How does this sound for compensation *small update

[kipepeo]

Well no one else showed up today so I have 5 hens and 6 roosters out of 28 plus the 9 youngsters that are all gone. 1 hen has a wound and a lot of feather loss took her to the vet and she is on AB's for 5 days and cleaning the wound 2x a day for 5 days.

I am trying to calculate what they owe me and have come up with this so far what do you think.

9 2 month olds have cost me so far
cost of chicks $92.89
2 bags feed $27.98
bedding $3.99
total $124.86

Egg loss from these girls based on the calculations I found on BYC
6 eggs a week for 52 weeks sold for $1.50dz = $39.00 x 9 = $351.00
Total cost and loss $475.86


The older hens 7months I am not sure what to base their cost so far on. I am not replacing anyone right now and most likely will get chicks in the spring so should I do POL replacement cost plus the bag of feed per hen and then the egg loss for each?

8 dead hens @ $20 =$160
1bag feed each @$12.00 =$96.00 (they were on Dumor and the new ones were on purina)
Egg Loss 8 x $39.00 =$312.00
Total $568.00

How do I figure the 9 dead roos. I was going to cull about 1/2 of the origianl total and loved some of the others so much I was just going to set up a bachelor pad for them
would $10 @ be enough that would be $90

I will be charging the vet bill for today and 1 month of egg loss for her will on AB's.
egg loss $3.00
vet bill ?


Grand total would then be $1136.86 plus the vet bill

I also don't know what to do about there dogs my sister says I should have them put to sleep which I don't see I am a dog person and it is the dogs fault is the peoples fault. this is a rural area and people just let their dogs run they don't get it. My one friend said I should have them help set up and partially pay to safely enclose an area for my chickens I dont' know? I know that they will be back. My son wants to go tell them to put a fence up and keep their dogs in it. Sorry Rambling on this part because they should be responsible for controlling their animals don't know if they will. I shouldn't have to go through extra drama to keep my animals safe on my property. These dogs live a mile a way. blah blha. better stop there.


Update 12/9/09
My neighbor came by today and cleaned out my driveway for me and told me he turned in my amount to his insurance. We will see what happens.

 

[horsejody]

It's sounds like you have the calculations and the information to back it up. A lot of people will just tell you to get $15 a bird and walk away. I say get what you got in them. Give them a bill and tell them that you will not tolerate the dogs being loose. Even in rural areas it is extremely rare to have it be legal to allow dogs to roam. Put your monetary losses in writing. If they don't pay, take them to small claims court. Take a look at my BYC page. I went through the same thing.

 

[HEChicken]

Hmmm....tough decisions. Honestly, I think $10 per roo is a bit steep. Although they may have held sentimental value to you, they don't have any value as egg-producers, and even as meat....you can buy a roasted deli chicken for $5 already grown up, processed and cooked!

Also, if this is a rural area and you know dogs aren't penned, and you had your chickens out un-penned, wouldn't you bear some of the responsibility? If your chickens had been penned and the dogs broke into the secure run and caused carnage, it would be a no-brainer, but if your chickens weren't penned, and there are no fences between you and these neighbor dogs, then its a tougher call. If I misunderstood the situation, I apologize.

I agree that the chickens should be penned if this is the situation, but don't think it is the neighbor's responsibility to pay to pen your chickens, any more than it is your responsibility to put a fence around their property to keep their dogs in. Each of you is responsible for keeping your own animals confined to your property. I'm not saying the neighbors shouldn't compensate you at all - clearly, their dogs came onto your property and caused the damage. However I think the amount they compensate should not be 100% of the loss, if your chickens were not penned.

 

[Warfrost]

I would DEFINITELY consider small claims court, as it is unlikely they will be willing to pay that amount of money for chickens. I would also seriously consider defending your animals with a weapon. I know you said you are a dog person- but if they are not containing their animals, this will happen again and again and again. How many times is enough? Give them fair warning when you give them your bill...be very clear that the dogs will be destroyed if they come on your property again. If you have children, this is even more important. It is not unheard of for dogs to go into a kind of "blood lust" and attack anything moving. This is extremely dangerous and I don;t think you should have to tolerate it. I also would document any contact you have with them, or when you sight the dogs. Report it to animal control...they need to be doing their jobs. Roaming cats are considered free spirits by the law - roaming dogs are considered dangerous! Good luck to you in this matter- I hope it is resolved quickly and peaceably.

Michael

 

[horsejody]

Here is a copy of the demand letter that I sent my neighbor.


Jody B
my address

phone #

November 24, 2008


Neighbor's name
neighbor's address


Re: Damages incurred from your dogs attacking my poultry

Dear Mr. V:

The purpose of this letter is to attempt to resolve the issue of damages arising from your dogs attacking my animals. As you know, the incident happened on October 23, 2008 in the following manner. Your dogs left your property, entered mine, attacked and killed my birds. Thirteen birds were killed, a vet bill was incurred, I had to leave work early, a cage was damaged in the coop and a lot of feed was spilled. The information about the incident was confirmed by witnesses. You are responsible for this incident because your dogs were not contained on your property.

As a direct result of this incident, I have incurred losses in the amount of $xxx. In addition to my costs, I have suffered another loss that in many ways has been more hurtful. The birds were hand raised by my family and me. They were all healthy. Some were rare breeds that are expensive and difficult to obtain. Our birds have great sentimental and emotional value to my entire family. Their suffering and death has caused a great deal of pain in this house. Because you also are a pet owner, I assume that you understand the terrible ordeal that a pet owner incurs when an incident like this takes place, so I will not describe the details, although I could. In order to avoid the time and expense of formal civil court proceedings, I suggest that we resolve the issue of restitution. You clearly are responsible for all of the losses that resulted from this incident. There is no question that my losses total $xxxxx. There also should be little doubt that my family and I have suffered greatly because of what happened. Instead of civil court proceedings, I propose that these damages be paid by you to me by December 5, 2008. I believe that this amount is less than what I am entitled to receive, but I would give up the rest if it were paid by that date.

If you intend to accept this settlement proposal, you must sign the bottom of this letter and send it back to me within one week from today. Should you need further information [or more time for payment], or if you have questions or comments, please contact me within one week from today.

Sincerely,
Jody B

Feel free to copy the letter and adjust it to your circumstances. A few other BYCers have used it with success. I did have legal advice when writing it. Keep a copy of any letter that you send your neighbor. If they don't pay, you will need it in small claims court. Collecting isn't as hard as you think. I can tell you that most dog owners will not learn their lesson if you don't hit them with the law and finacial losses. Your pets are just no big deal to them. They will tell you how great the dogs are, how much the kids love them, how they have never been loose before, how they have never been trouble before, how they will make sure it won't happen again, yada yada yada. It's just a bunch of noise. I can tell you from personal experience and from what others have posted on here that it is a bunch of garbage. They will keep the dogs penned up for a week or two, and then they will slack off and let them loose again.

 

[horsejody]

Quote:
I can guarantee that I have roosters worth more than $10 each. Different breed and different quality all matter. You can't compare all birds with the cost of a carcass in a grocery store. That's like saying that all dogs have no value because some some are listed as "free to a good home" in the newspaper.

Quote:
It's the neighbor's responsibility to keep their dogs on their property. Free ranging can have great benefit to the chickens and the owner. If dog owners feel that they shouldn't have to pen their dogs up and a chicken owner should have a fence around their property to keep the dogs out, then the dog owner should pay for the fence. After all, the dogs are the problem, not the chickens.

 

[Cara]

It seems unreasonable to charge for future losses, ie eggs they may have laid. I don't know that the court would go for it, since there's no telling how productive they may have been and for how long. Their job is to reimburse you for what you are out, not what you may be out in the future. Equally, they do not lay year round so the figure itself is not accurate.

 

[kipepeo]

Quote:
Yes that is true but I am only assessing one year of loss and they will lay beyond that and that is why I had them.

 

[horsejody]

Quote:
Yes that is true but I am only assessing one year of loss and they will lay beyond that and that is why I had them.

The court had no problem awarding me the value of lost eggs. It's no different than losing a breeding dog or horse due to somebody's negligence and charging them for loss of future income.

 

[Cara]

But you are asking them to pay for something you never actually had.