Friday wasa day of devastiotion here

[bkreugar]

So I HAD 21 chickens, mixed batch of bantams and standard including frizzles, silkies, buff orpingtons, red and black stars just a general flock of anything that struck my fancy. This was my 3rd year with chickens.

I have 7 acres of good fencing and chain link run and 4'by8'by 6' coop. I live in an area of a lot of rental duplexes. Only one corner of the property is city rest is county and I am allowed to have ANY and as MANY animals as I want. I have 3 horses and my chickens and a german shepard. There IS a leash law.

So friday late afternoon I was getting ready to take the kids and meet DH in the city for a holiday concert. It was about 4 and getting duskish. 2x earlier that day I had chased off a hound mix that was skinny with teats hanging down that I had NEVER seen before.

So I hear a scouffle and squaking, so I run out the back door and see the fliiping hound IN MY CHAIN LINK run with one of the black stars cornered. I run out and yell bloody flipping murder with MURDER on my mind as I had chase him off 2x before.

I get to the coop (she busted the gate to get in) and DEVASTATION beyond anything O could imagine. Dead barred rock and black star in run dead bantam roo IN coop feathers and feet EVERYWHERE including around the outside of the coop.She runs past me as I was thinking I was going to KILL this dog. SO I then go to floolow her to talk to owner still with murder on my mind, and I get past my property line and there she is next door. I try to get to door and she charges me and snaps and snarls with hackels raised.

SO I call 911. Tell them what has happened and they send me a policeman in about 10 minutes. I show him all the feathers the dead bodies the feet etc. I am SOOOOO mad, I ask him what I can do in future when/if dog comes back. He says I can not SHOOT the dog so close to the house(s) but says IF he threatens ME I can shoot him. I can also beat him with ANYTHINGI have at hand and I can shoot him with a pellet gun.

He tells me that if dog comes BACK and he turns to me with a growl I can shoot him With a gun) and then call them as they have a report already of an aggressive dog I will have no consequences. He tellm me he will go talk to owner and see of they will pay for hens or if I will need to sue.Tels me that I WILL win and again he will speak for what he saw and have a report I can use.

So he goes while I am assesing damage and trying to gather my few lone survivors. I have...7 left. Just 7 although I still have my most favorite little roo, I lost 14 chickens. Only 3 complete bodies as the dog was carrying them off and eating them.

Policeman comes back and says dog is SUPER aggressive and charged him and he pepper sprayed him to no avail He THOUGHT he was going to have to shoot her as she would not let him near door. Finally he talks to owner who is of course SHOCKED to hear this but says he will pay for m chickens (we'll see about that).

Told him there was a leash law he WOULD be contacting animal control about this AGGRESSIVE dog. Guy is super sorry he says and swears he will pay for my chickens. ANyway he told them I would talk to him in a few days cuz I did not want to talk to him right now.

So that was friday, I only have 7 and 5 in my inside brooder. Have not talked to him yet, but dog has yet to be back out. I fixed and reinforced my coop, my survivors are just dazed, The top hen and roo still call for the other guys.

My biggest 2 questions are IF I pump up a pellet gun enough could I kill the dog??? Some say yes some say no.

ANd HOW do I talk to this guy cuz I keep trying to think what am I going to say and I can't help but keep coming back to if your dog is on my propery againI WILL shoot it and if I see it out I will call animal control. I still can't think about being civil.

Its not the $$ so much as the fact it takes SOOO long for them to be productive. Not only am I sad I feel pretty mad about the loss the time invested.

Mostly I want to know If a pump pellet gun could do the job! I have a 22 but the riffling is not the best at this point. SO I would probably need to buy another.

Yea policeman was really great even though I am sure that was not his idea of a fun friday night call.

 

[HorizonSon]

Waaay bummer deal

You can pick up a ruger 10/22 for dirt cheap (or any other 22lr longgun for that matter). Another alternative is blunt force tram via a baseball bat...

We are renters (unfortunately); so even though we live "in the woods", we are forbidden from shooting the chicken-killing racoons. The landlord's wife lives in her own lil fairytale la la land <sigh> far from reality. Anything we do would have to be when they are not visiting their property; and even still, would need to be a total black-ops type of something.

 

[BuffOrpington22]

What a Horrific story!!!!!

Its very sad when you loose chickens especially the first thing that comes to mind is "What If" you know what I mean. Like what if i did this or what if I went outside maybe I would have caught the dog in time. It probably wouldn't have killed that many chickens. Its devastating I know that for sure I went through it so many times. Even with my own dogs. Which I had to get rid of them and I did. To me its mind blowing when you think the dog beat you to the punch. Its sort of saying hey I ate your chickens!!!! "and still on the loose especially when it gazes at you growling that makes me so angry!!!! I never killed a dog before but whack a dog that got a hold of my hen. Never seen him/her again. I don't regret it at all because chickens have no self defense at all especially with snarling teeth. So your question about a pellet gun you know I think its possible Just pump the gun so many times til you get tired lol and maybe you might get your revenge.
But by all means I don't blame you protect your fowls friends. Its your job to be the protector lol. The cop seems to understand which is really good. Good for him. Talking to the owner may help but make sure he replaces the chickens you lost. I would let him buy me five extra hens if I were you just for the scenery and the dog on the prowl. But the dog will come back she knows where to find food now so be on the lookout and watch out for the kiddos. Hope this helps.

 

[bobbi-j]

Maybe you could send the neighbor a note? At least when you write things down you can re-write them many times before recipient sees them. Once words are spoken, you can't take them back. I'm a firm believer in good relations with neighbors if at all possible. I'm not sure if I'd tell him I'd shoot the dog or not. On the one hand, maybe it would *encourage* him to keep the dog off your property. On the other hand, if ANYTHING happens to his dog, he'll come looking to you first. I hope you can get it all sorted out and that he really does pay for your birds.

 

[bkreugar]

Quote:
Yes a baseball bat or shovel was what I had in mind.

When you say I can pick one up dirt cheap how cheap?? On par with what I would pay for a new pellet gun?? It has been about 20 years since I have even done target practice. I had turned that over to DH but this I am going to handle on my own. I remember pellet guns from my teens and seems like some of the boys could pump it up enough to kill squirils.

 

[bkreugar]

Quote:
Do you think I could put it in his mailbox??/Then I know I wouldn't loose my temper. I keep trying to think of what I would say and yea I know the whole I will KILL your dog if on my property again is kinda a bad move on my part. I will say for 48 hrs now dog has NOT been out or on my property so maybe (I doubt it) it was a onetime thing.

 

[HorizonSon]

About the same price as a good pellet gun; if not cheaper. Great time of year, too; what with all the sales going on. Can get one (maybe) for as little as $160~190ish.

 

[bobbi-j]

Quote:
Do you think I could put it in his mailbox??/Then I know I wouldn't loose my temper. I keep trying to think of what I would say and yea I know the whole I will KILL your dog if on my property again is kinda a bad move on my part. I will say for 48 hrs now dog has NOT been out or on my property so maybe (I doubt it) it was a onetime thing.

If it was only there that one day, it very well could have been a one-time deal. I would tell him that I appreicate the fact that he's apparently keeping his dog confined since it hasn't been back to your house. I think the USPS frowns upon people putting things in mailboxes without postage - you'll have to use your judgement there (do you know what time the mail goes in your neighborhood?) I'm sure you can figure out how to get a note to him.

 

[Terri O]

A note is a really good idea. It sounds as though the dog has pups and if she is skinny maybe was just trying to take care of them because her owner is not taking care of her. It is true that she will come back if given the chance though. Maybe the best solution would be to fortify your coop set up so nothing can get in there and harm your flock again .

I certainly hope the neighbor pays for new birds for you. Perhaps you could use your energies finding a ready to lay replacement flock instead of shopping for a gun...hopefully he will keep his dog chained or inside and has learned his lesson! T

 

[Pickles03]

I am inclined to agree with this post....skinny dog...with pups....neglectful owner (obviously) sounds like it was a dog trying to eat.


Not that that makes it any easier for you...

I'd sit on it a bit...see what your neighbour does/doesn't do....

So sorry for the loss of your chickens...