Flock of 20 reduced to 6!

[mudhen]

Oh, I'm so sorry for you! :aww
Definately use hardwire fence with chickenwhire as second layer.
Ever the optimist, do you have trees nearby that maybe some of the survivors may have roosted in?

I can understand your not asking your neighbor for replacement after his saving your child, but definately let him know his dog isn't welcome to be on your property again.

 

[chicknmania]

What a shame. I hope your neighbor at least let you know he would try to keep the dog confined. You might want to keep looking for the missing ones, because dogs typically kill whatever and then leave it; they don't normally eat it or tear it up; the dog may have injured some and they are in hiding; and it's been my experience that if a hen is injured her friends will usually stay with her. (I've only had one injured hen, but that's what happened with her, and how we found her). Or, worst case scenario, they may have been injured and then another predator carried them away...but let's hope for situation A (they're just hiding).

 

[AccidentalFarm]

Hotwire.

Everyone, including animals learn to avoid it and it does not hurt when you get hit but for a second. My horses, hog, dogs, kids, DH, (and me) learned to avoid it quickly and we are none the worse for wear.

 

[cadman68]

I am a firm believer in the hot wire too. It will stop the dog in his tracks and send them running away from the pen. I just witnessed mine at work this weekend and KNOW that it will discourage any predators that attempt entry into the chicken pen.

 

[SpottedCrow]

I'm sorry for your losses...
Chicken wire is good for keeping chickens in, but nothing else out...Hardware cloth is a good alternative as is welded wire.

 

[chickbea]

Any sign of the missing ones? Once, after a dog attack on her siblings, my favorite hen Alice hid in the woods all day until just before I was closing up the coop. As she saw me closing the door, she came bolting out of the woods and hopped on her roost! I hope you get lucky too.
I think people are being way too cautious about electric fencing! I get zapped all the time in the horse pasture, and by a big 50 acre bull fence. My chicken perimeter isn't that strong, of course, but kids get zapped by it all the time and they are fine. I have a little sign hanging on the part of the fence that faces the road; I figure that is enough of a warning. Unless you have a defective system, the current is not constant, and can do no real harm. It just hurts a bit, and that's the point!
When you first set up the hot wire, you may also want to hang some bits of meat on it. This will entice your neighbor's dog to come check things out, and he will get a VERY unpleasant surprise. After a couple of these incidents (maybe just one!), your neighbor's dog will associate chickens with a hurt nose. You may even want to have your neighbor bring the dog over and introduce him to the fence, if your neighbor is willing.

 

[bdp7150]

the man help u kid that good but a little behind the scenes of get rid of dog will save trouble later if he killed once he will be back leave meat out with you no what in it and problem will be gone . the man likes his dog ,you like your chickens to . i had this happen people down road dog killed some of my chickens ,i told him about it he said they are just chickens wrong thing to say dog came back next day pow dead dog he got another dog he came over and tried to get chickens pow he is gone the guy called cops and grump about his dogs that i killed them the police said u(the guy) might want to get your dogs tied up from now on theses are live stock and provide food for these peopleand by you not controlling your dogs they loose birds and eggs . after word got out about this all people on my road controlls there dogs now if they want to keep them . all have to say repect other stuff and you will get respect also mess with a country boy from the sticks watch out .

 

[True Grit]

Quote:
Hanging meat on the wire is a great tip. We were one day away from having our hotwire electrified (it is already strung) and had a 12 inch snowfall, so I've been worrying that in the spring the predators won't bother checking out the wire and will hop over it and up the inside fence. This is a way to get them to re-check the wire. Cool.

 

[kateseidel]

You can use a lower voltage hot wire - I use an electrified garden fence for my garden to keep the dogs out. It is very low voltage - I would rather not touch it, but it does not knock me on my butt like the horse electric fence. The dogs put a nose to it once, and now they avoid it like the plague. I'd feel fine with that around kids, and I like being able to use a solar battery charger. http://www.premier1supplies.com/c/fencing/electric_netting/ - the other posters are right, it'll only take one zap and your family will not hit it again, but having seen what my full power horse wire does to me, I would really rather not let my 4-year old hit it accidentally!

Our run is completely enclosed with hardware cloth (1/2" mesh). I don't believe a dog could get through it. We don't electrify it, but I have friends in high predator areas who have the hardware cloth, AND run a hot wire about 8" off the ground, all the way around the run.

Our neighbors, and ourselves, are responsible dog people, but sometimes they get out and run loose. We've all talked, and we all understand that if someone's dog shows up and attacks livestock, they are probably going to get shot. It's my job to control my dogs, and I take responsibility for the consequences when all my measures fail (and sometimes, they do).

 

[chicknmania]

That is so sad. Our flock is free range so they have an advantage in that they can run and there is
lots of cover for them, or they can fly to the rafters in the barn. Once we had stray dogs after the flock. I came home and found them chasing them, and feathers lying around. I was so furious I saw red, I started chasing the dogs in the car! Driving across the field. Lord knows what I would've done if I caught up with them, thank goodness I didn't. ( I do like dogs

) But they never came back! And they only pulled the tail off one of the hens, none were hurt. I would suggest a shotgun with blanks, or big fireworks the next time you see the dog coming around, if you're lucky enough to. Lots of dogs are afraid of those. That;s how our neighbor convinced our dog not to bother their sheep. Just took one time...