Chickens eaten by neighbours dogs

[Farming Frenzy]

My chicken got eaten by neighbours hunting dogs. Its not the first time. They have eaten my pet bunny, the other neighbours goat, and another 2 of my chcikens.Its really sad, but I cant do anything.They are german pointers, one of the best unting dogs ever bred.They totally ripped apart the rabbit hutch.But left no evidence of dead aniamls, or fur, or blood, except they ame back the next night and looked around to find more food, so we knew it was them.
Can i sue my neighbour? is there anything I can do?

 

[chykynz]

It is irritating knowing the culprit and not being able to do anything about it. My neighbors dog ate 15 chickens before I could figure out what was doing it. I built a fence to prevent a cofrontation with my neighbor. They are nice people but couldn't control their dog. It fixed the problem for a while. Now a red tail hawk is picking off my birds and I can't do anything about it because predatory birds are protected.
I would suggest keeping the law out of it if possible. Sometimes bringing it to the neighbors attention will fix it. I hope things work out for you.

 

[Farming Frenzy]

thanks, i appreciate it the neighbours are good friends of my dad. but they don't take their dogs out hunting anymore so whenever they escape... they go wild again and unt.They scared my cat up a tree once, dad tried talking to them and they have started being more careful. and securing the cages... sadly he ran over one of his dogs last week. they are very beautiful dogs and it was very sad. he does breeding so he has many many of them. So many we can here them barking evenif we live very far away in the country side. ( they are our closest neighbours but live more than 1000 metres away from our property.) we'll figure something out.

P.S one hawk eating 15 chickens is a lot! where do you live? i haven't heard of any protected species of predator birds around our area.

 

[HipEMama]

Ugh. This happened to me recently. I'm really sorry for your loss. I found that being direct with my neighbors really helped. I explained to them that this is unacceptable behavior regardless of the breed. I presented a bill for my chickens, the fence, and the damage their dog did to my coop. I would avoid mentioning a lawsuit the first time out. If they are unresponsive or unwilling to take personal and financial responsibility remember that the law is on your side.

 

[hollyinpa]

All seven of my hens were killed last night. Only found 4 in the yard...three of which had no heads. The three that were not found...I wish they would find their way home if they escaped. No sign of a predator...no tracks, fur, scat, etc.

I am heartbroken.

 

[Farming Frenzy]

No heads? serouisly!? that's really gross. I'm so sorry for you. to have not found them is bad enough, but seeing them decapitated is really... sad. more than sad... im really sorry for all you guys.

there must be a way to save our chickens!

 

[HeatherEmme]

If you intend on a lawsuit you'll need proof that their dogs are to blame. Some people here use game cameras to catch predators in the act..just a thought.

Nice neighbor or not, it's still irresponsible for them to have dogs they can not control or properly contain. Especially when they're breeding them. It's also irresponsible to breed a certain type of dog for a purpose (like hunting) and then cage them or house them continuously and never let them fulfill that purpose. No wonder the dogs are stir crazy.
If it were me, I'd speak with them about it directly and as the previous poster said present them with a bill for the damage done to your property (chickens included). If they refuse to acknowledge their moral responsibility to repair and/or replace the damage done, then a lawsuit may be in order. But really, before you go accusing the neighbors you have to be absolutely certain their dogs are to blame. A hunch or suspicion just isn't enough. Unless you have solid proof or you've seen them in the act you can't be sure.

 

[Farming Frenzy]

We know that it is their dogs, as we caught them lingering about near the chicken coop, and the marks on the bunny cage were deffinatly not possum scratches. A camera sounds good, we'll try it out.
They breed them and sell them to locals. But as companion dogs. I dont know if he doesn't want to start breeding actual companion dogs like labradors or something, but he is getting lots of pups with his dogs, and hes selling them fast. So theres no point stoping because I asked him too. Ill see if theres anything we can do. thanks everyone!

 

[blucoondawg]

Your best bet is to report them to whatever form of animal control agency you have there or local law enforcement also any pictures you can get of the damages or the dogs doing the damage is also helpful, and of course you should be able to sue for damages, it is also helpful to have other neighbors who have had problems as well, they can testify to the damages they have suffered or file suit as well. If it were me I would shoot the dogs next time they came over. I would tell the neighbor if I see the dogs on my property again I will kill them.

 

[Deerling]

First of all - I'm so sorry that this happened to you.

Second - I'm shocked that nothing has been done yet. Not by the owners or the other people who have lost animals in your neighborhood? A dog killing a goat is terrifying! I wouldn't feel safe, let alone feel that my children were safe. My advice would be to document everything, even if it is just writing down what you remember. Try to get dates, if your husband or neighbor or anyone saw it have them write their recollections, too. Getting a game camera would be a good option if you can, but even if you can't talk to your neighbors who have also lost animals to these dogs. Something needs to be done. I would definitely call animal control, give them all your info and the neighbor's testimonies and ask what can be done. Those dogs should be put down. There is no excuse for them to be running wild like that.