Lost a chicken to a dog

odysseychicken said:

Thanks all for the advice. I have spoken with the dog owner and have come to an acceptable agreement. Everything was kept polite and civil.

Click to expand...

That's Great!!
Many won't accept responsibility.
If you wouldn't mind sharing, what did they give you?....might help others down the road researching this issue.

I don't mind sharing. We agreed to $50. She was surprised it wasn't more actually. She was expecting to pay for the visit to the vet. But the vet was very nice and didn't charge for the visit or the euthanasia. Based on what I paid for the chickens, the expensive organic feed I have been providing, and various other expensive treats, I feel that number was fair. This is our first time raising chickens and as such we have probably been spending more than the average person would on their birds but it is what it is.

Sounds good and really nice from the vet not to charge you! Here most people would have grabbed the next solid stick, beat the chicken to death, rip it apart and quickly barbecue it.

odysseychicken said:

I don't mind sharing. We agreed to $50. She was surprised it wasn't more actually. She was expecting to pay for the visit to the vet. But the vet was very nice and didn't charge for the visit or the euthanasia. Based on what I paid for the chickens, the expensive organic feed I have been providing, and various other expensive treats, I feel that number was fair. This is our first time raising chickens and as such we have probably been spending more than the average person would on their birds but it is what it is.

Click to expand...

I'm glad you and your neighbor were able to work things out civilly. Yours was a much different situation than the roaming neighbor dogs where the owner can claim, "It wasn't my dog" and no one has proof either way. She was standing right there. If I were her, I'd have been mortified.

dickhuhn said:

Sounds good and really nice from the vet not to charge you! Here most people would have grabbed the next solid stick, beat the chicken to death, rip it apart and quickly barbecue it.

Click to expand...

In other words, "Whacked it once and put it out if its misery within seconds, cut it up and had a nice fresh meal of chicken so as not to let the meat go to waste." Hmm, kinda makes me want chicken for dinner...

The dog owner felt really bad about the whole situation. I am just glad we were able to settle it without some neighbor feud erupting.

I think in normal situations I would have just dispatched with the chicken myself. My wife was home alone and couldn't tell how bad the injuries were. She didn't want to kill the thing if it was a survivable attack. So, she ran it to the vet (probably an easier decision since the dog owner indicated that she would pay for any vet bills).

odysseychicken said:

The dog owner felt really bad about the whole situation. I am just glad we were able to settle it without some neighbor feud erupting.

I think in normal situations I would have just dispatched with the chicken myself. My wife was home alone and couldn't tell how bad the injuries were. She didn't want to kill the thing if it was a survivable attack. So, she ran it to the vet (probably an easier decision since the dog owner indicated that she would pay for any vet bills).

Click to expand...

I wouldn't have killed it myself, either (that's why I keep DH around - I can order a hit, but he carries it out for me ) I'm more of a fixer, myself. But I have also kept (or tried to keep) animals alive that would have been far better off if they'd have been put out of their misery right away. I'm not saying your wife shouldn't have taken it to the vet. I wouldn't have gone that far, but I would have probably tried to give it a chance first, too. My comment about giving a chicken a whack to put it out of its misery within seconds was not directed toward you or your wife. Just pointing out that taking a stick, whacking it once, cutting it up and eating it right away isn't necessarily a bad thing. We all have to do what we feel is best for our birds. It was kind of your vet to euthanize yours free of charge.

And again, I'm very glad you avoided a neighbor feud. Those can get ugly real fast.

Glad u reached an agreement. I am sure the dog owner felt bad and you might have taught them a great lesson and save some child from being mauled.

Something that makes difference according to jurisdiction and as to whether chicken valued for a specific purpose. Compensation can also vary with actions of the offending owner.

http://www.nolo.com/legal-encyclopedia/free-books/dog-book/chapter9-6.html