They are a beautiful group of birds; composed of Black Stars, Rhode Island Reds, and Americaunas. Click the image below for a short video clip getting acquainted with their bucket feeder and the water dispenser (diy coming soon).
With the birds in, the co-op members are very motivated to work together and care for the flock. We divvied up the daily chores for weeks and months to come. We're using a shared Google calendar to manage our time, share egg counts, and record daily reports.
We'd been told to expect the birds to enter a state of relocation shock which would stall egg production for a week or two. To our happy surprise, the hens seemed to have settled in fairly quickly and the eggs are trickling in. Here is an image of the first egg, produced sometime on day 2.
Immediately after the incident, I and another co-op member performed thorough inspections of each bird. Three hens were injured, and as of the publishing of this post they seem
to be recovering well. Each is missing feathers and dealing with some minor related abrasions and swelling. I fear one may not make it, as she appears to have sustained more traumatic injuries. We've been cleaning their wounds and watching them carefully since.
We were extremely fortunate that it wasn't worse, but it was a tragedy nonetheless. Just as the flock was settling in their new home was terrorized by a predator. As a result, whatever comfort level they'd gained in those first 4 days was surely erased.
The real tragedy is that the event could have been prevented. It wasn't the dog's fault that the gate contained a weakness (now shored up). Inadequate planning and our own ignorance led the near destruction of our new flock.
I am disappointed in myself and embarrassed by my lack of adequate foresight. We imagined external predators and made preparations against the likes of coyote, fox, and birds of prey. I for one, had not considered the ranch dogs a threat. That was a mistake met with violent consequences. But, we've learned from this mistake - which is why I felt it was appropriate to add this story to the RECESS record.
Stay vigilant. Evaluate your environment for every point of weakness, then check again. The least obvious threat may be the most likely - and it may be staring you right in the face.
