Dogs killing my chickens

[Lovie]

I have had similar problems but it seems that once they kill one, they don't ever stop coming. I have used a BB gun just to shoot around them and scare them but they still eventually they come back. I literally fought a dog for one of my chickens that did die anyway. And that dog never learned his lesson.

 

[21hens-incharge]

A little different twist here in suburbia....
I have chickens and I have bird dogs.
These dogs were determined to be untrainable as hunting dogs BUT are still motivated bird dogs.
Now I like both my birds AND my dogs.

The solution......

The dogs have a kennel and a hot wire. The kennel is huge and the fence short. The dogs are very tall and could easily hop the fence. Six years with both dogs and birds. NO attempts to cross the electric wire. Oh they will point and stare at the chickens for sure, just not willing to take that zap to get them.

I vote electric fencing and the trail cams. Then if the neighbors dogs cross that line the neighbor and I would have to have a chat. You would have done as much as possible to protect the birds and they would be reminded that they have some animal needs too.

 

[Howard E]

There are two legal doctrines that seem to get cross threaded when it comes to chickens. One doctrine......the livestock version of the "castle doctrine" that says you get to shoot what comes on to your property to cause harm. The other is the doctrine of "attractive nuisance". That one is implied by me, but I do think it applies.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Attractive_nuisance_doctrine

Classic example is that of a backyard swimming pool and the risk of drowning that is imposed upon small children. So the solution is for the property owner to construct a fence to keep kids out and to post warning signs.

As far as dogs are concerned, chickens are an attractive nuisance. Dogs can't help it.....that predator drive is hard wired into their DNA. They don't know the laws, and they don't know where property lines begin and end. So to expect them to keep their distance and to respect your rights and those of your chickens is a bit much to ask. And neighbors are what they are.......and many can be jerks. Worse, many of them will see your birds as a threat to their dog's and their dogs enjoyment of running around. To them, the shoe is on the other foot. To them, your birds are the nuisance.

So I still maintain the best solution to protect your birds from dogs and just about every other beast that walks the planet is to create barriers of protection to keep the birds safe. A tight coop and/or run at ground zero is essential, but how to do that when the space opens up to include a yard? Hard fences are no barrier. I have a 4' high chain link fence out back that I have seen coons, possums, skunks and cats go through like it wasn't even there. They barely slow down. (they go under it). A fox or coyote can go over it. These animals encounter these fences daily and mostly ignore them.

What they don't understand and can't seem to grasp is the nature of an electric fence. As a physical barrier, it is nothing. As a psychological barrier, it is everything. All they know is when they approach or touch it, they get a painful shock (which then don't understand either.......although they do feel extreme pain), so to avoid that level of pain, the fence becomes a barrier they won't cross. It seems so simple.......it works so well........it baffles me why it isn't as common place as a coop and run.

 

[ChickenChaser9]

Animals and dogs in particular are quite well aware of things like "boundaries" and "territory". They can in fact, stop themselves from going into places where they do not belong and many dogs do just that every single day IN FACT there are many breeds of dogs that are considered to be FLOCK GUARDIANS so this idea you have that they are all predators hard wired for killing is IN FACT not a fact. Even breeds that are less inclined to be guardians can still be taught it because you can in fact get a dog to behave itself with proper training and coaching

. As for the electric fence? It is hardly impervious as there are numerous things both in the environment and from cunning critters or stupid humans that can reduce the effectiveness of such a fence substantially. You can in fact go onto youtube and watch videos of animals shocking themselves on these fences over and over for hours.

You are of course welcome to your opinion on what you believe is the best solution for defending your chickens against predators but lets not start making things up just to prove the point. Especially when anyone with google can poke your points full of logic holes in a matter of seconds.

Also I would like to remind everyone that it is in fact NOT too much to ask that your neighbors respect the lives of your chickens on your property and IN FACT if they cannot be bothered to muster up enough of a 'give a ****' to respect the life of their own dog by letting it run wild and act like a predator then they should not even bat an eyelash when said predator is trapped or killed as the clear and present danger it represents.

 

[Howard E]

If ALL dogs respected boundaries then dogs killing chickens wouldn't be an issue. That some do is great. That many don't is the problem. Even if ALL of them could be trained, until all of them are, dogs straying where they don't belong remains an issue. And dogs are only one threat. There are all manner of furry threats that are not dogs. Fences work on them too.

As for the effectiveness of these fences, I have seen a lot videos of animals being shocked, but not many of them twice. But I can also go out in my yard to see the effectiveness of my own fences. The birds stay in and predators stay out. No excitement, no drama, no trauma. Just quiet peaceful enjoyment.

All I can do is relate my own experience. I have not lost any birds to dogs or predators and I've not shot any either. Not that I wouldn't, I just never have to.

 

[Howard E]

To anyone who is still on the fence (pun intended) trying to decide what is best for them, here is a helpful video:

If you don't want to watch the whole thing, go to the 6 min mark at the end where he tests it. If you want to try that for yourself, you can get the same el cheapo fence charger for about $25 at many of the box stores (fi shock). Install a couple drops of about 1 foot each, one +, one - and plug it in and grab hold. See how long you can hang on. Then realize my fences are cranked up about 3X to 4X that level. That is what awaits dogs and predators that encounter my fences and why I don't see losses to dogs or other furry land based predators. Just saying.

 

[ChickenChaser9]

If ALL dogs respected boundaries then dogs killing chickens wouldn't be an issue. That some do is great. That many don't is the problem. Even if ALL of them could be trained, until all of them are, dogs straying where they don't belong remains an issue. And dogs are only one threat. There are all manner of furry threats that are not dogs. Fences work on them too.

As for the effectiveness of these fences, I have seen a lot videos of animals being shocked, but not many of them twice. But I can also go out in my yard to see the effectiveness of my own fences. The birds stay in and predators stay out. No excitement, no drama, no trauma. Just quiet peaceful enjoyment.

All I can do is relate my own experience. I have not lost any birds to dogs or predators and I've not shot any either. Not that I wouldn't, I just never have to.

Based solely on your statement the only possible conclusion one can draw is that in a best case scenario your method is equally effective to the "castle doctrine" I utilize since I too have never lost any birds to predators/neighbor dogs, ect and I've never used an electric fence. Not that I wouldn't I just never have to. I can go out into the yard and see the effectiveness of my own marksmanship. The birds go where they want and the predators don't really come around anymore. No drama, no traumatized chickens, just happy healthy chickens. I have yet to encounter a problem that my .308 can fix once and for all. Problems seem to for whatever reason, try and avoid me. Wierd, I know. But all I can do is relate my own experiance.

EDIT: Nothing better than gloves lined with racoon fur on a chilly day. They also make nice hats, I'm told.

 

[bobbi-j]

Based solely on your statement the only possible conclusion one can draw is that in a best case scenario your method is equally effective to the "castle doctrine" I utilize since I too have never lost any birds to predators/neighbor dogs, ect and I've never used an electric fence. Not that I wouldn't I just never have to. I can go out into the yard and see the effectiveness of my own marksmanship. The birds go where they want and the predators don't really come around anymore. No drama, no traumatized chickens, just happy healthy chickens. I have yet to encounter a problem that my .308 can fix once and for all. Problems seem to for whatever reason, try and avoid me. Wierd, I know. But all I can do is relate my own experiance.

EDIT: Nothing better than gloves lined with racoon fur on a chilly day. They also make nice hats, I'm told.

Not everyone is able to be home 24/7 to go out and shoot whatever predators are bothering their chickens. A properly functioning electric fence is on guard when we can't be. Is it 100% effective all the time? No. Nothing is. Sometimes things (and people) fail or malfunction. But I'd say and electric fence is one of the most effective predator deterrents. Those videos of animals getting zapped over and over for hours on end... are you sure you're not just watching the same one getting zapped once over and over? Those things do repeat on their own, you know. I'm not sure what your aversion to an electric fence is - maybe a bad experience as a child?

 

[rooboo]

It's fairly easy to train a dog to respect and protect your property and flock. (If it's your dog). At one time I had two dogs and a flock with chickens, ducks, and turkeys. The dogs initial instinct was to chase and attack the birds, after a couple scoldings they understood very quickly that the birds on property were part of the family and off limits to attacks. Then the birds became a source of entertainment for the dogs. I mostly kept all the birds in an enclosure with a six foot chain link fence. The turkeys liked to roost on top of the fence at night. The turkeys were also not very bright haha. So every morning there would be several turkeys that got down on the wrong side of the fence. The dogs were always waiting by the door every morning because they knew it was roundup time. As soon as I would open the door they would charge out and chase the wayward turkeys around the fence and to the gate and run them in when I opened it. They never hurt a single bird. The female Labrador was also a fanatic hunter. So don't think that dogs can't play both sides of the fence. All it takes is consistent, proper training. They even helped brooding baby chicks. They would lay down and let the chicks snuggle up to them to stay warm. Dogs and birds can and do coexist together and all it takes is a good owner. That's why I always blame the owner for his/her dogs behavior. There are way too many people out there that should not be allowed to own dogs because they're not willing to properly control them. A neighbor of mine years ago called the police and claimed I was abusing my dog,there was no abuse, I was just correcting him for bad behavior, and the police saw no signs of abuse and agreed with me. The woman that called the police was a legend in the neighborhood. Every morning she would let her little dog out, completely neglected to put it on a leash. And 15 minutes later she was running up and down the street in her nightgown chasing and calling her dog that would not go back to her. These are the idiots that shouldn't own pets. If you're not willing to be the alpha with your dogs, get a turtle.

 

[ChickenChaser9]

are you sure you're not just watching the same one getting zapped once over and over? Those things do repeat on their own, you know. I'm not sure what your aversion to an electric fence is - maybe a bad experience as a child?

Lol! Look I dont need to convince you buddy. You have as much access ti youtube as I do. There are dozens of videos of people/dogs/horses/ect to occupy your idle time. You can draw whatever conclusions you want to from them instead of second guessing what I saw. It will be fun. Maybe it will also give you something more meaningful to do than pretend your some kind of psychologist. I dont care who uses or doesnt use electric fencing. It is not however some silver bullet that will keep your flock safe when you live in a location with active predators.