This morning I found total carnage around the chicken coop.  I know who the culprit was and while I am mad at her I can’t say that she is completely at fault.  My trusty yellow lab, Pico, finally figured things out.  You see, Sarah has been in charge of collecting eggs every afternoon and Pico knows that he can stick his head in the nest box and gobble one up while Sarah tries to keep him away.  Pico has acquired a taste for eggs and decided to open the nest box on his own last night.  Unfortunately with the box shred apart it gave opportunity for the birds to get out.  The chase ensued and now half of my birds are now dead.  Most were just ripped apart and feathers were everywhere.  I spent a good 20 minutes collecting as many carcass parts as possible.  I temporarily sealed the pen up and will get it more secured when I get home tonight.  It really was a shame because I had a descent rooster that was not overly annoying and I was looking forward to hatching eggs this winter.  I am now down to 3 hens and 2 turkeys.  I am going to try and find another rooster around here so I can get back on that breeding plan.  I am going to seal up the external nest box and have the hens use the buckets in the coop for now.

 

I have not had a chance to purchase a light for the coop yet and may modify my plan and use a CF light instead.  It will require moving the coop on my back porch for the winter but that may not be a totally bad thing since it will be more protected from the fierce Kansas winds and the house may actually keep it warmer too.

Sorry to hear about your bird loss. Our old dog loves to steal and egg or two but hasn't bothered any birds. When I was growing up...if a dog ever got the taste of a bird...it always had to go...my grandpa said they'd always have the taste..if it's a young dog...they probably were only playing and then got carried away... Hope you find a rooster...too bad we are so far away...I have about 8 I need to find new homes for...