Chickens VS. Dogs

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mixedbreeds said:
Yup I would be all in if I shot the neighbors dog, I wouldn’t like it one bit but I would have done everything legally possible before doing it. Unfortunately it’s not the dogs fault but if it happened twice it’s going to happen again and again.
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Yes..Bylaw here charged my neighbor twice and his Dog is carrying a vicious dog tag now. They never paid my Vet bills either. I don't want to shoot that dog but if she gets loose again she will be dead. Once my Dog beat her up good he has kept her secure...I love Dogs but will protect my animals 100%..
 
I definitely would not shoot to kill maybe a pellet gun or something enough to stun them. Bean bag gun, paint ball gun or something else. I would be just as irritated that my animals had been killed. However, dogs are family to a lot of people. I consider my chickens family just like my dogs but I don’t think it’s right to kill them either. It’s the owners fault they were allowed out and able to run a muck. Take it up with them not the dogs.
 
fjwallace said:
I guess this is a statement, as well as a question. Previously I have been members of 2 or 3 web sites relating to chickens and ducks, and still a member of a web site for guineas. My issue is this. On one of these web sites a member posed the question "How do you feel about the practice of killing dogs that invade your yard and kill your birds (or something similar to that.) I replied that if a neighbor was so irresponsible as to let their dog run loose and it got into my yard and killed my birds, I would do my best to kill it. Well, this caused a real ruckus. On a web site where the admins pride themselves on tolerance and be kind to other posters, no snarky comments, no abuse, etc. I was the verbally attacked and called everything but a white woman. I ended my association with those web sites. Today I want to tell you, my new friends, about an occurrence, and ask for your opinions.

In mid-November, long about 2 pm, I went out for a round and check of my flock and walked into a scene of carnage. Two of the neighbors dogs were in my fenced in yard. I have no idea how they got in, the gates were all still locked. One of the dogs had a dead bird in his mouth, so there were no mistakes or assumptions. The dogs killed my birds. When all the feathers settled, there were 22 dead birds, and two MIA that we never found: 11 chickens ( all my pullets that were 12-16 weeks old), 2 Bantam chicks, and 8 ducks. The loss of the birds was devastating, emotionally, and financially. For instance, we were getting 6-7 ducks eggs a day, now we get one. Duck eggs sell for $4 a dozen.

We called the county sheriff, who sent Animal Control out to us, and a deputy. They took possession of the one dog we caught (I didn't have my gun so couldn't shoot anything). The upshot of it is that even tho the dogs were on my posted property inside locked gates, there is nothing that can be done to the owners of said dogs, unless I want to go to the time and expense of small claims court. In Taney County, Missouri, chickens, ducks, guineas, etc. are not considered protected livestock. The deputy sheriff and the Animal Control officer both told me, in plain English, that the best thing for me to do next time this happened is, wait for it. SHOOT THE DOGS!

What is your opinion?
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I recommend a nice target pistol. Practice on a range to sight it in and keep it in the holster on your hip. One of my neighbors is a sheriff deputy and advised me similarly. Thats it. "Choot 'em"
 
Welcome, and I'm so sorry for your losses!
Have you looked up the laws about livestock and such carnage yourself? I suspect that you were misinformed; check it out yourself! Invading animals destroyed your property!
Will it be possible to talk to this neighbor? If informed, I'd be paying up! My dog or other critter causing harm off my property? My problem!
Tally up your losses financially, and hit small claims court, if nothing else.
Electric fencing is not that expensive, and will make a big difference, if you can use it in your neighborhood.
Here at least, shooting to injure is animal abuse. Shoot to kill them if you shoot at all.
There's SSS if nothing else. I'd fence first, though.
Mary
 
Before this summer I was the guy who rounded up the neighbors dog and returned them home if it got out. Long story short, there is no incentive for dog owners (of fighting breeds) to keep violent dogs penned in here and shooting dogs may be the only answer to the problem... when I move out of here I will go back to being the nice neighbor who helps to return dogs because you know accidents happen. I had 6 weeks of terror from dogs that could tear out just about any fence put up. Chewed through wood, tore fence posts out. The people who run animal control here are dog lovers.. to the point of being mentally ill. "oh he was just playing with them" as there were bits and parts of chickens scattered through out my yard. Eventually they had enough complaints to get the owner to surrender their dogs to get out of piling up fines, Animal control adopted the same dogs back out and the owner just bought more dogs.
 
First offense I advise against shooting (unless your own safety/life is in serious danger). Give the benefit of the doubt. Again, this is for a first offense. Sometimes a dog slips a collar, escapes out a door or window, digs out from under their own fenced yard, etc. What I'm saying is, accidents happen, even in the case of responsible dog owners.

It is unfortunate that animal control is unable to help you. Perhaps capture and dropping off at the pound is a decent option. I know that where I live, if you need to spring your dog from the pound, there is a fine involved. A responsible owner will take measures to make sure it doesn't happen again. An irresponsible owner may not ever pick up the dog in which case it may get a shot at a new home with someone more responsible, or perhaps it would be euthanized.

You do have to continue to live with your neighbors, like them or not. Perhaps they need to be made aware that animal control advised you shoot the dogs (whether you have any intention to or not).

As others have mentioned, it is your responsibility to keep your flock safe. I know my neighbors's dogs run sometimes, I know the coyotes visit too. I feel better about building a secure enclosure for my chickens than anything else. I know this helps protect against more than the neighbor dogs. It's also a more peaceful solution. I would be devastated if my dog chased a rabbit onto a neighbor's property and ended up dead because of it even though I tried to be responsible and had her in an electric fence. Dogs escape, it happens, chickens don't have their own defenses to fight off a predator attack, we must do what we can to help them.
 

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