Absolutely furious - neighbor's dogs killed my birds

[PiersonPeeps]

So at about 11:45 this morning my chickens start squawking and my boxer starts going nuts. Look out the window and the neighbor's dog are in my coop! I know who's dogs they are and I know where they live. I got a few shots off at them this morning and I think I hit one. The other dog I got a shot off at and then he cam running at me until I got another shot off. I called the Animal Control officer and he's coming out here in a bit. I have a dead RIR, BSL and Australorp, all laying hens. My Bantam Cochin rooster is missing and I'm wondering if I am going to lose another Australorp and one of my EE. I am so furious right now. I know they got a hold of my Black Japanese Bantam Rooster and took a hunk out of his back but he's up and moving and another of my Australorp hens is the same way. How do I figure a value on these birds? I am so mad. These were good birds.

 

[iheartnh]

I am so sorry. I'd be fuming mad, too. I don't know what the laws are in Idaho regarding livestock and damages, so wouldn't know how you would begin to calculate monetary losses - I'm guessing you can find info on your state's website.

If you're inclined to update, I'd sure be interested in outcomes - particularly what, if anything, the dog owners do/say!

 

[bobbi-j]

I have no idea on how to figure a value, but I hope you're keeping your gun handy!

 

[PiersonPeeps]

Yes I am. I went right back in the house and reloaded before I went to assess the carnage because you never know with loose dogs, especially ones in a "pack". The animal control officer came out and I showed him where the dogs were, where they got in my coop and what they did to my chickens. He was going to go see if anyone was home and if not he said a deputy would be back out tonight to talk with them about their dogs and what they did. I haven't heard anything back and being 6:30 on a Friday night I am assuming that I am going to have to wait until Monday to call him back. At the very least I feel that she (the neighbor) should compensate me for my birds. I also think that these dogs should not be let loose to run, EVER. I have 2 small jersey calves and a 2 year old daughter. I'm lucky it was only my chickens. But moving on, what can I do for my girls and rooster with the big open sores on their backs? I know I am going to have to separate them so they don't get pecked at and that's the plan once my husband gets home because we are going to have to build a "cage" to do that. And what about they 2 with the leg issues? How much time do I give them to decide if it's just trauma or if it's permanent? Any thing here would help. All of the other birds I have raised were meat birds so it was an easy answer. These are not so easy.

 

[chickortreat]

I'd kill the dog(s) the next time they set foot on my land. Problem solved.

 

[Wyandottes7]

Yes I am. I went right back in the house and reloaded before I went to assess the carnage because you never know with loose dogs, especially ones in a "pack". The animal control officer came out and I showed him where the dogs were, where they got in my coop and what they did to my chickens. He was going to go see if anyone was home and if not he said a deputy would be back out tonight to talk with them about their dogs and what they did. I haven't heard anything back and being 6:30 on a Friday night I am assuming that I am going to have to wait until Monday to call him back. At the very least I feel that she (the neighbor) should compensate me for my birds. I also think that these dogs should not be let loose to run, EVER. I have 2 small jersey calves and a 2 year old daughter. I'm lucky it was only my chickens. But moving on, what can I do for my girls and rooster with the big open sores on their backs? I know I am going to have to separate them so they don't get pecked at and that's the plan once my husband gets home because we are going to have to build a "cage" to do that. And what about they 2 with the leg issues? How much time do I give them to decide if it's just trauma or if it's permanent? Any thing here would help. All of the other birds I have raised were meat birds so it was an easy answer. These are not so easy.

For your birds that got wounds, put some antibiotic ointment (just don't use one with "caine" in its name, as this isn't good for chickens) onto the wound. Layer it on every day, until you start to see some improvement. If it looks like the wounds are getting infected (bad smell, greenish-blackish look, etc), start them on some antibiotics. I'm not sure what antibiotics would be best, but a broad-spectrum one like Oxytetracycline would probably be a good idea. Make sure that the wounds are kept clean and free of debris. But, don't disturb them any more than you have to; just leave the wounds to heal on their own, unless any problems develop.

As for the ones with leg issues, take a look at their legs. Are there any signs of broken bones, or any reddness, swelling, or lumps? If there are broken bones, I'd just leave them alone, as long as there are no high perches to jump off of, or anything else that could damage the healing leg. The legs would heal, but they would be crooked. Some people would prefer to cull a bird if they had a broken leg, but its your choice.

Redness might just indicate strained muscles or tendons. Keep the birds in a pen with soft shavings and low perches, and they should heal. There is a chance that there has been some neurological damage, in which case it might be a better idea to cull. However, I wouldn't make any decisions until you have given them a chance to heal further.

Hope this helps!

I'm sorry for what happened with your birds! Hopefully, it doesn't happen again.

 

[Michael Apple]

It always frustrates me to know about so many irresponsible dog owners. The best thing one can do as a result of that is to fence their yard and property to prevent predators. I even keep the chicken yard covered due to hawks.

 

[locoguru]

Very sorry! Hope the owner comes to you as a responsible person would. Hope your injured birds make it. Add some garlic as a natural antibiotic.

 

[marktoo]

Sorry about the loss & injuries. Can you take the injured birds to the vet & sue the owner of the dogs? Yeah, I know that could be costly if you lost in court. I think at the very least you should be compenated for more than the loss of the birds, time & materials for isolation crates...oh I don't know.... emotional distress for the surviving birds, loss of eggs if the surviving hens stopped laying. Make it cost them as much as possible. Good luck!

 

[PiersonPeeps]

I talked to my neighbor tonight. She offered to pay for the dead birds but then proceeded to tell me how broke she was so I probably won't see anything from her. She also told me that she didn't know they were out but then turned right around and told me that she didn't know we had chickens or they would have never been out. They shouldn't be out running anyway. I have a 2 year old daughter, a dog of my own, 2 small jersey calves and until recently, pigs. What if it had been any of them, especially my child? How do I figure the price on these birds just in case she actually comes through and pays for them? McMurray had 24 week old pullets for $17.95. I'm having a hard time finding anything. On a plus note, my cochin rooster finally came home. He looks a little less fluffy but other than that seems to be okay. At least now I know that they still see their coop as a safe place.

To chickortreat, the next time will be the last time.

To Michael Apple, my coop is completely enclosed and I do not free range because of hawks and dogs. These two dogs broke in through the window of the coop. Our coop is in our back yard and we are in the process of fencing in the yard PLUS we are going to run hot wire along the outside of the fence. I'm not sure what else to do beyond that. I guess learn to be a better shot or use a different gun next time. A 9mm isn't exactly the best for this kind of pest control but that's what I could get to the fastest and it did work in running the dogs off.

To Wyandottes7, the leg injuries have got to either be just trauma or the problem is up in the hips. The legs themselves do not appear to be broken. My EE is walking better tonight but is still really wobbly. I haven't seen the other really bad hen up and walking yet but she had made her way over to the waterer so I hope she is drinking. My little black rooster and my other black hen seem to be okay other than the back wounds. They have been back and forth from the run to the coop with the others.

Thanks to everybody who responded. I will try to keep you guys all updated on my birds and the neighbor. I'm going to go get some pictures of my birds so that you guys can see better what the wounds look like.