Chickens

[shelbydog]

I agree it is your liability since your dogs broke the boundary. But....kudos to you for making it right by reinforcing the fence and offering 2 of your hens. You're doing the right thing in my opinion. Did you confirm with them they were satisfied with the current arrangement? Hopefully their acknowledgement they are happy with resolution will prevent any further liability over this incident.

 

[Chick Charm]

Primfarmhouse

To impute anything bad about your neighbor MAKES YOU LOOK BAD. It has already been said but it seems it is not registering with you. YOU ARE AT FAULT & YOUR NEIGHBOR HAS SETTLED MATTERS FAIRLY as have you. $30 is what I sell my POL RIR's for. To impute bad motives is merely speculative on your part at this point.

In my first post I focused on the positive aspects of the situation that could and really should transpire. But why would you say anything bad about your neighbor, when the worst thing they did, in your own words, "The neighbors had let the hens out and then left them unsupervised." On their own property no less. And then to skirt blame you attribute blame on them because your dogs did not go into their yard until they got chickens. HORRIBLE neighbors getting chickens causing your dog to go over and kill them..

Boy am I glad I have the neighbors that I have.

 

[mpgo4th]

To answer your question you need to look up your counties codes to find out what you are responsible for paying. In my county in VA the code states that poultry (of any kind) killed by dogs other than your own on your property is a fine of $30 per bird up to but not to exceed $300. That is all. No pain and suffering crap. Know your laws and live by them, thats all you can do. No one else said it but I'm sorry this happened period and it sucks that you had to give away two of the birds you raised from chicks. The whole situation is heart breaking.

 

[mpgo4th]

As a side note you did get off lucky. In my county I'm also within the law to shoot and kill anything coming onto my land killing my livestock.
You lost to birds but you could have lost two dogs too.

 

[primfarmhouse]

 

[primfarmhouse]

Confused on where I was saying anything bad about the neighbors or saying it was their fault.... We admitted our dogs were in the wrong for leaving our yard........ HE is the one that implied and agreed with the lady he bought off of that the $25-$30 for pain, suffering and emotional distress wasn't value enough....How does one put a value on that? The rabbit comment was to show that taking just as much care of a rabbit as a chicken probably they didn't have troubles killing an animal that could also be considered a "pet" at their own hand without pain suffering and emotional distress.....To clarify moreso THEY are the ones that used the "unsupervised" statement, not me.
We have personally only lived here a little over a year... My parents for 45 years.

 

[primfarmhouse]

I would of paid it instantly if that is what they wanted, but they discussed it and .liked my Reds a lot.....

 

[primfarmhouse]

kbh ~ r.e. your "off subject". I inherited the house....All the some days were suddenly upon me in an instant.....Went to work on November 22, 2011 and never returned to my home of 20 years to sleep another night with a cancer diagnosis of dad and mom having dimentia for 4 years I became their caregiver.... After nearly losing my husband from a knick on his finger from a work injury going sepsis in the blood on Dec. 14, 2011 and being hospitalized 300 miles from home for 2 weeks, my dad passed January 11, 2012, my grandma (dad's mom who didn't know he had died) on January 29,2012 and my mom on July 31, 2012. We knew someday we would be living here, but NEVER as soon as we are now.... Had our own home for 20 years, so moving with our kids having to leave the only house they have ever lived in and adjusting has been a bittersweet thing and now this chicken issue... Talk about emotional.... I am VERY sad this happened, but with losing a total of 5 family members and 14 friends before 2012 was out puts things in a perspective most can't understand..... I did not expect to be in the place I've been put until I was at least 55+.... It came at least 11 years too early for me in my heart and mind..... My chickens are a great healing tool!

 

[Hinotori]

You got off well with the neighbors in my opinion. $20-30 per bird isn't that bad for almost point of lay pullets.

Pretty much everywhere in Washington deals very harshly with dogs that attack livestock and poultry if authorities are called. If you're in the country where firearms can be discharged, dogs can be legally shot. (Sounds like you're in town)

They don't really need to clip the wings if the birds aren't flying over. I only have two birds out of 30+ adults that can make it over the 6 foot chain link fence. One of those has to flap and climb up it. The other I've watched fly straight up 8 ft onto the awning. If their birds ARE flying over, well then it's not on you if something happens to them in your yard.

I recommend working on training your dogs more. They can be trained to ignore specific bird types, even if they don't see that specific individual bird regularly. I had to teach mine to ignore the killdeer that nest out in our driveway. Now they don't even look at them.

 

[realsis]

25 30$ a bird is a good price if its a show quality bird one of my silkies cost my 85$ for one bird! The other was 100$.But mine are show quality. do you know if her birds were show birds? If they were they likely costed a lot more than 35$. If they were hatchery birds then she likely got them for a whole lot less and
is over charging you. Do you know if they were show quality or hatchery? I'd find out and bring that up to her if she is over charging you. However if they were show quality your getting off cheap. Hope this helps. Best of luck