Usually, I just lurk here. Joined BYC to get info on Northern Fowl Mite (DE works wonders) and thought I'd let you know what happened a couple of days ago. Background: we had 20 red shavers (1 egg per day per bird
) that we'd raised since they were 3 day old chicks last spring. My wife and 7 year old niece who visits often got quite attached to them. Built the chicken coop last summer (12 x 12, raised off the ground with chicken wire fencing under the floor and fencing tacked to the walls 4 ft up to deter predators). The run is attached to the coop and is about 40 x 50 ft. The fence around the run is approximately 7 ft high. There's plastic netting over top of the run to stop red-tailed hawks that hang around here.
Some people moved into a newly built house next door last summer. They had a white bulldog/shepard/??? cross and a Staffordshire Bull Terrier that "visited" our property once in a while. Walking around the run fence about a month ago, I noticed that something had been trying to dig under the fence. The same day, I buried heavy galvanized fencing 24 inches deep at an oblique angle all around the run and then went to the neighbor to ask him to please keep his dogs off our property. Neighbor is very understanding and says that he'll keep his dogs in their pen when he goes to work. A couple of days later the dogs are nosing around the run again. Chase them off and complain again to the neighbor that evening. He says that he doesn't understand how they got out of their pen but will look into it. This happened a couple of more times. Each time,he's very understanding and says that he will look into it.
Two days ago, as I was leaving the house to pick up my wife from work, I glance at the run where the chickens are usually scurrying about and clucking happily and see feathers everywhere and some chickens lieing very still on the ground. I rush down to the chicken coop and see the neigbor's two dogs inside the run. The terrier is chasing one of the remaining chickens and the cross has one in it's mouth and is shaking it vigorously. Grab the first things that comes handy (a 6 ft length of 2x4 lumber) and charge into the run. The terrier sees me coming with murder on my mind and takes off but not before I get a couple of good whacks in. The cross has his back turned to me and doesn't see me coming at him. I hit him across the back - hard and he drops the bird and snarling turns toward me. Whack him again on the nose and he takes off like greased lightning. Turns out they managed to worm their way in via a tiny gap (that they widened) between the run and the coop.
Shaking with anger I go to the neighbor's house. Nobody's home and that's probably just as well 'cause I'd likely be in jail for assault right now. Went back to my house and phoned Animal Control. Surprisingly, they show up only 1/2 hour later, take pictures of the carnage and take a statement. They came back that evening when the neighbor is home from work. He of course, denies that his sweet & loving, little pooches would ever do anything like that. But when the AC officer asks to see the dogs, the cross has a big gash across his nose and the normally friendly terrier is shaking in fear. The dogs have been declared dangerous animals and have been put down today.
Lessons learned:
Here in Canada, you're not allowed to just shoot the neighbor's pets - even if they are on your property (laws against discharging firearms in neighborhoods, etc.)
- if dogs are hanging around your coop, don't just chase them off. Digital cameras are cheap these days. Take pictures to prove what's happening. Make the complaint to the dog's owner in writing and keep a paper trail. If after 3 complaints and still no results, call Animal Control with pictures and copies of letters.
- have something handy for ID'ing visiting dogs. A paintgun to mark them when they're on the property would have come in handy. As it was, their wounds gave them away.
- my wife & niece are devastated but no judge will allow punative damages or damages for emotional trauma where pets or farm animals are concerned. The neighbor offered to replace the birds, however, I will be billing him $2519 for the cost of raising 11 (now dead) birds and future production of eggs lost (11 x 300 eggs/year x 2 years production ... conservative estimate). People pay a bit more attention when a lot of money is involved.
Mishi
Some people moved into a newly built house next door last summer. They had a white bulldog/shepard/??? cross and a Staffordshire Bull Terrier that "visited" our property once in a while. Walking around the run fence about a month ago, I noticed that something had been trying to dig under the fence. The same day, I buried heavy galvanized fencing 24 inches deep at an oblique angle all around the run and then went to the neighbor to ask him to please keep his dogs off our property. Neighbor is very understanding and says that he'll keep his dogs in their pen when he goes to work. A couple of days later the dogs are nosing around the run again. Chase them off and complain again to the neighbor that evening. He says that he doesn't understand how they got out of their pen but will look into it. This happened a couple of more times. Each time,he's very understanding and says that he will look into it.
Two days ago, as I was leaving the house to pick up my wife from work, I glance at the run where the chickens are usually scurrying about and clucking happily and see feathers everywhere and some chickens lieing very still on the ground. I rush down to the chicken coop and see the neigbor's two dogs inside the run. The terrier is chasing one of the remaining chickens and the cross has one in it's mouth and is shaking it vigorously. Grab the first things that comes handy (a 6 ft length of 2x4 lumber) and charge into the run. The terrier sees me coming with murder on my mind and takes off but not before I get a couple of good whacks in. The cross has his back turned to me and doesn't see me coming at him. I hit him across the back - hard and he drops the bird and snarling turns toward me. Whack him again on the nose and he takes off like greased lightning. Turns out they managed to worm their way in via a tiny gap (that they widened) between the run and the coop.
Shaking with anger I go to the neighbor's house. Nobody's home and that's probably just as well 'cause I'd likely be in jail for assault right now. Went back to my house and phoned Animal Control. Surprisingly, they show up only 1/2 hour later, take pictures of the carnage and take a statement. They came back that evening when the neighbor is home from work. He of course, denies that his sweet & loving, little pooches would ever do anything like that. But when the AC officer asks to see the dogs, the cross has a big gash across his nose and the normally friendly terrier is shaking in fear. The dogs have been declared dangerous animals and have been put down today.
Lessons learned:
Here in Canada, you're not allowed to just shoot the neighbor's pets - even if they are on your property (laws against discharging firearms in neighborhoods, etc.)
- if dogs are hanging around your coop, don't just chase them off. Digital cameras are cheap these days. Take pictures to prove what's happening. Make the complaint to the dog's owner in writing and keep a paper trail. If after 3 complaints and still no results, call Animal Control with pictures and copies of letters.
- have something handy for ID'ing visiting dogs. A paintgun to mark them when they're on the property would have come in handy. As it was, their wounds gave them away.
- my wife & niece are devastated but no judge will allow punative damages or damages for emotional trauma where pets or farm animals are concerned. The neighbor offered to replace the birds, however, I will be billing him $2519 for the cost of raising 11 (now dead) birds and future production of eggs lost (11 x 300 eggs/year x 2 years production ... conservative estimate). People pay a bit more attention when a lot of money is involved.
Mishi
