# Drowning, snake kill, heat death -- NOT a good day



## Lil-patch-of-heaven (Jun 19, 2010)

Just want to vent a little I guess. Out of nearly 100 animals, we've rarely lost any. So I don't know why it has to happen all at once. 

First we discovered a half-grown goose drowned in a couple inches of water. I just moved them into an outside coop this week so in the process of training them, I've let them have a little food and water in the outside coop. I had considered pulling it last night (mostly because they dirty the food pan too much, but they generally finish the food within minutes so it's not too much to worry over). Anyway, I changed my mind and gave them the food and water and now I wish I hadn't. 

Immediately after that I discovered a silkie in their coop that had been killed by a snake. It was dead and the head and neck were apparently swallowed but the snake couldn't get the shoulders. So at least I know it's a snake. We checked and rechecked the coop SO carefully, sealed all knotholes with hardware cloth covering, put spay-in filler in every gap we could find. And every night before I lock the coop I take a flashlight and search it carefully for any snake that might have entered during the day. Still, there must be a hole somewhere we missed and I'm down another silkie. 

Then we found one of the Cali kits dead. They are 4 weeks old today. I'm guessing it was heat. They are in deep shade and well-ventilated, and had a frozen 2-liter bottle. Full water bottle. I am obsessive about keeping water for them. Maybe I need to cycle up to 3 bottles a day. I'm going to need another freezer just for rabbit ice bottles. 

I guess it's just not a good day for me. Dealing with some family issues too that are really difficult for me. I wanna just go back to bed and start over except I know that won't help. 

Thanks for letting me vent. At least my cats are happy at the moment. I made them a new catnip toy earlier and they are both zonked from it.


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## DonnaBelle (Jun 19, 2010)

Well, good grief, what next??  I can relate, I'm about 200 mi. North of Dallas in cool, clear OKlahoma.  Ha, we only got to 96 today.

I know about snakes, we had a big black rat snake in the hen house last week.  It killed two of my Buff Orpington pullets.  We too had a hole we hadn't caulked up.  DH built the kind of nests that stick out the side of the hen house, there was a gap at the top of one end. 

I'm sorry for your losses.  When you put a lot of time in with these animals, as we know a person must, if they are to be healthy and comfortable, it really hurts to lose one.

I'm thinking about you, hoping for you to find that d**m hole.

DonnaBelle


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## ksalvagno (Jun 19, 2010)

Sorry for you losses. It hurts no matter what. I hope things improve for you.


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## michickenwrangler (Jun 20, 2010)

What an awful day


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## lupinfarm (Jun 20, 2010)

I know how you feel.  We left my brother over the weekend to go to St. Jacobs and when we came back he had lost one of the dogs (she'd been out OVERNIGHT, a tiny poodle), who we found later on by the house scared and skinny. He had lost a chicken, she has not come back so is now pronounced dead (we have a pesky skunk that keeps coming by, thoughts are he took her off since he dug up baldyhen's grave) and no one had been fed in 2 days. 

Needless to say, we're interviewing farm sitters.


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