Dogs INSIDE my coop! Compensation?

[mrgreenjeans53]

I had a problem with one dog a few years back. It never got the chance to kill any of my chickens because I always caught it before it got in my coop but it sure wreaked havoc on them. They stopped laying for a while because of it. I complained to the neighbor but he just laughed at me. I put a stop to his laughing the next morning when the dog showed up again......I SHOT THE S.O.B!!!!!!!! No more problems and the neighbor never said a word. (It was legal to kill the dog where I lived though).

I'd go the legal route if I were you. You've warned her numerous times. Enough is enough!!! A little tainted raw meat will do the trick also and your neighbor will never know what happened unless she has autopsies done on the dogs.

Good luck whichever route you go with it.

 

[mrgreenjeans53]

You can't train a dog to stop killing chickens after they've gotten the taste of their blood. They will NOT stop!!!!

 

[Bear Foot Farm]

Quote:

You can't train a dog to stop killing chickens after they've gotten the taste of their blood. They will NOT stop!!!!

Sure you can.
A few days time and a shock collar will teach any but the most agressive dogs

 

[centrarchid]

You can't train a dog to stop killing chickens after they've gotten the taste of their blood. They will NOT stop!!!!

You can use other means with many dogs that do not even require shock collars.

 

[galanie]

It takes time and a responsible owner to train them. I don't think the OP is working with a responsible person.

 

[speckledhen]

It takes time and a responsible owner to train them. I don't think the OP is working with a responsible person.

And here we have the crux of the issue. If the person was training her own dog, fine. Most people who post threads of this type are not dealing with their own dog, but with owners who have absolutely no intention of spending the time it takes to keep their dog from killing someone else's chickens. They simply do not care. You cannot make someone else train their dog.

 

[galanie]

The minute a neighbors dog murders my livestock and refuses to consider anything reasonable in compensation will be the minute I stop worrying about neighbor relations because they've already thrown it all out the window at that point. I'd say a guardian dog that allows neighboring "buddies" in to harm your property to be the problem.

 

[suzeqf]

I had a boxer that killed 3 of my chickens and we thought we had her broke from it because she was leaving them alone but one day about 3 months later she killed my polish hen and tried to get another one and it wasn't fair to leave her penned up so i found a nice chicken free home for her.

Sounds like the dogs don't know any better and would be better off gone and I would not hesitate to shoot them if they were in my yard and attacking my flock. Charges should be brought against the owner and she should not be allowed to have dogs again.

 

[The Lazy L]

These neighbor dogs have been killing my chickens for 3 1/2 years. They have been to court and paid several fines. Then I started getting threatening letters from the (unbalanced) neighbor and haven't reported any further issues, but the harassing and killing has continued on and off. I've spoken to the neighbor several times....

...But, adding up just from memory all the birds her dogs have killed over the years, I get 13. There may be others I don't recall at the moment. So...... Any thoughts of what I should reasonably expect to ask of her? I figure....300 eggs a year for 4 years X 13 birds? At $4/ dozen for organic eggs? What do y'all think

Kill the dog. Neighbor gets another dog.

Kill the dog. Neighbor gets another dog.

Kill the dog. Neighbor gets another dog.

Ain't solving the problem. Hit the neighbor where it hurts, THEIR WALLET!

300 eggs / 12 = 25 x $4 = $100 + $260 (13 chickens x $20) = $360.

Ask the neighbor which would they prefer?

1. Pay $360 to keep it out of the courts?
2. Let the courts settle it?
3. $150 and get rid of the dog?

 

[tellynpeep]

I am the original poster here.
I appreciate all the commiseration and thoughts.

As of yesterday, the dogs were running loose again (my birds were in lock-down INSIDE their coops, fortunately.)

Today, I gave a statement to the police, with dates, # of birds killed and injured, and color PICTURES (hey, they asked for them!)

They tell me the owner will have to appear in court, and according to the law the dogs will have to go. I don't care where they go, as long as I never have to see or hear them again. According to state law, the third time within a year the dogs are considered a "nuisance" is a third strike. Well, we have three times within a week here.

The young local cop came over this evening and took pictures of the crime scene: pics of my coop inside and out, the surrounding area, and the boundary between our two properties. Now he wants from me a statement of lost value. Well, the cost for a replacement layer may be only $20. But, as someone previously mentioned, my actual costs are far greater. These were birds hatched from purchased and shipped eggs. Not cheap. Do I add in the cost of my incubator? Brooder? Electric bills (which tripled when I had incubators and brooders going last year.) How do I charge for my time? What did it cost to feed these birds to point-of-lay?
I know you can't ask for lost future income, but now my birds are on medication and I can't legally sell the eggs, at least for a while.

The thing is... I don't want their money; I just want my babies back....

I am so so sad over this whole thing...