Dog Problems...Any tips on keeping them away?

[centrarchid]

Heyo. I was outside the other day, and a neighbors cute blue heeler dog came over. She's not a bad dog, and I was hoping to sort-of be friends with it, but then it started bothering my chickens... so pretty much never mind on that. (Chickens first, thank you.) She was running around the coops, jumping up on them (they are mostly low, moveable runs), just really scaring the birds for sport. I couldn't get her to leave, and eventually resorted to running to keep myself between her and the chickens. It didn't work great (I have four coops to protect, after all).... Eventually I noticed my little bantam Ahsyolka, and her coopmate were bleeding from hitting themselves on the side of the coop. That made me pretty mad! I have had way too many past experiences with dogs hurting my chickens, and my nerves in that area are pretty delicate now. I finally chased the dog off (or maybe it just got bored, who knows). Afterwards, inspection of my hens revealed the one bird to (thankfully) just have a little blood where the beak meets the top of her head. The poor bantam's comb, however, was nearly severed from slamming into the wire! I didn't think I had the supplies, time or experience to try and save it (it was pretty ugly, bloody), so I wrapped her in a towel, took an alcohol- cleaned exacto-knife, and cut it the rest of the way, using flour to stop the bleeding. Poor bird! I am worried it will get infected, or she will start bleeding again. I am going to put some triple antibiotic (no painkillers, don't worry) on it today. I would have done that yesterday, but it was still so fresh I was afraid daubing stuff on it would make her bleed again (it was kinda hard to get it to stop). She's such a little bird; it couldn't be good for her to lose so much. She looks like a different breed without her little comb! I will try to post a picture of her later when I have the chance.

Obviously, I do not want this happening again. We are going to try and find out the dog's owner (we're not sure who's it is, because almost everyone lets their dogs roam around here), and let them know she's bothering our birds. In the meantime, if it comes back, how do I communicate with this dog that my chickens are absolutely off limits? preferably without hurting it? There's not much I can see to do to reinforce the coops, so for now I'm going to have to go with keeping the dog away, I think. I've managed to get another neighbor's sweet dog to leave them be, but she only really chased them once, and was a people dog; this new dog next to completely ignores me. (She didn't even turn an ear when I slapped her with a stick. I guess it didn't hurt...) I'm not one to really try and hurt animals, but this, I feel, is going to make me snap if it happens again. (Chickens be my weakness.) *sigh* and to think I had just started warming up to dogs again.

Thanks in advance!

Your problem looks less complex than mine and might be fixable using an approach I used when free-ranging juveniles that went back to chicken tractors each night. The chicken tractors were in a row 10 to 20 feet apart. Either electrified poultry netting or three strands of hotwire formed a perimeter around the chicken tractors. Most of the time I used a solar charged fencer to keep everything hot although have graduated to using one that is powered from grid as I could see if it was hot or not from a distance. With poultry netting I could keep juvenile American Dominiques inside although with my game chicken they could go over the nesting without issue. Still the fencing stopped dogs and most nighttime bad guys so I could leave tractors open at night unless owls involved. I also liked to "double bag it" by having a much larger hotwire perimeter surrounding multiple electrified poultry netting perimeters. I could not protect more than 1/2 acre at any one time.

I'm the Human / Dog Conflict guy.

 

[Obi-wan Henobi]

I’ve had very similar experiences. Some neighborhood dogs are fine. Others have claimed several chickens while free ranging. All animals have a risk/reward ratio. So far the reward doesn’t seem to be that high except for fun. So it’ll be easiest to solve it now before something worse happens.
I don’t know where you live, but in Alabama, it’s legal to shoot and kill “any creature” that is a threat to you or your livestock. I haven’t and will not shoot a dog. BUT, a gunshot nearby will make the dog think twice. But absolutely check your local laws and such before using a gun to any extent.

Check with your local animal control office. In our area, they will come out and set a humane trap at no charge to you. What happens next is they try and contact the owner and they have to pay to get them back. And the price to free the dog goes up each time.

Also again, check local laws and such. But reporting a loose dog to the sheriffs office could produce fines for the owner. And if nothing else, it creates an official paper trail in case something bad happens and you need compensation. Pictures/video go a long way as well.

I haven’t had to go that far yet. But all of this was told to me by the sheriffs office and animal control. We were able to solve to problem easily. But look at local laws and find your rights before doing anything drastic.

Thanks for the tips, yall! I will definitely look at the rules and such, My Bagurks . Where would I find them? I'm hoping tomorrow we can figure out who's dog it is (hopefully she won't decide to come back for some more "playtime" before then). If I reported one dog would they fine for all of the others? I'm not sure who's dog it is, as I've said, but most people here have multiple they let run around. I don't really want anyone to get in trouble for dogs I (as of yet) have no quarrel with.

I can tell you how I would handle it and how my husband would handle it - keep in mind we are both dog lovers and owners!

My way: Shotgun into the air the next time I see the dog.

I would try a few times with my technique. If he keeps coming back I would hand over the reins to my husband and let him "handle it"

Husband's way (never used his technique because mine has worked): BB gun to the dog's behind.

This is of course after trying every way to find the dog's owners!

Careful about the BB gun. Looking through the law, the dog owner may come after you for animal abuse or something. When using a gun. Shoot to miss or shoot to kill. In between leaves room for argument.

LizzzyJoI don't have any sort of loud gun, but I do have a BB gun, and we also have a crossbow (though that wouldn't do much good for scaring, I would think, only killing, which I *ahem* am not wanting to do). Would shooting a BB from a distance injure the dog? like, actually pierce it? I always kinda thought it would glance off if you were far enough from it. Funny that you're allowed to kill a dog harassing your animals (in some places), but might get in trouble for just shooting it.

"
Dogs who are Chasing Livestock or Wildlife

Many states have laws allowing the shooting of dogs to protect farm animals and agricultural interests. In Puckett v. Miller, 381 N.E.2d 1087 (Ind.App.,1978) , the Court of Appeals found that a farmer who had shot the plaintiff’s coon dogs as they were trying to get into defendant's chicken enclosure had a valid defense under an Indiana statute providing that any dog known to have worried livestock or fowl or found roaming unattended may be lawfully killed. In Vermont, domestic pets “found wounding, killing or worrying another domestic pet or wolf-hybrid, a domestic animal or fowl may be killed" when reasonably necessary to prevent injury to the animal.” 20 V.S.A. § 3545(b) .Ohio provides that “a dog that is chasing or approaching in a menacing fashion” or that “attempts to bite or otherwise endanger, or that kills or injures” a person, livestock, poultry, domestic animal, or other animal, that is the property of another person, except a cat or another dog, can be killed at the time of that chasing, approaching, attempt, killing, or injury. OH ST § 955.28 . If the requirement of imminent threat is not explicitly stated in the statute, as it is in Ohio, courts often will often incorporate it through interpretation. In Propes v. Griffith , 25 S.W.3d 544 (Mo.App. W.D., 2000) ,for example, the court held that "it would be logical to conclude that the legislature did not intend for MO ST § 273.030 to allow a sheep owner to have an unlimited time frame in which to kill a dog found on his property.” Rather, the landowner could only kill the dog immediately while in the act of chasing to protect his sheep. Thus, defendants were liable for taking the dogs to two different veterinarians over a three hour time span to have them euthanized. In fact, the court even found the award of punitive damages was justified, given that this type of conduct had to be deterred. "

Thanks! This is helpful. Which site did it come from?

You can look through this thread about a more extreme version, and find some awesome advise.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/dog-human-conflict.1502113/

Your problem looks less complex than mine and might be fixable using an approach I used when free-ranging juveniles that went back to chicken tractors each night. The chicken tractors were in a row 10 to 20 feet apart. Either electrified poultry netting or three strands of hotwire formed a perimeter around the chicken tractors. Most of the time I used a solar charged fencer to keep everything hot although have graduated to using one that is powered from grid as I could see if it was hot or not from a distance. With poultry netting I could keep juvenile American Dominiques inside although with my game chicken they could go over the nesting without issue. Still the fencing stopped dogs and most nighttime bad guys so I could leave tractors open at night unless owls involved. I also liked to "double bag it" by having a much larger hotwire perimeter surrounding multiple electrified poultry netting perimeters. I could not protect more than 1/2 acre at any one time.

I'm the Human / Dog Conflict guy.

I've seen the human/dog conflict thread....yikes! I thought one dog was bad. Thanks for sharing! I've looked through some of it but not all, yet. I don't think I can do the hotwire/netting thing centrarchid ... egg money barely pays for the feed as it is. I wish I could.... I've always wanted electric netting or something! It would solve many a problem (seeing as how we have every other chicken predator in existence around here).

Thanks all!

 

[pennyJo1960]

How about a hose on ready to fire full on the dog JMHO

 

[Obi-wan Henobi]

How about a hose on ready to fire full on the dog JMHO

Hey that's a good idea!

 

[Suzz]

I can tell you how I would handle it and how my husband would handle it - keep in mind we are both dog lovers and owners!

My way: Shotgun into the air the next time I see the dog.

I would try a few times with my technique. If he keeps coming back I would hand over the reins to my husband and let him "handle it"

Husband's way (never used his technique because mine has worked): BB gun to the dog's behind.

This is of course after trying every way to find the dog's owners!

I have a coworker who is an older farmer and he told me about shooting a BB gun loaded with salt pellets stings like heck but not leaving anything harmful in a dogs flesh and they will not forget it! I also have neighbors who let their dogs run free one was was a husky who killed one of my chicken.

 

[My Bagurks]

I did a google search for “Alabama law dogs attacking chickens” and was able to find something. Calling your local sheriffs office of police station would get you all the info. Local animal control would be a good call as well. They know would know all the local rules and regulations. And they could tell you what your options are.

 

[centrarchid]

Thanks for the tips, yall! I will definitely look at the rules and such, My Bagurks . Where would I find them? I'm hoping tomorrow we can figure out who's dog it is (hopefully she won't decide to come back for some more "playtime" before then). If I reported one dog would they fine for all of the others? I'm not sure who's dog it is, as I've said, but most people here have multiple they let run around. I don't really want anyone to get in trouble for dogs I (as of yet) have no quarrel with.




LizzzyJoI don't have any sort of loud gun, but I do have a BB gun, and we also have a crossbow (though that wouldn't do much good for scaring, I would think, only killing, which I *ahem* am not wanting to do). Would shooting a BB from a distance injure the dog? like, actually pierce it? I always kinda thought it would glance off if you were far enough from it. Funny that you're allowed to kill a dog harassing your animals (in some places), but might get in trouble for just shooting it.

Thanks! This is helpful. Which site did it come from?



I've seen the human/dog conflict thread....yikes! I thought one dog was bad. Thanks for sharing! I've looked through some of it but not all, yet. I don't think I can do the hotwire/netting thing centrarchid ... egg money barely pays for the feed as it is. I wish I could.... I've always wanted electric netting or something! It would solve many a problem (seeing as how we have every other chicken predator in existence around here).

Thanks all!

Then go Fort Knox on it using a heavier materials and aprons for your chicken tractors. It will still cost you something, no matter what you do. The eggs the chickens produce are not likely to pay for themselves anyway when you operate on such a small scale.

 

[Happy hen lover]

Just a thought how about a game camera to prove whose dogs?

 

[centrarchid]

Just a thought how about a game camera to prove whose dogs?

I’m using game cameras. Helps identify predators and visitors but does not help much with known dogs unless they are causing actual damage.

 

[Tervuren]

Would shooting a BB from a distance injure the dog? like, actually pierce it? I always kinda thought it would glance off if you were far enough from it.

Not sure what distance is needed, but BBs can pierce an animal. When I was a teen, one of my cats came home with something odd in her head. Took her to the vet and they pulled a BB pellet out of her head. Cat was friendly as can be during the process despite acting like she’s being skinned alive when getting her nails trimmed. She’s still kicking at 13! The vet did tell us that they get pets in for X-rays and find unexpected BB pellets frequently. Assuming the best of people that would lead me to believe you need to be farther away than you might think? Good luck with keeping your chooks safe!