Hawk killed all 47 chickens in an hour!

[birdygirl123]

x2

IMO

I had a neighbors dog come over and kill two of my Roo's one time. They had NO idea he had gotten out and had come clear to our house.

When you live in the country as I did, surrounded by hundreds of acres.. well, sometimes you take for granted that your dog is just playing in the field.

I do know of a guy that shot a dog for coming over to visit with his dogs.. not a clear shot and the poor thing made it back home.. Their children were out playing (mom thought dog was with them) and there her kids are the ones that found the dog.. dragging.. .. well, I wont go into details.. but needless to say, the man was arrested.

Your county should have a dog catcher, or call the sheriff's dept before you go shooting or killing the dog. If you want to handle it professionally, just drive over to your neighbors and tell them that you had seen him over to your place a few weeks back and that something came in and killed all your chickens.. right now, you can't prove that it was their dog, but let them know you have chickens and that you dont want to see their dog get into trouble.. .

I do not agree with "once killed always will kill" .. The picture below is of our Irish Setter and our kids.. She hunts, is a bird dog, and when we first got chickens, she killed one of ours. That was over 3 years ago. My flock free ranged around her and my other dogs with never ever an issue after..

Quote:

 

[redhen]

I would call the dog officer if at all possible. Killing an animal should always be the LAST option taken, if you have NO other choices in the matter.
But thats just my opinion...
The owner of the dog is to blame... not the dog.. the dog doesnt know any better.
if you catch him and call the dog officer, he can at LEAST get put down humanely..not die in pain with a shotgun wound.

And yes, PLEASE talk to the neighbors..maybe they really dont know that the dog is killing your birds...
I KNOW that i would want to be told if my dog was getting loose and killing things and that my dog was at risk for being shot. Its only fair to tell them...

 

[Just_Ducky]

Keep in mind that it could be a feral dog (or a few feral dogs) just as easily as it could be your neighbors' dog. As others have said, confirm that you have the right animal before you do anything. And remember, if you kill your neighbors' dog and they find out about it they might very well retaliate by killing your animals.

 

[Meara]

Dogs will be dogs... When I was a kid some local farm dogs were out running around together one night having a good time and decided to jump a fence at the zoo. They killed an entire herd of zebras! They hamstrung them. Needless to say it was a big deal and all over the news, lots of controversy. And zebras aren't cheap it turns out

Anyway they were just a group of family farm dogs who got caught up in the excitement and "lost their heads". I remember one of them was a collie. Needless to say none of those owners had a clue that their sweet family pets would get into that sort of trouble! These dogs didn't have a history of ravaging the countryside or anything.

 

[kraftyladies]

I just wanted to post to say that I am so sorry to hear about the loss of your chickens. I would be devastated. I hope you are able to find the cause... if it is a dog, hope you are able to find a solution without causing you more grief.

 

[harleyjo]

I like this advise too!


Quote:
Excellent advice--don't accuse your neighbor's dog without proof but a word to the wise should be ample warning. Also imply that their animals may also be in danger from this killer as well.

 

[ArizonaDesertChicks]

Quote:
Yes, it could have been a feral dog, coyote, or totally different pet dog.

I caught a coyote in the middle of its attack - it had already killed 4 fullgrown chickens and had a hold of a 5th one when I came outside (thankfully, the 5th hen ran away safely, after I chased off the coyote). A couple dead hens had blood from bites, a couple had no marks. If I hadn't discovered the coyote in times, it probably would have killed them all. None of my hens were missing - the coyote was just going crazy and killing them all (and ignoring my 2 dogs that were outside barking at it). Most coyote attacks are at night or in the morning, but they do come out during the day at times and.... as I've just discovered, they kill for sport too, not just for food (this coyote didn't eat any of them.)

 

[debby730]

Agree.. Husband just said no way it was a hawk.. Maybe a dog. So sorry for your loss.. Always sad.

 

[tri-5-ron]

I have just read the entire thread, and am I going to try to avoid the arguments between airgun/firearm/.22/shotgun/etc., of what would be the "Best" caliber.
I have many years of experience handling firearms of just about every caliber, and power level.
I also enjoy target shooting/varmint control, in my backyard with air rifles, and I do have various types, calibers, and power levels, of these air rifles.
What I will do, is offer up my own personal experience, as to what will be an EFFECTIVE application, for the intent of a quick and easy kill.

Although a .177 caliber pellet CAN kill a Raccoon or similar sized game, it is not the preffered choice. Regaurdless of the type of pellet being used. I.e.- pointed, wad cutter, hollow point, round nose, etc. it simply does not have the necessary "knock-down" force, to drop a 10 to 20 lb. animal, with a easy single shot
. CAN it be done ?,... sure. Is it LIKELY ?,...doubtful.
It just doesn't deliver the necessary ft./lbs. of energy, for an EFFECTIVE kill, on that large of an animal.

As a result, and to Succeed in dropping a 20 lb. 'Coon with a .177, it will need to be very high power, (800+ fps MINIMUM, 1000+ fps Preferred), using a massively expanding projectile, (Beeman Crow Magnum Hollow Point pellets), AND,... it will have to be a PERFECTLY PLACED SHOT.

That's really just too many variables, and thus in all probability, will require multiple hits to kill the animal... and THAT, is only if you are lucky enough to immobilize the animal on the FIRST shot. Again,... highly doubtful.
(of coarse, there are exceptions to every generalized rule), Such as the Magnum Hunter by Gamo. This particular rifle moves a .177 pellet at an AMAZING 1650 fps, and has been used to drop feral hogs dead, with a single head shot ! But that is a different class all together.

I regurlarly "hunt" Rats, with my modified .177, 800 fps, air rifle. It is all the power you need for a 1 to 4 lb. animal, and delivers a very quick, (and sometimes INSTANT), Kill, even with a "Center Mass Body Shot". I have even killed many Opposum with this same rifle, but at 8 to 12 lbs., an Opposum is "outside" of the recommended game, and a single shot kill is actually a very "lucky shot".

For Oppossum, Raccoon, Woodchuck, and similar size/body weight game,... a .25 caliber projectile would actually be the recommended choice. MAXIMUM ft./lbs. of energy delivered, for a most likely single shot kill,.... but they can also be rather pricey, and choice of ammo (pellets), are far more limited, as well as harder to find, in the .25 caliber.

.22 caliber air rifles are also easily up to the task of downing a Raccoon, when using the proper setup. ANYTHING over 800 fps, in a .22 cal. pellet would be a decent choice.

Air rifles come in a wide varity of power levels, designs, models, brands, and price ranges. You can literally spend between $50. to $1500. on an air rifle.
there a MANY very decent choices in the $200 to $400, that puts you into the "upper side" of the catagories.
But,... depending on the brand/model you choose, you can actually get into a very accurate, decent powered, rather effective rifle, in the $80 to $150 price range.
Check out some of the Tech Force brand models, for the "budget minded", RWS/Diana for some of the nicer stuff, Beeman and Gamo for "in between" those first two,... and Airforce Talon/Condor for the ultimate "Over the top" stuff.
(yes,... I have asked Santa, (my wife), for a Airforce Talon, for about 10 years running now,... but for some reason, she seems to think that my 6' wide, 5' tall 2' deep gunsafe, that is packed ALMOST full,.... is plenty). WOMEN !!!, Hmphhh !,... don't you girls realize that we men can ALWAYS get one more gun to fit in there ??? SHEESH !!!
I guess I'll just have to stay happy with my Tech Forces, and Beemans.
Nawwww, ain't gonna happen,... I AT LEAST need to get a RWS model 48 or a Gamo Magnum Hunter ! (1600 fps in .177 !) LOL!!!

This also brings us to model style and intended useage.
Air rifles come in Many different styles.
For general Target Shooting and "Varmint Elimination", I recommend a "Spring Driven Piston" type of power plant, over a 'Pump up" type.
(I won't go into all of the "Whys" here, it's simply a better choice for these types of shooting)

In the Spring driven types, you can get "Side Cockers", "Under levers", or "Barrel Breaks".
I personally prefer the Side Cockers, or the Barrel Breaks, due to, I also have a very high powered LED flashlight mounted to the lower side of the barrel, for my nightly "Rat Hunts".
(this would be difficult to do with a Under Lever type).
And I also have a scope mounted on the upper side of the rifle.

So to wrap this up, and hopefully help the original poster with their varmint Raccoon problem,...
the best "Bang for your Buck",...
on EFFECTIVELY and Quickly dropping a Raccoon,...
with a Very High Probability of a single shot kill,...

Would be a decent brand/model, Spring Driven Piston, .22 caliber, 800+ fps (the more/the better), using a good Hollow Point Pellet.

Again, using the Beeman Crow Magnum Hollow Point Pellets would be the TOP CHOICE in insuring a fast kill. Those things expand to nearly DOUBLE their size !
(which means it's almost like hitting them with a "low speed .44")

Happy Hunting.

You've already recieved a few links to some good air rifle info.,... and here's a couple more...


Compasseco web site...

http://www.compasseco.com/riflepellet-rifle-c-233.html?osCsid=342d0c01de45579941d9baa0217b8da9


Beeman we site...

http://www.beeman.com/index-2.html


Everything you ever needed to know about air rifle ballistics....

http://www.velocitypress.com/air_rifle_ballistics.shtml


air rifle reviews....

http://www.airgunsmith.com/cgi-bin/airgun_review/reviews.pl

 

[Yetti]

I don't know if it matters much but you mite file a police report? the reason being is if they have other complaints about roaming dogs they might have a lead as to who's dog did the damage and who is going to pay to replace the birds. I caught two of my neighbors dogs out running one day and took them home. an hour later the old farmer next door was walking along the road looking for tracks of what ever had killed his chickens. ( he free ranges about 400) I pointed him up the street explaining I has just returned the other neighbors dogs just an hour earlier. he went and knocked on the door and explained that he was liable for the damage the dogs did. they killed only 15 birds but that was enough.