Is it legal to shoot a dog on my property if they kill my chickens?

[citrusdreams]

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One or two dogs cant not survive and protect the stock from a large pack. I don’t care what breed they are or how big they are. It is downright cruel and abusive to think that anyone would willingly let their one or two dogs go up against a large aggressive pack of proven killers. You are not thinking of your own dogs safety or well being if you are willing to put them up against 10+ dogs all on their own. Yes, your dog will try to defend the homestead and get injured or killed in the process.

Okay, now we're no longer talking about 4 dogs that may or may not be killing chickens, but rather 10+ vicious proven killers. Okay. Why not 50? A hundred? [I love how these discussions escalate like this.]

LOL, wait, Buster I think you're getting confused. It's not an escalation, it's a situation. The OP has three marauding dogs. Substanardtim has 10+. And I have anywhere from 2-7 at a time. And I have no idea how many coyotes I have because I think we can all agree that 2 sound like many.

I think you're going to get a different answer from different people because their situations are different. I know my neighbor breeds these fugly dogs and if she could, she would definitely have 10+ dogs out and about all over the place. I am not exaggerating or kidding.

And BTW, I have four big dogs that live in/out and we still get canine visitors. Luckily aside from this one neighbor, all the canine visitors have been good dogs that don't bother anything. But I disagree that having big dogs around to establish a turf will keep other dogs out. Many of us have big dogs and still get canine visitors, or this section would only be about natural predators.

 

[Buster52]

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Well, I was talking about a good dog.

No, but seriously, if the dogs are trained to protect the territory, the stray will not enter it. If it is a breed that is bred to protect the flock or territory, it will do just that.

But again, I'm not just talking about these particular dogs. I'm talking about any dogs, or any predator.

Look, I live in a predator heavy area. My pond in my back yard is like a magnet for them, especially during dry weather. My dog protects against all predators, not just other dogs. She is another layer over my (admittedly weak) defenses. That's why you get the dog.

By the way, I highly recommend the following book. You can probably still train your dogs to keep critters away from your birds, even if they don't right now. LGD breeds tend to best suited for this job, but as I said, my little black lab is doing a fine job of it. I'm sure your three big dogs can do at least as well as she does.

Livestock Protection Dogs: Selection Care and Training

 

[redhen]

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Well, I was talking about a good dog.

No, but seriously, if the dogs are trained to protect the territory, the stray will not enter it. If it is a breed that is bred to protect the flock or territory, it will do just that.

But again, I'm not just talking about these particular dogs. I'm talking about any dogs, or any predator.

Look, I live in a predator heavy area. My pond in my back yard is like a magnet for them, especially during dry weather. My dog protects against all predators, not just other dogs. She is another layer over my (admittedly weak) defenses. That's why you get the dog.

By the way, I highly recommend the following book. You can probably still train your dogs to keep critters away from your birds, even if they don't right now. LGD breeds tend to best suited for this job, but as I said, my little black lab is doing a fine job of it. I'm sure your three big dogs can do at least as well as she does.

Livestock Protection Dogs: Selection Care and Training

This may be true...My dogs are big sissy's.

 

[McGoo]

Here's a less drastic step... I know it's unrealistic to electrify your entire place, but my ds and dil put up some electric fencing for a few pigs and also around a outdoor brooder for their meat birds and the nasty dogs from down the hill, who were coming by and causing havoc, got nailed by the fence - only once and never returned to their property - and that was over a year ago.

Point - even a small poultry net around the little chicks, almost used as bait, might give the dogs such a jolt that they never do come back... and it would protect the chickens against them and other dogs predators.

 

[citrusdreams]

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I can totally understand where you're coming from. If you would be all torn up about shooting someone else's dogs, then you shouldn't do it. You have to live with You and what you do. I'm sure that if someone else's dogs were harassing or killing your chickens, there would be a solution best for you and your circumstances. And your input about your own solutions will be invaluable to someone else who shares your views.

But a lot of people aren't going to tolerate a situation where the neighbors let their dogs out of their kennels, or pens, or wherever they keep them, constantly. You can only talk to someone so long. You can only tolerate a certain number of visits. True, two wrongs don't make a right, but if you know who the culprit is (because you've seen them in the act), shooting that culprit will resolve the problem.

It's okay that dogs attacking your chickens don't bother you as much as it bothers others. Everyone is different. We all have pet peeves, but one person's pet peeve isn't going to be another one's pet peeve. And it bothers me when my chickens are attacked by roaming dogs and I won't tolerate it.

I completely understand what you mean when you call these dogs, "beloved pets" but they're not. *I* have beloved pets. I go out of my way and spend ungodly amounts of money to make sure my dogs are safe. And while you don't have to go to extremes to do so, if you don't keep your animals safe and knowingly put them in danger, they can't be that beloved, can they?

I don't get how such dogs can fall under the category of "beloved". They are purposely let out to roam, with the owner knowing full well what they're up to and where they're going, and knowing full well that bullets have their dogs' names on them. I'm sorry, I just don't see it

 

[highcountrychickens]

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Your local police need to know about this pack of dogs running at large - this is a very volatile and dangerous behavior, and the dogs need to be caught or destroyed - if they're going after livestock and horses, they're also killing wildlife, and posing a threat to people. It will escalate in a very short time, guaranteed.

As for the little squabbles starting here - whatever personal opinions are about the matter of shooting a dog - the fact remains that there are reasons that every single state in the country has laws about this... Horsejody and others have a great statement that I'm not going to say as gracefully as they do - Dogs are pets until they are out of the control of their owners, running at large, on your property, or threatening livestock - at that moment they cease to be pets ... they're predators, no different than any wild animal that will prey on your livestock... they are by definition out of control of their owners, and so behave by their own instincts in absence of the dominating force of conditioning, training and restraint by their owners. It's sad. I agree. That said... it's within the right of each property owner dealing with this to make judgements on a case by case basis (dogs chasing chickens that WILL RETURN... vs. sweet old lady labradors coming over for a visit - merit their own responses)
Really, whether you like it or not, those are the dice.

btw... my chicken run is completely predator proof... wolves to weasels, and everything in between.

edited for grammar

 

[Smokin Silkies]

Wow! This ended up being an interesting topic. My neighbors were told last year when their dogs were chasing my chickens. I was on my porch yelling at them to get away and the dogs owner was standing at the bottom of my driveway yelling. I said 'their chasing my chickens' and he said 'yeah, i don't want them killing them' and continued to yell. So he thought that they would kill them. I had asked before for him to keep his dogs out. He NEVER has them in his house and NEVER has them confined to the yard. There's no chains, fences or anything to keep them in. They go where they want. Even when the mailman comes, he can't get out the truck to drop off a pkg because the dogs bark at him and he's scared. He pulls up as far as he can and drops the pkg out of the window. I also have a sissy dog, just one dog, and he was out there when these dogs were in our yard. He barked at them, but never chased them out of the yard. He don't know what he's doing. I can't afford to get another dog, especially a Great Pyr. I couldn't afford it another dog. Again, I know these are my neighbors PETS, but like others have said, if they loved them then they would make sure they are safe at home in their own yards...ESPECIALLY since they have been warned a couple of times already. From what I was told from the previous owners of my house, these same dogs killed their jack russell dog on my (old owners) property. They literally ripped his stomach out. The dog was still alive and they rushed him to the vet. The vet said the dog was so badly torn apart that they had no choice but to put him to sleep.

 

[redhen]

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well.. you have warned him. Catch or shoot the dogs. I would, in a heart beat. Good luck.

 

[highcountrychickens]

bear spray works wonders too...

 

[Buster52]

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Yes, that is a layer of protection we are most definitely adding to our setup in the coming year.