dog is KILLING all of my chickens!

[jennychick45]

Just a dog, pretty sure it is a stray because people come to our street and just dumps dogs. It is killing our chickens and i am mad. End of story.

 

[6of6chicks]

So sorry that this is happening to you! I completely understand why you're angry - I'd be seeing red too!

To start - are you sure it's your neighbor's dog? Have you tried talking to them about what happened?

As far as the dog goes, you have a couple of options. You can shoot it - that's legal almost everywhere when it involves protecting your livestock. If the dog is friendly, you can tie it up and call animal control. If not, you can still call animal control and have them pick up the dog if it is roaming off your neighbor's property. Or, you can catch the dog and return it to the neighbor. It's your call and really depends on how you feel about shooting a dog and/or maintaining a good relationship with your neighbor. If you're on good terms with them you might try talking it over BEFORE killing or trapping their dog (to avoid escalating the conflict). But if they're jerks and you don't have a good relationship to begin with then it doesn't matter how they feel, in which case do what works best for you.

As far as legal recourse - if you call the police and report the incident then your neighbor can be held responsible for the damages. Usually that involves replacement costs of the chickens, lost egg revenue, and any property damage. I know that in NO way replaces your lost chickens, but it might make you feel a little better to be able to punish the neighbor somehow (it would for me).

Unfortunately you have to do something or the killing will continue. Somehow the dog either needs to be contained (shooting, animal control, etc.) AND your chickens need safer accommodations. That might mean building a fence if you don't have one or confining them to a run for the time being.

Again - so sorry this happened. It's so unfair!

 

[bobbi-j]

Until the dog is contained, or unable to get into your yard, your chickens need to be confined. Put them in their coop. Do they have a run attached to the coop? Might be a good time to use it. If you don't have a run, you might want to talk to your dad about building one. The dog does not belong on your property, but now that you know there is a threat, it's your responsibility to keep those chickens safe.

 

[jennychick45]

Thank you, the dog only comes in the morning.

 

[Streetview]

Why not talk to your neighbor? Do they know their dog is free roaming?

 

[iwiw60]

S - S - S

Shoot - Shovel - Shut Up

(that's my story, and I'm stickin' to it)

 

[jennychick45]

And actually we found out that we are pretty sure it is a stray and it is always in the road and we almost hit it

 

[boyswillbeboys]

Glad I'm not your neighbor if that was my dog I'd like to know (I know I'm not as he's been chained for several days due to wandering over to the neighbor's house) so that I could make good on my dog's behaviour, deal with both my dog, and you without losing my dog to an angry neighbor's shot gun, Just a thought, if it was your dog wouldn't you want to know, so you had the chance to do something about it yourself, and try to make things right with your neighbor.

 

[Ol Grey Mare]

Glad I'm not your neighbor if that was my dog I'd like to know (I know I'm not as he's been chained for several days due to wandering over to the neighbor's house) so that I could make good on my dog's behaviour, deal with both my dog, and you without losing my dog to an angry neighbor's shot gun, Just a thought, if it was your dog wouldn't you want to know, so you had the chance to do something about it yourself, and try to make things right with your neighbor.

Nope - sorry - the minute your dog is on my property killing my animals it stops being your pet and starts being my predator problem, and I address predator problems on the spot. Most localities provide for the protection of livestock against harassment (which does not even have to include actual contact/attack - it can be as simple as a dog running a herd/flock, stalking them, etc - with legal protection for livestock owners who take lethal action against such animals. And, if it were my dog (which I make certain my dogs are not left to be at large and put others' animals at risk), I would have no issue with anyone taking whatever steps they felt necessary to protect their animals - the failure would have been mine in not keeping them from having to do so.

 

[boyswillbeboys]

some how managed to cross post that it was a stray or drop off, that is different, sad but different, if you do shoot shovel and shut up make sure if it's female it doesn't have pups nearby, as that would be a reason for her to be carrying the chickens off.