Neighbors Dog Concerns

[tiffrosef]

We rarely free range our girls because the neighbors dogs run wild around the property, which we both rent from the same landlord. It's usually not an issue as the property is 23 acres and they don't usually come down onto our property unless we are out there. I love their dogs, they're good animals, but the other day I caught one of them chasing the girls. He's a shepherd, and I don't think he was being violent, but I don't want him chasing my girls. So I went out to punish him for it and he ran from me.

I contacted my neighbors about it and while one of them understood my frustration (if your animals are going to be on my part of the property, they need to behave themselves and listen to me) the other essentially said that if I was going to let my chickens out then it was my fault if something attacked them. Then he said that it wasn't possible to pay attention to his dogs 24 hours of the day and he was not responsible for them.

I don't want to have to call my landlord on them, but I don't want their dogs putting my animals at risk, especially since apparently my neighbors won't take responsiblity for their own animals.

Any ideas on how to keep their dogs off my property, aside from putting up a fence? We can do that, but it's not ideal and is fairly costly.

 

[iwiw60]

I'm afraid that german shepherd was just "sizing your girls up" ... he'll be back for sure, no doubt. What would I do in that situation? Depends on just how that 23 acres is shared. First thing I'd do is build a large run off the coop and keep my girls safe..period. I'm not an advocate of free-ranging from seeing the horror stories of defenseless chickens getting slaughtered...JMHO

 

[tiffrosef]

I have a large pen and I keep them in there for the most part, but sometimes when we are home we let them free range. That day I was letting them out for a bit to stretch their legs. I am considering putting up a tall fence anyways, their pitbulls (twin girls, they're very sweet dogs but a bit of a problem) keep shreading our garbage and getting into our flower beds things like that.

I've left my dog outside with the flock before, because I know her behavior and her temperment. She gives the chickens her belly and tries to play ball with them, the worst thing she has done when we left her outside was sneak into the coop to eat the chicken poop when we weren't looking.

I don't worry about the two pitties as much as the shepherd. He seems way too intent on my girls for my liking.

For now I guess they will be penned unless we are outside with them. My mom just lost one of her girls to a stray dog that wandered into her yard. I would be devastated if that happened to one of my babies.

 

[chad05gsa]

The dogs owner need to train/contain the dog's. Even though you're able to let them off leash doesn't mean every one likes dogs, or maybe had bad childhood in counter. I live pretty much in the country like you describe and I know my neighbors love dogs, but they know their boundaries of never wondering off our property without me. Either way you go it's probably going to create a stir, wish you the best of luck

 

[tiffrosef]

Unfortunately the neighbor in question is the boyfriend of my best friend. We share 23 acres with one other person, but the third person is fairly far away from us and their dogs don't bother him. I know for sure that they won't be containing the dogs any time soon. Though they expect us to keep our dogs off of their property. It's been a great experience so far having friends so close, but now that their dogs are causing problems it's becoming a lot less fun really quickly. Talking to them like adults doesn't seem to work.

Bleh. Maybe we will just suck it up and put up a fence.

 

[Folly's place]

They don't sound like friends to me! Good folks keep their dogs under control, and would certainly fix any issues you've described. They are in the wrong in any state I can think of, and if they don't know it, need to find out, maybe from the Animal Control people, or the sheriff. They there's always SSS. A safe run for your birds is needed anyway, but a dog is not a pet off his turf, he's a predator. Mary

 

[centrarchid]

You and neighbor are responsible. You need to at least provide a fence and neighbor needs to work on dogs. Keeping the chickens is not a free ride for you and neighbor has legal obligations in how his dog treats livestock owned by others. The not being responsible assertion is baloney. Also that is certainly not the only dog in the area so defend against those as well. People can often insist upon dog owner having all responsibility with respect to neighbors stock but losses can occur in a big way if pre-emptive defensive measures not taken which constitutes abuse for the un protected stock by the stock owner.

A relatively low cost fencing option that is also mobile involves electrified poultry netting.

 

[HappieHippie]

Yesterday my girls had a scare with neighborhood dogs. Today they are charging at my dog, she's a 13 year old chihuahua. Any of you experienced this before?

 

[aart]

Yesterday my girls had a scare with neighborhood dogs. Today they are charging at my dog, she's a 13 year old chihuahua. Any of you experienced this before?

@HappieHippie You should probably start a new thread to get better answers for your particular problem.

 

[aart]

You and neighbor are responsible. You need to at least provide a fence and neighbor needs to work on dogs. Keeping the chickens is not a free ride for you and neighbor has legal obligations in how his dog treats livestock owned by others. The not being responsible assertion is baloney. Also that is certainly not the only dog in the area so defend against those as well. People can often insist upon dog owner having all responsibility with respect to neighbors stock but losses can occur in a big way if pre-emptive defensive measures not taken which constitutes abuse for the un protected stock by the stock owner.

A relatively low cost fencing option that is also mobile involves electrified poultry netting.

Ditto that^^

It's tough situation, with friends involved something like this can break down a friendship quickly when there's a disagreement on responsibility.
You might not be able to convince them to change their outlook and behaviors, but you can control your own behavior.....and in the long run it is your responsibility to protect your chickens whether it's the way you want to do it or not.

You already have a secure run...maybe think about some portable electric poultry netting to protect your chooks while they 'free range'.
It's not cheap, no fencing is, but it is something that you can take with you if you move to another location and is very effective at deterring predators.