Favorite hen got attacked and killed by a dog, how to keep it away?

[15shenyl]

My favorite hen got killed today. A big black dog showed up to our house a few days ago. We thought wecwould let it say until its owner came back because it had a collar on and we thought it fell out of a pickup. We left early today and went shopping because the dog left and we thought we had nothing to worry about. We came home and saw the dog again. When I went to go collect eggs, I found my little girl. I was so mad I slapped the dog and chased it away. I think it will come back though because it went a few houses down. Can I please get advice on what to do about the dog. I'm thinking if it comes back to shoot it even though it belongs to someone, I just don't know.

 

[redsoxs]

Animal control? Local sheriff?

 

[bowen012]

I, just like everyone else, dislike killing: Squirrels, Possum, Raccoon, Coyote, whatever... Heck, I even had guilt at first about sending the mealworms and other feeder insects off to their doom at first. That's one of the reasons my family (wife, kid, I) are vegetarian. However... We, as stewards of our animals, have a duty to our flock (herds, pets, etc) and there isn't really much difference between a rabid fox and a pet black lab once it gets with your birds.

That being said, it may be worth your time to go to where the dog has been staying (if you know) and try to reason with the owner. If that fails, then you don't have many other options - Animal Control or the business end of a barrel perhaps are your only remedies.

 

[15shenyl]

Can't, animal control doesn't come out to the country, same goes with the sheriff. Mom told me to take the dog and drop it off at the other end of town. I'm almost tempted to find the owner and have them pay for her, she was my show hen for the fairs, a very expensive bird at that because she won so many grand champions and I used her for breeding too.

 

[ChickensRDinos]

Any vet or pound should be able to scan her for a chip for free. If she has one it is very easy to find the owner. Does she have registration tags on her collar. That would also make it very easy.

 

[15shenyl]

He only has the collar, most people don't do chips because most people are very poor in my town, also the closest vet who does do the chips is an hour and a half away. He's a really good dog, besides killing chickens(he also gets other birds and small rodents as well), I feel like I should find the owner and make them pay for her. Or I might take it to the pound because if they really loved their dog, they wouldn't let it be running around or they would try and find it.

 

[Alaskan]

Take it to the pound, make it clear it is a chicken killer.

This past winter a dog came and killed one of my chickens. But then a few weeks later, it came again, and this time it killed every single chicken I had. Over twenty chickens.

I don't like dogs.

Don't wait, get rid of the dog.

 

[drumstick diva]

If it's a good dog otherwise - do you think it is just starving and that is why it killed your hen? Maybe if it was well fed and in a pen somewhere you could find someone to take it that doesn't have chickens.

 

[15shenyl]

No, this dog is FAT, he's huge. He can hardly stand back up when he sits. And plus, we gave him some food so he wouldn't be hungry when no one came for him. I think he lives not to far from our house because I saw him again. He walked back up our driveway and was pushing on our fence trying to get in. I ran out and started yelling at him again to go away. This is the last time we ever let a stray dog stay at our house. Even our neighbors bird hunting dog and cat don't bother my hens, and they go into his pin a lot. Every other stray dog, cat, or even hawks don't bother my hens, now I'm going to be very cautious every time a new drop off comes by, they will go to the pound right away, even though it costs $70 to take them.

 

[3KillerBs]

Can't, animal control doesn't come out to the country, same goes with the sheriff. Mom told me to take the dog and drop it off at the other end of town. I'm almost tempted to find the owner and have them pay for her, she was my show hen for the fairs, a very expensive bird at that because she won so many grand champions and I used her for breeding too.

If you can find the dog's owner you have a legal right to be paid for the value of the property he has destroyed.