A dog killed 9 of my chickens...

[Peppercorngal]

I see threads like this and marvel at the drama........since none of it has to be that way. Once shocked, you can hardly force a dog to go near a fence.......

https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/dogs-and-electric-fences.1210854/

Yes, but not everyone has money for fences and all the electrics for a space that is for free ranging. An acre or more. ?????

 

[Howard E]

Not sure if you read the entire thread that was provided, but if not, I encourage you to do so. Crib notes version is birds running around totally unprotected are not unlike what the insurance industry refers to as an "attractive nuisance". They are a prey animal and draw the notice of all manner of animals who are hard wired to hunt for and kill them. Dogs are no different. They will be coming for your birds. You can count on it.

So the options then become hoping your neighbor is going to stop his dog....except bad neighbors do not....it is ALWAYS your fault his dog came on your property to kill your birds. Wrong of course, but it is what is. You can hope and wish it were not so, but you can put all your wishes in one hand and collect your birds droppings in the other and see which fills up fastest?

So if you want to keep them alive, it is far better to become proactive on your part and do something EFFECTIVE to stop your neighbors dogs. The best option I know of is an electric fence.

Mine has worked numerous times to do just that. Best example out of all of them is my neighbors dog......who by the way is aggressive enough it is fitted with a muzzle when out and about, which is only when the neighbor is out doing yard work. But early on, my birds caught the notice of this dog and it made a play for them, hit the fence, let out a yelp and ran the other way 5X faster than it did when it was headed for the birds. Since then, I've seen the same dog out and about, with birds no more than 50 feet away, and it hardly looks up. May look the other way. These days, that dog wants nothing to do with those birds.

Compare that with what happens when a bird does manage to kill a bunch of birds and has a good time doing it. It will return about as often and with the same level of determination as a male dog might put forth to visit a dog in heat. Why not if there is nothing to stop them? And to be fair to the neighbors, half the time when they let their dogs run free they have no clue where they go to. But you can't control that. I live on 10 acres and I've lost track of the number of dogs I've had visiting my front yard, each of them marking the same spots. Maybe 10 or more. Yet none of them have ever killed a bird, even tho the birds are roaming freely about inside a yard area surrounded by an electric fence. They all get the same treatment and it ain't pretty (for them). The latest was a visiting pit bull who was coming at me. It's never been back.

For that peace of mind, cost is not really an issue, but even if it were, we are talking about a few hundred dollars to do a full acre. That is plenty of room to keep up to 50 birds occupied and happy........and alive.

 

[Howard E]

BTW, on the neighbors dog, rather than the dog got shocked and ran home scenario, consider a possible alternative......they one I see playing out here on BYC time and again. No fence, dog kills a bunch of birds. I get mad, neighbor may or may not be apologetic, but if they do nothing except apologize and dog comes back and I shoot it.....or take a chance on getting bit by restraining it. Call the sheriff blah, blah, blah, and we have a running feud for as long as we live next to each other, that ain't good.

Or dog got blasted.....which neighbor saw and approved of.......thought it was funny......and we remain on good terms. My birds are alive and her dog is allowed to join her to do garden work with no consequences to anyone or anything.

No drama and all is well.

 

[ChickenGoesRuff]

I noticed this thread picked up interest again, so I thought I might give everyone an update.
As for pressing charges on the neighbor - I wish I hadn't dropped the idea of at least confronting them in person, but as it was my senior year in high school, and I have severe social anxiety, so it got put on the back burner. I do appreciate all the support and information you guys have posted!
A couple of posts talked about having fencing, and I would like to provide some clarification on what the situation was/how it came to be that they were not fenced in. I had a fully fenced in run with bird netting, and it was very secure. However, especially when it is colder weather (cold enough my birds do not get let outside every day - frostbite concerns), on mild days (such as the date of the incident) I try to not only let them into their run (which often gets really muddy) and let them free range occasionally. My yard is 2.5 acres with trees bordering the neighbors' yards, but is not fenced as we had installed an underground fence for our dog. The chickens never went near the edge of the yard, but would come up to the barn and house (both of which are nowhere near the property line). I would also like to note that my dog is usually put outside with the chickens to keep an eye on them, but on that day he was taken to a last-minute vet appointment to deal with a broken dew claw. It is also important to note that I am solely responsible for funding anything chicken related, and as a high-school (now college) student, I did not have the means to build something I never thought I might need.
I totally understand where people are coming from when they say that fences will keep your birds safe, I am just trying to make sure it's clear that when I allowed my birds to free range, I did so without any reason to believe something like this would've happened. Since this incident, I have not allowed my birds to free range (something I wish I felt ok doing, but I would hate to endanger the chickens), and expanded their (heavily fortified) run.
As for an update on the chickens I currently have, they are fat (well, appropriately sized for ages/breeds) and happy. I lost 2 roosters and a hen to a fox over the summer (not afraid of people, charged me once when I was holding a chicken - I put my free arm up and yelled at it, thankfully it came to a halt a few yards away). I've tried live trapping it (caught a possum and 2 stray cats), and family members have taken turns watching with a gun... no luck, but haven't seen the fox in a while.
Hope everyone and their chickens are doing well.

 

[Howard E]

Thanks for the update and comments. Considering your circumstances, I think you are wise to leave your birds confined to the safety of the run and house. My daughter lost her first flock to a fox and since then has kept her birds confined into the house and run and have mostly been safe. But even with that, a coon managed to break in and get some. We fixed that and the coons and since then, all has been well. We also have neighbors who have a heavily fortified run and they have had no losses of birds to predators. Several break in attempts, but none successful.

At you age, you may want to consider getting yourself a single shot .410 or even 20 gauge shotgun. Potent medicine for a fox, coon or similar sized varmint and something you can surely handle yourself.

My 86 year old mother recently commented that one of her greatest regrets in life was she never got herself a .410 shotgun. Says she still wants one to this day. Possums, skunks and such.

 

[Peppercorngal]

You don't have to explain anything to any of us. You loved/love your chickens and would only do what you thought was in their best interest. We all do our BEST! You do your BEST! You couldn't foresee the future honey, so don't feel you are totally responsible. Things happen in this life that we would never think would happen. Forgive yourself and move on, I don't judge you at all! Best of luck in college!

 

[Animal Export]

I really don't know where to post this, but here seems applicable. On Jan. 23, a dog got into my yard and killed 9 of my chickens, including my Iowa Blues and the birds I'd been raising for fair. We have 3 security cameras, a result of a different dog attack last year. We scrubbed through nearly 8 hours of footage and finally found the culprit, (different dog than last attack) which belongs to a family that moved in 2 years ago, although we haven't really connected or talked prior to this. Their dog is a German shorthair pointer, I think, but it's definitely a birding dog breed (I'm iffy on specific dog breeds, not so much chicken breeds).
Anyway, the last time a dog attacked, we immediately confronted the owner of that dog and made a quick summary bill. Of course, the next day, they had a nearly court-worthy letter claiming their dog was afraid of cats, and although yes, was in our yard, couldn't have killed 13 chickens..... So on this bill, I went full-out everything I wanted them to know. I would've added the pictures of the aftermath, but it got a bit gruesome, even for me. So I'm just going to add it below, sorta just to rant, and also because I'm really sad, but also P.O.-ed that they couldn't keep their dog in their yard. I found 3 bodies, the rest are probably hidden in the woods, and one of my favorite hens has a broken leg I attempted to splint. We don't have a poultry vet in our area, so my mother the nurse, and myself, the resident chicken expert, did our best. Apologies for any offenses taken, or anyone who silently thinks, "the world is already so negative, why rant?", but I started typing and went with it. Here's the letter we're going to give them tomorrow, along with a flash drive of footage of their dog (too large of file to add here) entering, chasing/killing chickens, and leaving yard.

My name is @ChickenGoesRuff. I am involved in 4H, and I also maintain a small breeding flock of Iowa Blues and some pet/show chickens. Last year, my 4 pens of high-quality birds placed with one blue ribbon, 2 reserve champion ribbons, champion trophy and ribbon, and showmanship reserve champion with belt buckle.
Our security cameras caught your dog in the act of killing, chasing, and maiming my chickens on the morning of 1-23-17. I have raised chickens for 4 years with only one other incident of a dog killing my birds. I own and try to breed rare chickens, such as the Iowa Blue, which has faced extinction twice in the last 60 years, and is pretty rare.
Of the 9 that went missing, I found three chicken carcasses, all of them my rare Iowa Blues. One was my favorite rooster, Butch, who was not only one of my breeding stock, but also my friendliest and considered a family pet. Iowa Blues are shown to be a selfless bird, often trying to fight back at predators, or even give their lives to allow other birds to flee. The trail of feathers, body with only a broken neck and having been undisturbed since his death, plus the evidence we have on camera, shows that my rooster died protecting my flock, something awful that didn’t need to happen had your dog been properly contained.
The other 2 found casualties included a young silver cockerel, Admiral, who was going to be shown at fair and was very high quality to the standard, and one of my best-laying breeder hens, Sweetie, who had her head ripped from her body.
Your dog also severely injured another one of my Iowa Blue hens, Barbie. Not only were her tail and wing feathers frayed and ragged, but all the feathers on the back of her head had been ripped out. Her left leg had also been clearly broken, and she is unable to walk. I had to splint her leg myself, as there are no chicken veterinarians in the area and even minor medical issues cost a fortune. Since a broken leg is often a fatal injury in the long run, I have also had to consider euthanizing Barbie, and about the best way to kill another one of my beloved pets so she doesn’t suffer.

“ 351.27. Right to kill tagged dog
It shall be lawful for any person to kill a dog, wearing a collar with a rabies vaccination tag attached, when the dog is caught in the act of chasing, maiming, or killing any domestic animal or fowl, or when such dog is attacking or attempting to bite a person.
351.28. Liability for damages
The owner of a dog shall be liable to an injured party for all damages done by the dog, when the dog is caught in the action of worrying, maiming, or killing a domestic animal, or the dog is attacking or attempting to bite a person, except when the party damaged is doing an unlawful act, directly contributing to the injury. ”

By law, you are responsible for the dog’s actions. If your dog attempts to enter our yard again, or tries to even go near the chickens (worrying them), we have the right to shoot it or contain it and then have it put down. I have a dog, and I know that having to kill someone else’s pet would be horrible. But these chickens are my pets, and no one should ever come home to find their beloved pets dead, mangled, toyed with, or stressed. I’m 17, and would prefer to not find the animals that I’ve raised and worked hard for, (I got a part time job the day after I turned 16 at minimum wage, just so I can try to afford my chickens and their expenses), left dead and cast aside because someone couldn’t control an animal that they, like me, vowed to care and take responsibility for. Having to search my yard for the carcasses of my pets in the dark when I got home from school and work, and then having to pick up my bloody, stiff, pets to find a place to dispose of them properly. Even afterwards, there are piles and piles of feathers from where your dog viciously attacked my chickens.
Aside from the sickening task of picking up my dead pets, several of my chickens are still unaccounted for, and I have to worry that if they aren’t already dead or injured, if they stay outside, especially at night without protection and warmth, they will die from dehydration, nocturnal predation, or frostbite. By 1-25-17, none of them had returned, meaning they were probably killed and hidden, or gravely injured by your dog and died after they tried to hide.
Your dog also chased and scared the chickens to the point where the window on the coop door was broken. I have to replace the door, or at least the window to my coop, a costly measure to ensure that predators don’t decimate my flock when they are penned, and also preventing harsh drafts or dangerous temperatures. Until I can scrape together the money to do so, I have a thick sheet of plastic stapled to the interior, which won’t keep any determined animal out.
Also, with my flock as it was before the attack, I was just getting a consistent supply of purebred Iowa Blue eggs and some for consumption from my other birds. Now, my animals are still stressed out from the trauma of the attack, and their missing flock mates. Chickens have a very strong sociability about them, and have been shown to hang around with, for lack of a better term, their best friends. The birds they have grown up with, cuddled with on the roosts, and played with are now gone. With their highly acute social senses, they are extremely stressed, and many of my hens are off laying. Not only does that affect my very limited income stream, but it also chokes my breeding ventures until they are back to laying regularly. I just spent close to $200 on an incubator so I could expand my flock, and had dates set to hatch by so they would be mature by fair. Now, I have wasted my time and money to not only plan out and set up an incubator, but my remaining hens aren’t laying, and one of my two prime breeding roosters is dead, along with some of my current and future breeding stock, and one of my better layers might not lay for a few months or ever again since your dog ripped feathers off of her and broke her leg. If she recovers and is not permanently crippled, the chances that she will break it again are higher, and she cannot be shown at fair as she is now not “to the breed standard of perfection”. She now has to be separated from the others while she heals, or they will pick on her and she will probably not be able to access food or water. It will also take several months for her leg to heal, and for her feathers to re-grow, adding more work to my busy schedule and pain to my pet as she recovers from the damage your pet inflicted.
Taken from MyPetChicken’s website, “http://www.mypetchicken.com/backyar...-need-to-know-about-dogs-if-I-keep-H175.aspx”
Domestic dogs--including those belonging to you as well as those belonging to other people--are the most common predators of chickens in both suburban and rural areas.
“Most dogs are not trying to kill your birds. They simply want to chase, but even chasing can be fatal, because chickens often break their necks trying to get away, or die of heart attacks if they have nowhere safe to escape. In cases where your chickens are neither hurt nor killed by a dog attack, they can still be thrown off laying for days or even several weeks due to the upset. If that is all that occurs, though, consider yourself lucky! And remember, even a very small dog can scare, hurt, or even kill your chickens.”

This is what remains of my flock:
Bella, Dolly, Kitty, Ferra, Lola, Blue, Louisa, Molly, Ivan, Sully, Hedwig, Pebbles, Teddy, Patches, Florence, and Fenway.
Barbie - broken left leg, missing feathers on back of head, trying to keep her alive
Sweetie - found decapitated, dead
Admiral - found mangled, dead
Butch - found dead, chased and killed while protecting flock, piles of feathers up and down backyard
Missing, presumed dead on 1-25-17:
Lilac, Echo, Fawkes, Bear, Goldie, and Indie
Indie was the very first chicken I’d hatched from an egg, and would perch on my shoulder to cuddle. She hatched June 29th, 2016
Lilac and Echo were genetic birchen Iowa Blue siblings, sharing the same parents, and were very tame cockerels that were absolutely gorgeous.
Goldie was a purebred Charcoal Iowa Blue that I was quite proud of and purchased last year as part of my replacement flock after I lost 13 chickens to a dog attack. I had 3 charcoal hens that I planned on showing at fair as a pen of 3 hens over a year. Goldie I don’t have any more charcoal colored chickens to breed from or even show, because Sweetie is dead, Goldie is gone, and Barbie cannot be shown. Goldie got her name from her innocent expressions and actions, and her strikingly bright gold-green eyes.
Fawkes was a fluffy chick that was curious and adorable. I planned on showing her and some others in a pen at fair.
Bear had gorgeous penciling on his feathers and was very social. He had large brown eyes and was a bantam silkie/iowa blue mix. He had a teddy bear appearance, hence the name, and would walk on leash for treats. I helped him out of the shell when he was hatching because he was stuck, and he imprinted on me, creating a very special bond.
All of the chicks (except Indie and Goldie) hatched on September 23rd, 2016, and each one had distinct characteristics and personalities I loved.

So, now I’ve expressed why this is important to me, here are some of my replacement costs, based on purchase price(or similar item in case of hatched), and labor input:
Lilac - $5
Echo -$5
Fawkes - $18
Bear - $4
Admiral - $5
Indie - $18
Goldie - $10
Sweetie -$10
Butch - $20
Labor/feed cost- $410
-----------------------------
Sum: $505

I bought Butch, Goldie, and Sweetie in a flock sale deal (along with Barbie), and those are the exact prices I paid for each.
All other chickens were hatched out by my hens. The prices are based off of hatchery prices for STRAIGHT RUN ONLY. That means that I would get an uneven mix of genders, which could shoot me in the foot in replacing my hens and pullets. I based the labor on the 30 minutes of daily chores for the chickens, plus the 2 hours of weekly extra work input such as cleaning waterers or cleaning the coop, accumulated throughout the week. The hours are multiplied by number of weeks the birds were in my care, then by minimum wage, $7.25, then divided by my recent 26 chicken number. This adds up to $317 labor into these birds at least. Feed was calculated for each bird individually at 1.5 pounds weekly. Then divided by 50, and multiplied by .3, the price per pound of chicken feed. The feed adds to $93 worth of feed I sank into just the nine birds that were killed, during the time I owned them.
I don’t know if the hen, Barbie, with the broken leg will survive, so I estimated her at .75 of Sweetie’s value. That totals to a little over $50 dollars, not even mentioning the extra care she will require for the next few months, should she live.
Window replacement is expensive, but I am not adding it in this total. Usually I recoup my chicken's costs after fair by selling them at a very nice price, usually not breaking even.
Adding to the sum of $505, the $50 for Barbie, the total loss I suffered amounts to $555.

----- $555 -----​

I do not wish to cause a feud with any neighbors, but I do want to add that these chickens are not just my pets, but my 4H projects that I now need to replace soon in order to show in the different age classes at fair. I spend my own money from my part-time job on my chickens, and I do all of the labor myself. My chickens do not leave our yard, and I have yet to receive any complaints about them.
This has been an awful experience for me, losing nine pets that I’d raised, spent my own money on, and loved unconditionally. If you are unwilling to pay the $555 value of the chickens your dog killed, my family has no issue taking this to small claims court and charging for all the damages.
Apologies for the coarseness,
But I’m still pretty broken up about my babies and picking up dead ones.

@ChickenGoesRuff

If you read that, thanks. It's more of I needed to put it out there in a place where, even if people don't agree with me, they probably understand how much you actually end up caring about chickens. I appreciate everyone taking the time out of their day to read this, truly.

How many total were there?
Sad !!!

 

[Animal Export]

How many total were there?
Sad !!!

I know I am posting this late!

 

[Animal Export]

We bought 3 children Clem’s and so the story is But there were 23 of them!!! And a dog killed 20!

 

[Silkie Princess]

We bought 3 children

Isn’t that illegal?