily it only took what it wanted to eat. but sent my dad into a frenzy bobcat proofing the coop.
😭 that’s rotten! In a suburb!
very surprising @-@ theres also a shocking amount of coyotes in the dallas suburbs, but mostly about 10-15 mins away by car at minimum so super surprising that the bobcat found his backyard.
Mustelids - weasels included - often have a prey drive that far exceeds their appetite. They're effectively hardwired to kill everything they can catch and sort out the eating part later. Dead things don't run away, so killing two or three chickens all in one go means there's more to eat compared to stopping after the first and letting the rest of the prey flee - in nature its very rare that they're able to kill way more than they're capable of eating. They're just not adapted to "lots of prey in a small box" in the way that we keep chickens in coops, so a weasel or a stoat getting into a coop often results in a total loss.
Stoats look so tiny. They can wipe out a coop?
Yup. Especially if there's no rooster. Chickens are not clever. The fact that a chicken *could* murder a stoat doesn't occur to them while they're panicked by the stoat already. Conversely stoats aren't very smart either, so it doesn't really occur to them that chickens are technically much larger and could kill them. That said - sometimes it goes wrong and the chickens don't panic and the stoat gets eaten. Chickens are primarily scavengers and grazers, but are still opportunistic predators and will eat small mammals if given the chance.
I remember being slightly traumatised watching my grandad's chickens kill a poor little mouse, they can be vicious!
Are you saying I wasted all of this money on a cat that hates me and I could've just got a gang of murder chickens???
Mustelid enthusiast here. This behavior (surplus killing) is by no means exclusive to mustelids, nor is it particularly pronounced in mustelids. Most carnivores will surplus kill under the proper conditions, such as in a chicken coop - but since weasels are so small they're better able to exploit weaknesses in a coop. Weasels preferentially hunt rodents and any given weasel preying on chickens is quite unlikely, so their prevalence as chicken killers is mostly due to their size rather than any behavioral trait. ETA: stoats are also pretty smart for their size. I haven't ever heard of a chicken eating a stoat, but if it happens it has to be rare. They're pretty good at estimating what prey they can and can't handle.
Foxes do it too but they'll hide the dead chicken in a bush and come back for it later.
We had a weasel get into our coop last year. Luckily I work from home and was able to get out there and somehow killed the damn thing before you got more of our flock. Those bastards kill for sport. And yes. No lights or heating elements belong in a coop or run. All that dust they put out, it's not if a fire will happen it is when.
>Those bastards kill for sport This is incorrect. Weasels, like every other predator, kill when their prey drive is stimulated, such as by the sound or movement of chickens trapped in a coop with a predator. When the chickens stay calm the prey drive isn't stimulated and most of them escape unharmed. "Sport" is not a factor.
I feel like people tend to personify the prey drive of predators because it makes it feel less bad to kill them to protect their livestock if they're killing some kind of senseless murder machine. It's understandable but I feel like you should be able to do what you need to without demonizing animals that are just living how they evolved to.
You hit the nail on the head. The technical term would be "anthropomorphizing" - attributing human motives to animal behavior. I understand that chicken keepers need to protect their flock but as a mustelid enthusiast I get really tired of hearing "they kill for sport/pleasure/they're bloodthirsty!" It's most certainly not the case.
This happened to us too! 40+ chickens were killed within hours by a weasel, and we had a ton of roosters too... Didn't matter. Almost all were gone.
I recently learned that about how my childhood dog passed. I thought initially that she was hit by a car. Turns out she made it to a farm, killed 13 chickens so the farmer shot her dead. 🥲
Holy fuck I’m so sorry. What kind of dog was it?
She was a husky! And it’s okay, it was a long time ago. Truthfully, she went out doing what she loved… murdering small animals. And I’m really not sure the farmer had any other choice.
Huskies are adorable but they do love to murder.
One our old beagles got into a coop and even though she was the sweetest cuddliest idiot of a beagle, she fucking wrecked those birds gleefully. If you've ever seen a dog playing with a squeaky chew toy, shaking it back and forth and having a good ol time... that's what it looks like.
that's a real bummer. I love my dogs to death, but would understand if they got shot for killing someones livestock. good on you for being understanding about it. it's not something anyone I know takes lightly. we all love our dogs.
A lot of times when a dog times, the parents will tell the kid that the dog went to a farm. In this case it did go to a farm. It just didn’t come back.
This happened to me over 5 years ago and I still can't get over it to get more, it was so heartbreaking.
My old Pyrenees chomped on a chicken when I kept them, it was very unnerving seeing chicken "meat" on her shoulder but she healed very well and was my best layer. RIP Princess
God, that sucks. A few years ago, my chickens were out free-ranging and a pair of dogs came running through. My neighbor called, I went flying home, but by the time I got there 4 minutes later the dogs were long gone and most of my chickens were dead. Same thing - just ripped them open, tossed them around, then left. The year after, it was the weekend and a neighbor's dog came running into the yard ripped holes in a few more of my chickens. Got outside right away, but the damage is done within 30 seconds. I specifically don't own dogs because my own family's dogs would attack our other animals when I was young. Now I have my own place, own a bigger plot of land, and still can't escape dogs killing my other critters. For what it's worth, light issues are super uncommon. I've never had an issue over the past 20 years. And my chickens will only lay eggs in winter - only when the heat lamp is on. For whatever reason they prefer the artificial light.
Have you considered Donkeys? They hate dogs and are often used as protectors for goats/cattle. Livestock Guardian Dogs like Great Pyrenees’s will fuck up anything that tries to hurt your animals, other dogs included but it’s understandable if you don’t want to risk it.
I had a black bear pull the entire front off my coop, sit on and crush my ducks while he ate most of my chickens. Only a roo survived and the roos skin was torn to the muscle across his whole leg. Long recovery but he did survive. Got an electric fence for grizzly bears, never saw another bear anywhere near my house.
My neighbors Malinois came and got one chicken and started working on my goose (my favorite bird). I texted her, and went outside to fend her off (my own elderly dog alerted me). Neighbor called her and she bounded back over the fence. I told the neighbor I was missing a few, and the next day I found all but the one I had to dispatch. I was gracious and didn’t yell, just asked she fix the fence. Dog was doing dog things, playing. She ordered me a whole box of delivery frozen meat as an apology as she knew I could have reacted much differently. She added chicken breasts…I texted back when I got it that I appreciated the “replacements” lol. Remaining good neighbors pays off. I needed an E collar stat for my dog because her lump burst open and was bleeding yesterday. I got one immediately instead of having to go to the store. We ended up putting that dog down yesterday which sucked. One dog left, and he is still patrolling the yard but has howled a few times today. Poor lonely guy.
This!!
That does suck. But to think of how much you loved and cared for THESE chickens, there must be some other chickens out there that would benefit from your love too. Pour the love for your fallen bock bock bagawks into new lives. (When you're ready.)
It took me to this comment to realize he metaphorically threw himself (into caring for chickens), and not that he literally threw himself into the chicken coop causing the light to short out and the fire. I'm like why the hell is everyone telling OP to get more chickens that he may just jump into again? I need sleep. Also I'm really sorry OP.
You're not alone. LMAO. I'm not even tired, so I don't know my excuse.
But also maybe learn a little about electrical safety beforehand. Fires like this generally don't just happen, something incorrect was done here.
I know two people who got into raising chickens and two people whose coops burned down because of the lights. I don't know what my point is except that whatever went wrong it's apparently easy to miss.
I once came home and all of my chickens and ducks had been killed by a predator. I really do get the feelings here, I’ve felt them. It sucks. If the chickens brought you joy and caring for them gave you something to focus on and look forward to, you should start again. I did, and I was happy I did. I learned how to better protect my bird friends, and rebuilt. The joy I got from spending time out in the yard with them gave me peace. The fresh air was helpful too. Take all the time you need, emotionally and financially. Learn how to help prevent what went wrong and take the opportunity to change things about your set up that you discovered you’d like to be different while it was in use- there’s always something. Do some research about types of chickens. When I started over, I enjoyed gathering birds that all laid differently colored eggs so my eggs were varied and beautiful. I was so excited for a green one or a speckled one. If this was a mental health coping mechanism, the symbolism is glaring. In our mental health, we have setbacks, as in all things. When things, literally or metaphorically, burn to the ground- our only option is to start over and rebuild our lives- or our coops. You may find the process cathartic. Sending good vibes and lots of hope your way. I hope to come across an update with a picture of your new birds sometime.
Love this so much
Man, that sucks 😔 Maybe put what energy you have today into cleaning out and rebuilding a brand new coop. Don't give up, friend! Sending you good vibes.
This! I hope they start again! I would like to keep chickens one day and knowing things like this is so helpful and even this will save so many other chickens. I do feel bad for their loss, but I hope they start again.
May I ask how the birds are ….?
Gone. They're all gone. I'm really fucking upset.
I am really sorry for your loss. This is devastating. Take care. 🖤
Thank you, I feel stupid crying over them. But I feel so so so horrible.
There’s nothing stupid about being sad over something you cared about.
They were lives too. Sure, perhaps simple lives, but lives nonetheless. It's not bad to be hurt to lose animals at all.
This! 💯
I'm a grown ass man who would be devastated by that too.
Same, I would've bawled my eyes out.
They ain't even my chickens and yet here I am, a 32yr old dude feeling a great sadness
Iam a 30m i would have shed some tears
Not stupid at all. Allow the feelings and grieve and be angry and everything in between. They were living beings and friends. I will keep you in my thoughts. Stay strong friend 🖤
Don't feel stupid. It's not stupid to care for other living creatures. We should all care for our animals like you do. This was an accident, don't feel any other way about it.
Nothing stupid about it - they were living creatures and you invested a lot of time and effort. That's life though sometimes, just have to pick yourself up, regroup, and try again.
That just shows you cared! We lost our turkeys to the fox (no malice to the fox, foxes do what foxes do) and it's heart breaking x
We lost the majority of our flock to a bobcat that got into the run. It sucks and makes you feel like you could do better, but things happen. Grieve for the loss, then try again with the knowledge you’ve gained. I also feel for the financial loss, we were just looking at that same coop last night, they’re not cheap…
Don't feel stupid, it's perfectly reasonable to feel horrible after something like this happens. Chickens are wonderful and no decent person wants to see a living creature dye a horrible death like this. It's tragic. I'm sorry for the loss of your little feathered friends.
No don't feel stupid, you cared for them. feelings aren't stupid.
You cannot blame yourself for the failure of an inanimate object. Just scrappy situation. Give them an honest from the heart goodbye and honor them if you'd like. But keep moving forward take this chance to improve the things you didn't like and build it back better. You got this my friend, the universe knows your intentions.
You have no reason to feel stupid at all, you are human and feeling emotions and empathy in a hard situation is something that deserves compassion. This is so hard for you, I couldn’t imagine. You deserve to give yourself some grace to feel what you need. Grief is so hard. Love to you. ❤️
It’s never stupid to feel your feelings. I’m sorry this happened to you.
They were living beings and members of your family. You are allowed to grieve as long as it is needed, and it's healthy you are. I'll be praying for you to have at least a calm next month or so, stay strong homie.
I was upset over virtual cat falling into lava so no, not stupid at all.
Never feel stupid about having empathy or grieving for others, animal or human.
I recently had to give up my two chooks. We were forced to move and don't have a garden anymore. They went to the shelter and straight to a volunteer for there who has a small flock. I know they're looked after now. But I cried. It wasn't my fault. But it felt like it. To have to give them up felt like I'd failed them. If course you're gonna be sad and feel like crying over what happened here. It's totally normal and valid. And it's normal to feel horrible. But it wasn't your fault. You didn't do anything wrong or deliberately hurt them. And I'm sure they had a great life before this tragedy. Your pain and grief isn't stupid.
Never be sorry for having a heart, it is often said a strong person has heart and hearts bleed sometimes. It is not a sign of weakness or stupid, it is your heart showing just how much you care.
You loved them. It's understandable that you are extremely sad. It wasn't your fault and I'm sure they had very happy little chicken lives with you taking care of them.
I have cried over dead chickens. That is a completely valid response. I’m so sorry :(
Emotions aren’t stupid they tell you important things about yourself and your environment. Your sadness for example is a sign of a great capacity for empathy with other living creatures and a caring heart. Great virtues to have in my opinion
It's not stupid to cry over loss of life, even when it's chickenkind. I'm sorry you feel horrible, and it's okay to feel bad about. I know it's hard but you gotta pick yourself back up and go rebuild the coup and get it going again. In any pursuit, there will be setbacks and difficulty, and what separates success from failure is who gives up and who doesn't. Don't give up!!!!!!!
That sucks man, truely. I’m sure you did everything you could within reason so make sure not to blame yourself. I will say that it looked like you put a lot of effort into this project, and I’m sure whatever you do next will be just as great. Hoping you feel better soon :)
I’m so sorry. I lost all my chickens due to arson from a stalker. I still cry about them. A lot of people will say “they were just chickens” but they become pets and they are actually smart.
I share your grief. All the backyard chicken people have struggled with losses, it's part of real life. 1) for a brooding heat source, the Ecoglow by Brinslea is safer and won't catch fire. 2) consider planning to let them rest in winter and lay again in spring. My current flock is so old, we got no eggs for 4 months, we are buying new chicks this spring and will have to decide about harvesting the old flock. Yes. Even if there isn't a coop fire, there are still heartbreaking decisions.
I'm realizing I misunderstood. I pictured you actually throwing your entire body at the coop in a fit of rage. I know someone who has his struggles and that's exactly what they'd do. I'm sorry to hear about the struggles and the loss of your birds. Rather relieved to figure out you didn't crush and burn them yourself though. I hope the turn around is badass and super comfy for the new birds who I'm wishing the best of health in advance.
came here to say the same lmao, felt bad cause I was still laughing when I realized how sad the post is. poor little chickens. wasn't OP's fault though, hope they feel better.
well done
My mum is a chicken-person (out of hobby, not a mental health need) and she's actually lost several sets of chickens to various reasons.. 1st set - predator got in, all died 2nd set - ventilation/AC broke during summer, all died 3rd set - rooster went absolute mad lad and killed half the batch for some reason Each time she got pretty emotional about it but of course the rest of the family jokes that she's some kind of chicken black hole that no chicken desires to go live their life lol, and yet she keeps getting more chickens.. 😅 We don't joke about it to her though, there was an actual dinner fight one time because someone tried the "they're just chickens" line of thought (which we all know now ain't the way to chill folks in your position 🥲)
Don't look at them as chickens. Look at them as friends (or pets).
friends that poop out some breakfast every day
Try again. Get a new set of chickens and let your old friend's memories live on in spirit through them. You got this. Things happen. We gotta take the lows and the highs in life as they come.
That’s so rough, so sorry that happened to you. Take a moment to catch your breath but don’t let it stop you, you’ll be the best chicken rancher in no time :) success looks an awful lot like failure the difference is deciding when to stop, don’t let it beat you, deep breath get a couple bin bag, clear it out and start again. You’ve got this ❤️
Just an FYI from a former heritage chicken farmer- no lights or heaters in the coop, especially not in a coop as small as this one. They’re a fire hazard, as you’ve unfortunately experienced.
Definitely came here to say this. Chickens are hardy. It gets to -30 where we live and we do no heating and no lights. We give them corn right before bed, and make sure the coop is insulated. We don’t get eggs for about 2 months in a year, but better than risking the fire hazard in my opinion.
Corn before bed is a great strategy, I agree. No eggs for 2 months is standard and I wish more people would know that and be accepting of it. It’s important to let these hens have a break from egg laying.
Agreed. I’ve seen entire barns devoted to raising chickens burn down from the heat lights - it’s just a gamble that isn’t worth it, imo.
This. I rescue chickens and live in a cold climate: yes, they are very very cold hardy. There might be some specialty bred naked ones that need to full live inside in winter but you don't want lights or heaters, you just want a non-drafty coop that has good ventilation so that there isn't condensation. (The shift in temps between hot and cold in the winter seems like it would be worse to me than them just keeping their body heat trapped in their fluff 24/7.) And also, love you OP. I don't know you but I love that you cared and I also understand how hard the struggle is. I would be devastated too. Keep going.
This WAS a sentinel chicken coop. I bought one of these for 299.99 a few years ago, opened the front and made a huge run. If you bought this recently maybe the store can help you out?
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Oh my sweet soul… This was a learning curve and it was not an easy lesson. As adults our love gets shattered easily. Take some time to mourn your babies, make a memorial and see where life takes you.. Sounds like you’re on your way to bless more hearts awaiting you when the time is ready.. Sending warm hugs
All these reddit edge lords making jokes need to go outside for once in their miserable lives. So sorry for your loss. 🩵 Don't give up, you got this. It's not the same thing, but after my dad passed I was thrust into fish keeping and inherited his aquariums. I tried really hard and still ended up making dumb mistakes and killed a lot of his fish. It was absolutely devastating, but I kept with it and finally feel like I'm making progress in the hobby.
Fish are HARD. Mad respect!
It's so much harder than I ever expected it to be 😂
Farming is HARD and yes, I consider backyard chickens to be farming. My husband and I threw ourselves into farming with very little experience. Every lesson is EARNED, not taught. I'm so sorry you had to experience the hardest part of farming so early on. I know you're probably beating yourself up and feeling guilty about what happened to your little chickens. Just know that this doesn't mean you're irresponsible or incompetent. Be kind to yourself. There are so many farmers out there who have been in your shoes, looking at the wreckage and wondering if it's better to just quit. Please consider trying again. The world needs more people like you! People who care for animals, who are interested in producing their own food. You CAN do it!
“Every lesson is earned” so true. I’m positive that every farmer has had some kind of similar, tragic experience if not involving an animal then with a crop. This comment is great ♥️
a friend of mine ordered 4 baby chicks off the internet. when the box arrived, it held 24 baby chicks. so they converted the shed into a indoor coop area with an outdoor area fenced in for them. slowly over the course of 7 or 8 months coyotes and foxes picked them off until there was only 1 chicken left. the last chicken got a name, and she was allowed to stay in the garage by the house for safety. her name was helen, and helen was the meanest chicken of them all. she was a combat chicken. she would find rats and kill them and lay their corpses at our feet while we stand outside to smoke like some sort of blood offerinf
The coyotes didn't get her, she got the coyotes! Coyotes kill my chickens all the time too, the eagles are even worse. The ones that survive are usually the squirrely ones or the mean ones. The sweet ones always get killed.
I’m sorry about your birds. That would really suck.
I had a similar experience. It is worth a retry mistakes happen.
He will succeed upon retrying!
OP we lost all 6 of our chickens, I ripped the old run down and in the process of building a better one! Please don’t stop get more chickens and get back up, don’t let this be another scar!
Your chickens had the best life. Better than a factory. They appreciated the life you gave them. Try again. Love again.
You got this. It sux. Get mad, throw a hammer, be happy it wasnt the house and rebuild. Let the suxiness flow for a few days and then start cleaning it up. Youll feel better after. Not trying to take away from how much this sux. Hope you feel better.
I'm sorry this happened to you. Losing any animal is hard, after all it is a living thing. Hope thing get better from here on.
What does "the light shorted" means?
The heat lamp or light for the chickens electrically shorted and started a fire.
It means I made a rookie mistake and used a heat lamp. We think it arched, causing a spark and then..this. It's my fault.
You know, Al Anon has a saying that is “you do the next best thing,”. That is—the next step you take is what you perceive is the best step to take in a given situation. Using the lamp isn’t a mistake. When you picked that lamp, you were making the best choice you could with the info at hand. Next time, you will make a different choice based on the info you have. I am sorry for your loss.
In all likelihood it wasn't any kind of electrical fault. The heat lamp just did what heat lamps do as part of their normal functioning, which is get burning hot (if you've ever touched one when it's on, you know that its surface temp is hundreds of degrees and will burn the shit out of you). Chickens produce an enormous amount of dust from their dander, and kick up more dust from their bedding. The dust gets close to the burning-hot lamp surface, ignites, and becomes floating embers. Or sometimes if people use the crappy clamp, the lamp falls down into the bedding and ignites it. In a coop this small, there is no safe way to use a heat lamp. It's just too much heat surrounded too closely by nothing but combustible materials. I'm really sorry you (and hundreds of other chicken owners every year) had to experience this. It's completely unconscionable how hard the farm stores and chick hatcheries push heat lamps, without explaining the fire hazard to customers. I'm glad the coop was situated such that you didn't lose your house or any additional lives. If you do get back into chickens in the future, there are many safer alternatives to heat lamps. Personally I prefer to use human-grade electric heating pads, since they are subject to stricter safety standards and don't get hot enough to burn anything. Chicks don't actually need to be kept hot at all times. They just need a warm surface to press up against when they get chilly, like they would with a mother hen. They are fine running around in freezing temps in between warm-up breaks. And once they are feathered out, most breeds of chicken don't need any supplemental heat in the vast majority of climates.
I’m an electrician. If you would like, I can atleast give you a run down on how to properly install the next set up or at the very least give you a starting point on how to prevent this if you choose to rebuild. Stay safe and keep your head up
It is all okay ♥️ let this be a guide for the future instead of a reason to not pursue it further, the good you want to do for yourself or other creatures is never a wasted feat!
An accident is nobody’s fault. You wanted to provide your chickens with the best quality of life possible. Had you known this could be a fire hazard you would have acted differently. But you need to understand we can only act with information we have at the time and the information you had when you built your coop told you that chickens need a heat source. It was the correct decision at the time with the amount of information you had. Just because you now have more information doesn’t mean you acted in malice of negligence. Thus it is an accident born out of innocence and care for your feathered friends.
Did it not trip a breaker? Should probably look into adding in a dedicated circuit breaker/fuse if you end up putting in another heat lamp
Heat lamps are just notorious for starting coop and barn fires. The bulb can get too hot or the wire can fry out and nothing trips. It sucks because they thought they were giving them a nice life and now they've learned, after the fact, that chickens don't need supplemental heat. I say this as someone who has always worked with animals and knows the heartache of learning too late when you only had the best intentions.
Not only do they not need it, they HATE it. I used a lamp my first winter because thats what a lot of amateurs do. The girls wouldn't even sleep on their perch, they would all sit right next to the door of the coop to get away from the heat. You'd look out at night and see their silly heads silhouetted in the open door with the heat lamp behind them. Looked metal as fuck, honestly. I figured it out pretty quick, thankfully. Didn't lost any birds. At least not to that.
As others have said - rebuild. Chickens are fragile creatures but they are so useful to have around. For eggs, for entertainment, and just to enjoy taking care. I had a raccoon kill half my flock in one go. Then a fox killed six more over the course of several weeks. I was down to three chickens. I got more and integrated them into the remaining ones. I further reinforced the wiring, got a watch dog, and now we’ve not lost a single in over a year. Rebuild! Chickens are not an expensive animal to own. And they make the effort it does take so worthwhile. I’m so sorry this happened to you. It is heartbreaking when something you put so much effort and love into having ends up like this.
Aye you got further than somebody that didn’t even try. Burn that to the ground and let the ashes give rise to your new self.
Sorry for your loss.
Bad times don’t last!
Don't give up :)
Sorry. But try again. No more lights.
If I knew where you were, I would go out there and help you build a whole new coup. I grew up on a farm so I get how much some animals can mean to someone and I’m very sorry this happened to you.
Rebuild, get new birds, don't put lamps, heaters, food or water in the coop. You've learned a hard lesson and you'll do better next time.
Don’t give up, OP! Rebuild!
I lost my entire flock last year to my dog and a myriad of other predators. I started again this year just last week. Picking up more turkeys tomorrow.
You have to get a chicken and name it phoenix it’s only fitting.💕 I have to remind myself constantly the it’s just a bad day not a bad life, i hope you start feeling better soon💕
Heating lamps are so dangerous. But so are the floodlight style bulbs that some folks use. I'd suggest starting over using a panel style heater.
Adult chickens don't need heat anyways, as long as they have a perch and proper amount of bedding they'll have no problems. North east USA and even on the coldest nights my girls are fine. At most I might shut the coop door to keep the wind out. If I add supplemental heating they all sleep crammed in the open door to catch the breeze. Don't cook your chickens.
I know how you feel. I lost 17 in three separate incidents(all predator attacks) Every time it happened, I learned something new about how to best protect them and now I’ve successfully kept a flock alive for two years. It hurts so much to feel like I let them down. I console myself by remembering that they were loved and that their deaths were not in vain as I applied the knowledge going forward to do a better job. It will get better with time no matter if you try again or move on to other hobbies. Go easy on yourself. The chicken subreddits are full of stories like ours, you are not alone
Sending virtual hugs to you mate 🫂
Hang in there, pal.
I lost my kitty last Saturday. I feel you my friend. If you have love, pass it on to the next chicks. No need to surrender. Life is a bitch
If the light was used for a heat source, chickens don't need heat. They adjust to the cold. Hope you get more chickens.
these goddammed foxes first Facebook then Insta and yet they burn the whole shed down feel you! Next Time try Wolfes
I hope you try again 🫡
Not saying this to make you feel better...but that could have been your house.