All my sweet birds are gone. What to do?

[HotWingsHoulihen]

We are worried about how to reinforce the doors because the hinges were completely torn from the wood. It seems the weak spots for dogs are doors. There were 2 latches top & bottom with two extra boards that came down over the doors after they were latched and it didn't hold

All that security and they still tore the doors off? Did they work at it for a while or was it pretty quick? IT's amazing how much damage a dog can do.

We have two boxers near us that often go loose. My neighbor (life long resident) said that if they get into your chicken pen to just shoot them. The rule is that you have to take the carcass to the owner and tell them why you shot the dog. I'm not looking forward to that conversation.

 

[yickenscarf23]

All that security and they still tore the doors off? Did they work at it for a while or was it pretty quick? IT's amazing how much damage a dog can do.

We have two boxers near us that often go loose. My neighbor (life long resident) said that if they get into your chicken pen to just shoot them. The rule is that you have to take the carcass to the owner and tell them why you shot the dog. I'm not looking forward to that conversation.

I'm not sure how long it took them I was in bed I only came outside in time to see them trying to get the horses. They did it pretty quietly unfortunately

 

[archeryrob]

As said "farmers business" is how I would handle it. I love dogs, but would not take highly at all to someones dogs acting as a wolf pack. These are wild dogs they associate with not real pets. If I had horses and they were after them, I'd be using a 12ga shotgun and 00 Buck even if I knew who's dog it was.

You could use a bunch of leg hold traps then the proof for animal control is the dog is on your property to be removed. The problem here is by catch and releasing them. Trappers use a noose stick and some critters, like Bobcats, are evil when you find them caught and freaking handful for a professional. I've watched trappers release them I wanted NO PARTS in trying for myself. They are pretty to watch in the woods hunting but 15 pounds of evil, growing, snarly monster stuck in a trap.

These dogs will be killing deer, rabbits and maybe everyone's cats if they even thought of harassing horses. You'd probably be doing all the neighbors a favor by putting them down. They are tame coyotes.

 

[ChemicalchiCkns]

The rule is that you have to take the carcass to the owner and tell them why you shot the dog.

If you are in TennOssee, it is slightly different than in IndianA: TCA § 44-17-201 to 203 is what I found eventually.

 

[HotWingsHoulihen]

If you are in TennOssee, it is slightly different than in IndianA: TCA § 44-17-201 to 203 is what I found eventually.

Thanks for the info. Looks to me like I can kill the dog as long as I have proof that it was menacing my livestock.

 

[Shezadandy]

That's what I'm worried about. We're talking about buying a shed to convert to a coop and pouring a concrete floor underneath so no digging.

The only reason I don't have a direct body count from my @$$ neighbor and his horror show of a dog is I did my fences 6ft chain link with hardware cloth top to bottom and netting on top. I think the neighbor considers himself some sort of dog whisperer because his thing seems to be get the worst possible adult dog and make everyone else suffer around him while he "trains" it.

What finally did it? After multiple attacks- which resulted in injuries and death to my birds - including collapse and death from heat exhaustion - he chased them around in 100 degree temps at 3 in the afternoon- btw- he didn't catch his dog. ***I*** caught his dog- and there was barely an apology.

They were using my land like Disneyland for their dog - after all, it's just a chicken, right? - he goes and runs himself out tormenting my animals and they get a tired dog. What a treat for them.

When it happened again - I perhaps wasn't my best self. I screamed and yelled and probably every other word began with the letter "F". I've never done that before, but after losing girls and dealing with injuries from the girls trampling each other in a panic over getting chased etc., I was DONE. D.O.N.E. DONE. Not 2 days before I'd once again caught that dog on my property chasing my goats, headed for my chickens - they were home- so it's not like they didn't know. I even yelled "STOP CHASING MY LIVESTOCK"- at least that time the dog ran back across the road (where another of their dogs got hit by a car and killed) before it went for the chickens.

Before the day of the profane tirade, I don't think they took me seriously. They sure as anything didn't take any steps to stop their animal's behavior after the multiple run-ins where they SAW what their animal caused. Afterwards - I haven't heard so much as a bark- this after MONTHS and MONTHS and MONTHS of non-stop, how-is-this-animal-breathing-while-barking-this-much barking at ALL hours. I don't know if they got rid of that dog and I DON'T CARE what they did with him. I chased that POS dog off my land and I don't know where they caught him that day- and I don't care. My animals aren't entertainment for their dog.

Friendly and courteous doesn't always work. I did that. IN SPADES. Well-built high chain link worked- at least nobody got ripped to shreds. Injuries happened. Deaths happened. But at least nobody got chomped.

If I ever have it happen again, I have a printout of all the county laws about dogs that chase livestock and what I'm allowed to do. I never brought that up to them - but I am prepared. I don't WANT to be that kind of neighbor. But they clearly don't (didn't???) care what kind of neighbor THEY are.

Building a coop with either a concrete foundation or up on pier blocks offers a LOT more security. When I built my new coop - I lined the floor and walls with hardware cloth between the frame and the siding - so even if something chews through the heavy wood siding- they hit the hardware cloth next.

Electric CAN be a deterrent if it is used in conjunction with something like a chain link fence that a dog can't just run right through- strongly recommend the bottom 2ft at minimum be covered with hardware cloth so hens can't stick their heads through and get grabbed that way. If the electric is on the outside and well-placed - a good 8,000-10,000v zap will eventually connect (if you do it right and ground it well). If it's only an electric net or something like that- then no, it won't stop a frenzied animal- not for a second. If there's a barrier AND electric- the message will get through.

All we can do is prepare for other people's "pets" and all the other animals who want our chicken friends for dinner.

 

[Fishkeeper]

Running after a dog and screaming at it is certainly likely to be effective. With one dog. I really, really wouldn't do it with multiple dogs that are bold enough to chase horses.

Heck, it works on feral cats, too. I chased a big orange tomcat out of our yard with a broom once. He'd been upsetting our cats leaving his smell on everything, and finally he tried to fight one of our cats. I grabbed a broom, ran outside, and poked him with the bristle end of it (not too hard, didn't actually want to injure him), and he did a backflip into the air and ran away. I ran after him, yelling and waving the broom, until he was out of sight. He hasn't been back to spray in our yard since.

Turns out, animals don't like it when you run after them, screaming.

(Seriously though- don't do that with a dog pack, don't do that with a dog that stands its ground, don't do that with an animal that might be rabid.)

 

[Shezadandy]

Running after a dog and screaming at it is certainly likely to be effective. With one dog. I really, really wouldn't do it with multiple dogs that are bold enough to chase horses.

Heck, it works on feral cats, too. I chased a big orange tomcat out of our yard with a broom once. He'd been upsetting our cats leaving his smell on everything, and finally he tried to fight one of our cats. I grabbed a broom, ran outside, and poked him with the bristle end of it (not too hard, didn't actually want to injure him), and he did a backflip into the air and ran away. I ran after him, yelling and waving the broom, until he was out of sight. He hasn't been back to spray in our yard since.

Turns out, animals don't like it when you run after them, screaming.

(Seriously though- don't do that with a dog pack, don't do that with a dog that stands its ground, don't do that with an animal that might be rabid.)

Of course.

In my case -

Just one dog, extremely unlikely to be rabid. I am aware of how not to get attacked by dog(s). His owners and his owners (adult) kids (so no, I wasn't swearing loudly around children) were all trying to catch him. That time I wasn't trying to catch him. I wanted him gone, scared to come back- and for the owners to get the message- I'm not catching your dog for you (AGAIN) and handing him back politely (AGAIN) to have him come back and cause more injuries and death to my animals (AGAIN). Had the owners not been immediately present - I would have skipped the screaming, caught the dog, had him impounded and followed the legal recourse for dogs who chase and kill livestock.

For the OP - it's a tough one- because the safest method of defending her animals involves projectiles - and their own animals could be harmed in the process. Time/date stamped cameras- a stronger coop --- and thinking about building the kind of fence that would keep dogs like that IN (meaning they would not be able to penetrate the barrier to GET in) - reinforced with electric so when the dog can't just run through the fence, it will in fact get zapped if it persists and the electric is at the right level.

Thanks for the clarifications to keep others safe.

 

[The Lazy L]

... they had already torn the entire side off of my chicken coop that we had thought we built so securely...

Chicken wire or 1/4" hardware cloth?

 

[The Lazy L]

Two things Grandpa always stuck by when dogs would chase his horses (after giving as fair a warning as you have): Don't let them go home with buckshot in their butts, finish the job. And when the job is finished, you've never seen them before and don't know where they might be.

And don't bury the collars with the carcasses.