Today is a sad,sad day for me. I spent last night tossing and turning after finding out yesterday that my Roo ( Pretty dude) got bird napped. My first instinct was to deny the fact that someone would do such a thing. I have other Roos, they're all siblings so they get along. In the pack of Roos, I have (Smells like Chicken, Silky Clone the 3rd, Ugly dude, Paco and Pretty dude) Pretty dude was by far the best looking one, hence the nickname.
All my birds put themselves to bed on their own side of the coop, I have 3 sections there for all my bird friends. Top shelf, it's open and roomy, with plenty of leg room for those active roos. They have hay and perching areas, the entire coop is made out of pine because I read that cedar is toxic for them. The interior is dark and the doors close shut with handles and generic latches.
The bottom shelf is filled with hay and nest boxes for my cute hens that love laying eggs on the top shelf instead. The right side of the coop is open to the elements with enclosed with chicken wire and a door. I keep my young ones there during the day when the hens are raising them. Now, I just keep Ivanna and Frizolandia there, they were loosing too many feathers from getting mounted by Paco, so I decided to separated them until their feather grew.
Well, Someone (thief) came into my backyard from the front side gate. The gate is always closed but it doesn't have a lock or anything. They(he/she,they) opened the coop and one of my black frizzles escaped running loose in my backyard over the night. Like I said, the girls, hens live downstairs and the roos live on the top part of the coop. Then the person(s) open the top and specifically selected Pretty dude and left.
Needless to say, I feel violated that someone anyone would break into my house, backyard in the middle of the night and help themselves to my chickens. I particularly feel bad that I don't have closure as to the final place for my roo. I don't know what the person's intentions were. IF they wanted him to use him for food, or as a pet, or to use in in fighting, or sacrifice it. I don't know and that's is killing me. I know, I care too much for these fowls but they're also my responsibility. IT's my fault that they're so tame and docile even the roos. They come to meet me and perch on my arm while i feed them. I know I have no control of what others are going to do.
I wish I thought he flew away but he doesn't fly, he stays by the coop the whole time. He was very protective of Ivanna and Frizolandia. I was going to let him have them after the feathers were grown but he never got to mate them. He was a sweet Roo, he always came when I called his named and now he's gone for good.
I asked the neighbors and they didn't see anything. I think one of the neighbors handyman/contractor saw him a few days ago while working on my neighbor's house and finally decided to come and pick him up. I thought it was so strange to find only one of my chickens loose in the morning, and when I when to the coop I noticed the latched was not secured. I always make sure I lock the latch so they don't open the doors and start crowing so early so it was troublesome to find out that someone opened it.
I am sad, very sad. I know I got other chickens but not knowing the fate of PRetty dude hurts me.