5 out of 6 chickens dead

[Keene's coop]

me and my kids were gone for 20 min to drop some stuff off at the library. came home to my neighbors in my yard by the chickens. no big deal, until i saw 2 chickens on the ground outside the coop.

my neighbor said she found her dog chasing one of them in here yard. which there is a 6ft fence seperating our yards. 1 dead in the coop, 2 in the yard, and 1 in another neighbors yard. 1 chicken survived. the lady was able to stop her dog from chasing the chicken and catch it. non of the other neighbors saw what happened. i know it was her dig cuz her dog is always in my yard crapping and i told her that i bet it was her dog. but i have no proof. the chickens were only 9 weeks old. they were my kids chickens. they each picked out their own breed to order. so right now they are upstairs crying saying they are gonna kill the dog. i don't know what to do.

 

[Sebrightmom]

I am so sorry. I wish people would keep their dogs where they belong.

 

[Beth G.]

Keene's coop :

me and my kids were gone for 20 min to drop some stuff off at the library. came home to my neighbors in my yard by the chickens. no big deal, until i saw 2 chickens on the ground outside the coop.

my neighbor said she found her dog chasing one of them in here yard. which there is a 6ft fence seperating our yards. 1 dead in the coop, 2 in the yard, and 1 in another neighbors yard. 1 chicken survived. the lady was able to stop her dog from chasing the chicken and catch it. non of the other neighbors saw what happened. i know it was her dig cuz her dog is always in my yard crapping and i told her that i bet it was her dog. but i have no proof. the chickens were only 9 weeks old. they were my kids chickens. they each picked out their own breed to order. so right now they are upstairs crying saying they are gonna kill the dog. i don't know what to do.

I'm soo sorry to hear about this!
Tell your girls that a dog is just an animal and it technically is the owners fault for not keeping an eye on it. Do you have a leash law in your town? If so, I would call the dog/animal control to report so if it ever happens again they will have it on record.​

 

[oesdog]

Try to gently explain to your kids that it isn;t the dogs fault - it is in the nature of a dog to do that - It is the dogs owner!!!!!!!!!!! Don;t let the kids get angry with the dog as Dogs can be such great pets too. I am sure the kids are really upset. I don;t know how old they are - sometimes a little funeral helps them come to terms with the death of pets. I think you should encourage the kids to order more chickens! The one that survived needs friends and it will elp them. The worst thing you can do is let this affect them so much it puts them off having chickens! - Yes it is sad but it happens ! It is a sad fact of having chickens that sometimes there are preditors. Why don;t you have a quiet chat with your Neighbor about how best to secure the dog and also about how upset the kids are and that you think it was her Dog and if she knows it was then maybe she could help you buy replacement chicks for the kids.

There is no easy answer - just that sometimes kids have to learn that life is sometimes hard and hurtful - it is a steep learning cerve. - Get more chickens ASAP they will get over it honest.

Oesdog - I have 4 grown kids weve had loads of pets come and go!

 

[MissJenny]

I am so so so sorry for your loss -- no doubt you are devastated. The dog owner must be horrified as well. (If she were not a nice person she would have grabbed her dog and gone inside as if she knew nothin' about nothin'. Has she offered to replace your birds, to pay for any damage. Is your run very secure or did the dog get in there easy peezy? (I am of the mind that dog owners should keep their dogs secure, but chicken owners too bare the responsibility of keep their birds safe -- secure hardware cloth, buried several inches, locked up tight at night.)

The reason I ask these questions is because the situation is already as bad as it should get. If this is a neighbor with whom you generally get along there is no need to say things that won't improve matters. If the neighbor is genuinely crushed and wants to do what she can to make up for her dog's damage, that really is all she can do. The last thing anyone wants to do is make enemies in the neighborhood or to get their business dragged into court.

Big hugs to all of you -- and a special hug to the one remaining hen. How horrible for all.

Jenny

 

[Keene's coop]

no she didn't offer to help replace them. she doesn't think it was her dog. the reason i do is because her dog likes to come into my yard to take a crap. and i have asked the owner to keep her dog out of our yard. and yes we do have leash laws, which her dog is not on a leash. mine isn't either, but my dog doesn't run away like theirs does. they have a huskie. and yes, it is my fault too, i kept putting off a better lock on the run door. i don't expect her to pay, but at least she could have offered. i already email someone here on BYC that lives close to us who hatches. just waiting to hear from her. my kids understand death. we had to put our dog down a few years ago. so they understand. so hopefully we can get some new ones

 

[Tropical Chickies]

How horrifying! When I was new to chicken keeping, my little dog found his way into an open space in the chicken run (I didn't think anything would be able to get in through it and it had never even crossed my mind) and killed all of my babies except for one that had survived that found a crevice to hide. It was a murder mission and it never happened again. I learned the hard way and after that I made certain that NOTHING could get in from any angle anywhere!!

My backyard has turned into a burial ground of lessons and ignorance learned.

Too bad your neighbor is in denial, such a shame!! They need to step up and do the right thing...your neighbor probably is lying anyhow, she knows her dog is out unattended and it is in the dogs nature to do that sort of thing.

SORRY for your loss!!

 

[Keene's coop]

thanks everyone. i ended up filing a report with the police cuz we've been having problems with their dog coming into our yard. and i've confronted the owner about it. but anyway, i'm just real angry cuz she never even apologized or anything. so. now there's a report so if it happens again, something can be done about the dog. although the cop asked if the chickens were family pets or just chickens for food and i said family pets of course. i'm kids are in the coop at least 3-4 hours per day. she said since they were "family pets", that's a whole new story and different law. so we'll see what happens. so now i'm looking for replacement chickens close to 9 weeks old (in my area or close too) and it's not that easy.

 

[rancher hicks]

I am sorry for you loss. Unfortunately some people have no respect for anyone. You mentioned a 6' fence, I assume it doesn't go all the way around your yard? My neighbors dog went after my SIL the other day. I have written to the landlord about it long ago.

I suggest you call the appropriate people everytime you see the dog in your yard. I would also see what your rights are and buy a BB gun. Let you neighbor know you are going to take appropriate action next time.

I assume your chickens can't roam into neighboring yards?

Don't be discouraged

Wish you and the kids all the best

Rancher

 

[Keene's coop]

no our chickens can not roam. they are penned. we actually stopped at the hardware store after the library to get a chain to lock the door better. but too late. now the lonely chicken is acting differently. she's lonely. trying my best to find her some friends close to her age