Chook n Boo Mum Posted September 4, 2009 Share Posted September 4, 2009 the children have never been shielded from pet deaths and have always helped with grave digging where appropriate If I can give you a light hearted image at a sad time. When Snowy, my , died I was about 5ish years old - might not even have been that. So I 'helped' my Dad to dig a massive deep hole to bury him in. Dad went to the shed to get Snowy, who had been lovingly placed in a box with a carrot to help him on his journey. I remained at the graveside. Dad came back to find a pair of wellies flapping like mad from inside the grave. I had, obviously, inspected the grave site too intensely and fell into it head first and was frantically trying to right myself. I think I had a thing for going head first - I fell down the loo head first when I was a baby and my Dad was involved then. But that is a story for another time and another place. We have a similar tale............When DH was digging the grave for Gemma our old Lab, it had to be 6ft deep.......DH (5ft 11 & 1/2 ) was in the bottom, levelling out the base so we could line it with slates as per Tulip, and the phone rang.........my stepson wanted to speak to his Dad.....who couldn't get out of the beautiful straight sided hole, dug by the engineer in DH............tearful hysterics ensued and we still chuckle about it now Sha x Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Julia W Posted September 4, 2009 Share Posted September 4, 2009 I's so sorry. I agree with Griffin, call the police. I really can't see it can have been the fox that took the door off. These thugs need to be dealt with. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Julia W Posted September 4, 2009 Share Posted September 4, 2009 Sorry, I hadn't read the post where you found out what happened. These things do happen and no one is to blame, none of us are perfect and we all make mistakes. It could happen to any one of us. So sorry for you loss. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chucky Mama Posted September 4, 2009 Share Posted September 4, 2009 Oh no, poor OH, he must feel awful. As least you know now though, it would have been very disturbing not to have had a definative explanation for what happened. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Forge Cottage Posted September 4, 2009 Share Posted September 4, 2009 Sorry to hear about this disaster. With my Tracker hat on: Our eglu door handle is very stiff. A small child could not open it, but perhaps some are not so stiff? Try your handle again - is it very loose? If it was opened by a fox (and I doubt), there would be claw and teeth marks all around the door and handle, possibly all over on the eglu surface too. Are there? If not, it was a human, (maybe followed by a fox later). If a human yob opened the door and discarded it, they would very probably also reach inside to touch the chickens, probably then take them out. The chickens would not normally jump out that way on their own. While they had hold of a bird, they might throw it up over a fence etc - very unlikely to put it back in. If you threw a chicken like this, it would flap and land in a heap, but probably survive and hide under something. I would ask all the neighbouring properties if they have seen anything unusual in their garden today... Thinking of feathers, items moved to climb fences, deep footprints where someone landed. Yobs are not very bright and leave sign all over the place. Try in the direction of their house - as they would go back the same way. The fewer signs, the more likely it is human. I hope you find out what happened... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Forge Cottage Posted September 4, 2009 Share Posted September 4, 2009 Doh! sorry I did not see your explanation post either. So it was a bit of both... Don't feel bad. I am sure we have ALL done similar silly things - and just got away with it. I know I have. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BocBoc Posted September 4, 2009 Author Share Posted September 4, 2009 Steve has now tidied up the garden and Eglu - the body is triple bagged and in the black wheelie bin (I rang the vet and checked this was ok to do) along with another bag of feathers and a random wing found half buried One of the girls had already laid an egg and it was unharmed in the nesting box - Steve brought it in for me - then I cried. It's a sad loss but we are now planning the purchase of replacements :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ness3103 Posted September 4, 2009 Share Posted September 4, 2009 i'm sooo sorry to hear about your girls hope you manage to get some new ones soon to help ease the pain Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ain't Nobody Here Posted September 4, 2009 Share Posted September 4, 2009 I'm so sorry to hear about your girls . Lmao's egg was just added to the Egg Leader Board too . It's good (in a way) that you know what happened but I hope your OH doesn't feel too bad, these things happen . Good luck getting some new girls to help you get over this . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cooks Posted September 4, 2009 Share Posted September 4, 2009 so sorry Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redranger Posted September 4, 2009 Share Posted September 4, 2009 It's such an easy mistake to make, it's a shame the consequences were so horrific. Your poor husband must be feeling awful, but it was an accident and one, I'm sure, that won't be made again. What a horrible day you've had - but glad you're looking to the future and some new ones Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eggalp Posted September 4, 2009 Share Posted September 4, 2009 sorry to hear about this - its awful. We buried our Ginger in the garden in a fairly deep hole in the lawn. We put her in a cardboard box with lots of straw and a lid on and sprinkled some garden lime on top, then put a patio flag on top of that before filling back up with soil and turf. I have just bought some early daffodill bulbs to plant where she is. It happened in march an im still gutted, its such a terrible thing. alison Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ms Tilytinkle Posted September 4, 2009 Share Posted September 4, 2009 Sooo sorry such a wee mistake has lead to such devastation. So sorry for yours & Steve's loss. Poor guy he must be feeling awful too - hugs for him too. When one of ours died our daughter was so upset she couldnt bare the thought of her Emily going anywhere but burried in her home!!! So we dug a MASSIVE DEEP, VERY VERY DEEP hole & lay, in a sheet, poor Emily. With a little daughter made headstone on top. Sorry again for your loss, those new chooks will have much love waiting for them & a lovley home. Ms Tillysthoughtsandprayerswithyouall. RIPdearlittlechooks PS Emily laid us an egg before she died, it is heartbreaking looking at it I empathise wholly. it makes it all the more special. Huge hugs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Plum Posted September 4, 2009 Share Posted September 4, 2009 Terrible news, I am so sorry. xx Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Headchicken Posted September 5, 2009 Share Posted September 5, 2009 I'm so sorry for your loss. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Staffordmum Posted September 5, 2009 Share Posted September 5, 2009 Our thoughts are with you & yours Kind rgds, Pat & Steve Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hilda-and-evadne Posted September 5, 2009 Share Posted September 5, 2009 It's a sad loss but we are now planning the purchase of replacements :) Yes, do. It is such an easy mistake to make - I know that once or twice I have forgotten to fasten the egg port door and got away with it probably only because the eglu sits on a platform about 18 inches above the ground. Put it down to experience. Looking forward to seeing pictures of your new hens. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BocBoc Posted September 5, 2009 Author Share Posted September 5, 2009 Steve here - thanks for all your kind words. I'm gutted about it, more for the chickens' sake than ours (obviously we're upset, but not as upset as the girls were when Mr Fox popped his head in the Eglu) but at least they were killed and not half mauled, and like others have said, at least it wasn't a person that did it. We're going to a place near Burton tomorrow to see if we can get some more chickens - they'll never replace ROFL (she was my favourite) but it's so quiet here without the girls and every time I look in the garden there's an empty Eglu Annie cried buying eggs in Asda this morning :( Anyone used these guys: http://www.sunnysidepoultry.co.uk/ We've called them with a view to looking at some chicks (I hate the word 'pullets') and they seem pretty good - the chickens are all vaccinated and tracable, they won't sell less than two at a time because they're sociable animals and some of the descriptions have obviously been written by someone who loves chickens - I guess we'll see tomorrow. Any experience of the breeds Black Star, White Star and Amber Star? Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
urbanchick Posted September 5, 2009 Share Posted September 5, 2009 Good for you getting new girls, it will help you put this horrible and unfortunate experience behind you. I've bought new chickens twice in the last few months and I would suggest you take a really good look at the beaks before accepting a bird. Alot of the hens coming from Europe are being quite severely debeaked and if they are left ragged or split, then further damage might occur down the line. The hens you have listed are from Meadowsweet, where I bought 3 hens recently. Their beaks were all trimmed to varying degrees and I thought I'd got the best ones but a chunk fell off the beak of one of them a few weeks later. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BocBoc Posted September 5, 2009 Author Share Posted September 5, 2009 Okey dokey - thanks for that top tip. Has anyone used Merrydale Poultry? Or can anyone recommend a poultry supplier in the East Midlands? Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Egluntyne Posted September 5, 2009 Share Posted September 5, 2009 White Stars are reputed to be a tad skittish. I have and Amber Link which is much the same as the Amber Star, and she is lovely. Very placid. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hillfamily Posted September 5, 2009 Share Posted September 5, 2009 So sorry to hear of your sad loss White Stars are reputed to be a tad skittish. I have and Amber Link which is much the same as the Amber Star, and she is lovely. Very placid. My Belle is an Amber Star and she is the friendliest chook I have ever had. She loves her cuddles and follows me everywhere :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
siriradha Posted September 5, 2009 Share Posted September 5, 2009 My heart just aches for you! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
debbier Posted September 5, 2009 Share Posted September 5, 2009 Has anyone used Merrydale Poultry? Or can anyone recommend a poultry supplier in the East Midlands? I've been there for some supplies, but not birds. I think others have used them on this forum: might be worth a search. Make sure they are open before you go: I'd definitely ring first to check. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Redwing Posted September 5, 2009 Share Posted September 5, 2009 Merrydale have a very good reputation Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
