Hawk killed all 47 chickens in an hour!

[chickengrl]

No, I am pretty sure you have a right to shoot a dog harrasing and killing your livestock. Some folks will recommend SSS....shoot, shovel, shut-up. I can't say we wouldn't do exactly that. If you have a good relationship with your neighbors, you can talk with them and let them know the dog has been over and if you see it again you will have to do something. Unfortunately, most people think that it is theie right for their dogs to run loose and it may be more trouble than it is worth to talk with them. Good luck!

 

[Bengalcats1]

See if you can get more evidence, but that has DOG or DogS written all over it, no way a hawk did all that

 

[TennesseeTruly]

Dog! One dog could do it in minutes. Mine killed 75 in 10 minutes 2 years ago.

 

[GiddyMoon]

Quote:
I just noticed you live in commie CA. We moved out of CA last year to AZ...here in AZ I can follow that dog OFF my property and kill it in the street if I feel he was threatening my livestock. Those commies are working hard in CA to rip any gun law right you have..you better get to researching and you better get to fighting for your rights.

 

[Mahonri]

No doubt about it. DOG.

YOU, shoot it, you dig the grave and you don't tell a soul, not even your kids.

Nuff said.

 

[mammat]

Our 12 pound daschund killed 2 chickens in about 2 minutes. Not a mark on them just dead.

 

[ranchhand]

Dogs, foxes, coyotes.... could have been any of them, and likely more than one of whatever it was. So sorry you lost the birds, but don't shoot any dogs until you have actual proof.

 

[cgtara3]

Quote:
So sorry for your loss!

When we lost our flock one day, we contacted animal control thinking it was the neighbors dogs. They said the same thing--whatever you decide to do, you keep it to yourself. Don't go reporting anything, because they have to do their job as well--which may seem unfair in the end. If there are animals on your property, you do have rights to protect them. We ended up figuring it was coyotes that did the damage to us--because dogs tend to do what you described. Dogs are quick enough to do it as well. Kill, destroy and run off, but not eat the carcass. Our own dog did it in the past until we put a stop to it with her--then she left the birds alone. She was a smart dog however.
Also, other possible tips in finding who did it would be to get a game camera and also see what if there are any paw prints left behind.

 

[Katydid2011]

Like many others, I cannot imagine a bird of prey doing that kind of damage. They typically take only what they need and pick the carcass clean. It's dogs that kill for fun and leave the carcasses lying about uneaten.

It's also possible that your birds fell victim to a mother raccoon and her babies. It's the right time of year for it. Our dogs frequently tree raccoons in the middle of the day, and we once saw a mother raccoon and her babies ambling across the street in broad daylight in a golf course community...

You might want to see if you can find tracks in the ground, then post pictures here so we can help you identify the prints.

As for shooting a dog... be careful. I wouldn't risk killing someones pet unless I had incontrovertible evidence that the dog did it. What you've experienced is traumatic and it would be easy to let emotions lead you to make assumptions and act in a way you may later regret. Apart from the moral question, there are legal questions to consider as well. I don't agree with the idea of killing and hiding the evidence. If you're not willing to own your actions for fear of judgment or consequence, you shouldn't act, in my opinion.

Regardless, I am terribly sorry for your loss.

 

[Nambroth]

I am so sorry for your loss!

Like everyone else, I can say with as much certainty as possible (for someone not actually seeing what happened) that a hawk or any other bird of prey did not massacre your poor chickens. The hawk was no doubt taking advantage of the easy meal of a dead chicken in the aftermath.

Everything that you described is very indicative of a canine attack... likely a dog, maybe a coyote. A fox will do this too but will usually come back to try and cache (hide for later eating) all of the dead chickens if it can.

You will need to contact your local authorities to see if it is legal to shoot a dog that is causing direct property / livestock damage (most states allow this, but California, if that's where you are, is notorious for its very strict laws regarding things like this), and/or talk to your neighbors about what happened if you are confident it was their dog.

Best wishes in the future and I'm very sorry this happened to you.