#stressed_out_wolf

So we just moved less than two months ago we are on week 5 of being in the house. But anyways the animals are getting annoying

We had 12 chickens, and 6 so far have been carried away by coyotes in broad daylight, and it's really frustrating, the chickens are fenced in but jump over the fence and we don't know how to clip wings. Then the deer are eating all of the chicken food they go in the pen and in the chicken house, knock everything over and eat the food, the coyotes also took my cat who was under a year old, and she's dead, she was so sweet, and I really miss her, and yesterday my rabbit just died, he wasn't old, he had plenty of food, and water, so I'm not sure what happened. It's just really frustrating and stressful, because I'm now always worried I'm going to go to bed and something is going to be missing in the morning.

Shit, I'm sorry Wolf. Hope you can do something soon. Sounds very stressful and sad.

Thanks, it's sad, but I'm out in the country so it is what it is.

Wing clipping is pretty easy. The primary feathers on bird wings are pretty beginner friendly to identify, too. I recommend looking up a video on YouTube

For the chickens, make their fenced in area covered. They can go in and out, and it's tall enough for a person to enter to clean the pen. You can also clip the wings. YouTube has plenty of videos to show how to do it. You also want to make the chicken coop near predator proof. Meaning Cyotes can't dig under to get at them. You'll still get rat snake eating eggs and chicks most likely, but the bigger predators if you proof your coop won't be able to get them. Also sounds like you need a more secure place to keep the chicken feed to keep the deer out of it. Once again I stress a covered coop/run for the chickens and a strong lock box for the feed.

The bunny was probably stressed about the move. It happens sadly. I had two guniea pigs that died from stressful moving.

As for your cat I'm sorry to hear it got taken away by a coyote. This is one of the reasons why I stress keeping cats indoors. Or if you let them outside you stay with them or build a catio that offers some protection from things like this.

It sucks that this is happening to you, but living in the country things like this do happen, but there are things that you can do that can help prevent or lessen some of these things.

Yes here in England we also have to make chicken coops up real high. The chickens climb a ladder up to roost (their wings are clipped). You then take that ladder away and the foxes/rats can't get at them or their eggs.

Go into your local town and put up an advert for help. I bet there are a dozen kindly experts keen to help out e.g. teaching wing clipping, and make new friends. Or maybe join a local small holding group / co-op that meets once a month.

It's hard. The deer and rabbits and pigeons here will eat all your veg unless it it is defended.

However attacks on cats is unknown. Feeling for you.

It is easier in town, weirdly.

Ok so I have a update on Animals:
One bad thing I had to give up my goats which really hurt, I really miss them, but they went to the best home I could have possibly given them.

As for the chickens, I watched a tutorial with my dad and saw you clip the wings on one side to throw them off balence, this worked for a day and now they are getting out again, we are going to try and make the fence higher, but we might lose our chickens this week since we are going on vaction, and the lady taking care of them probably won't be able to crawl under bushes and herd them back inside.