Dog destroyed our coop.

[Stayc]

The smaller dogs are the hardest to train IMO. don't get me wrong, i used to have a Doberman that would have surely found a way to kill my entire flock. My pit bull now is a gentle giant. I once found her licking a baby bird that had fallen( or been kicked) from the nest. She also caught a squirrel (that fell from our very large pecan tree) in her mouth and released it unharmed.

 

[Thorn Fulford]

I would shoot the dog for sure if they are stray. Maybe unload a paintball gun. I'm not so merciful

 

[Emberfalls]

Sorry for the delay.
I've just been so upset.

No. None came home. We found feathers in a neighbor's shed. Found them leading out to a cornfield, then nothing.

No signs of return after the first night.

So now I have to figure out what to do. I have two roosters and two undamaged coops. But as I understand it, it would be cruel to keep them as single birds, but just as dangerous and cruel to pair them up.

I did not realize my coop wasn't strong enough to keep out predators. That is my fault. I feel awful, but it's my responsibility to keep them safe, and I didn't. Now I know what to do in the future, but still.

We've had this dog loose before. He's a total marshmallow any other time, but when he gets loose, he kills stray cats, possums and skunks.

He will walk up to me, drop a dead cat, and beg for belly rubs. It's a mismanagement on thier part. He's bred to work and think. He got left home all week with no walking.
I used to have a wolfdog years ago. It's not the same. But I'm familiar with big, smart, driven dogs.

I spoke with them. We're all pretty friendly. I mean, we keep to ourselves most of the time, but the people are decent. They said he had feathers in his doghouse. So they offered payment for repairs and some of the hens.

Which is nice, I suppose. The whole ordeal has just been awful.

 

[Brahma Chicken5000]

I’m so sorry that you couldn’t find them.

 

[pasuit]

Id be after that dog it wouldnt see another day thats for sure

 

[pasuit]

I'm with you. I love all animals but a pet needs to be contained. Including cats.

 

[lazy gardener]

So sorry for your loss. In spite of the offered repairs and replacement, IMO a legal paper train needs to be kept. A killer dog is still a killer dog, no matter how nice his people are.

 

[Folly's place]

Are they going to manage their dog better? That's the real concern here too.
We spent $$$ on Invisible Fencing, and then Ft. Knox real fencing, for the dog who wouldn't stay in the electric fence. It was worth it to us, and kept him, and all our subsequent dogs, out of trouble. If they won't contain their animal, that's a problem.
He'd be removed some way if he continues to be running loose! And without real consequences, they will just get another mis-managed dog.
Pay for 'some' of your birds? Really? Present a bill that reflects actual costs. And I agree with LG, report this and any future episodes.
Mary

 

[lazy gardener]

Agreed with Mary. They need to make FULL restitution, and you should file a report.

My dog (Jack Russel mix) has a strong prey drive. She's 2 years old, and requires constant vigilance on my part. Initially, I had to buy an electronic radio frequency shock collar to keep her in her yard. She'd be off chasing cars, squirrels, and who knows what else she'd find to do while running free. She likes to see chickens run. She's fine with them most of the time, but... now and then... she gets a bad case of "the runs". When she's running, if a chicken happens to be in her path, that chicken will of course run and squawk, and flap. "Oh what fun!" NOT! So, I bought a remote shock collar. 2 corrections, and she decided that chickens really weren't that much fun to chase... until the collar broke. Time to replace it. The point of my long and boring story is this: dog ownership requires constant work. It sounds like the owners of that Husky have too much dog for their ability to handle. Time for them to step up their game, or re-home the dog and get a breed that is more manageable.

 

[Brahma Chicken5000]

There are people who live around the block from me and whenever their son walked their white dog he would run at the chickens. I asked them to keep him on a shorter leash because he was very energetic and I was afraid that he would jump over my 4 foot chain link fence and get my hens when they were foraging in the backyard. They refused to keep the white dog on a shorter leash. Sometime later this same white dog attacked my other neighbors’ dog (they have chickens also). It took 3 adults to pry the white dog off of the other one. My neighbors with chickens had the owner of the white dog pay for the vet bills, the owners also agreed to muzzle their dog. Apparently this white dog was a fighting dog and these people adopted it! Are you kidding me?! A dog that is aggressive to dogs and people and they walked it without a muzzle! My 10 year old little sister would play outside on our driveway. This white dog could have attacked her!
I should mention that this white dog was not a pit bull. It was smaller and it’s tail would stay high up in a crescent form.