How to value hens for restitution (UPDATED in post #12)

[Smalltown]

(UPDATED in post #12)

A few nights ago a dog broke the fencing and got into the coop and killed 3 of our 4 laying hens. The owner has asked about making restitution. We have done a general google search and turned up a general amount of $50 per hen. Is this a fair amount? I have no idea how to go about assigning a value.

The hens were all about 2 years old. We raised them from chicks. 1- black copper maran, 1 -white leghorn, and one other I am not sure of breed. I just don't remember what kind she was when I bought her. She had little white spots on the side of her head and I believe she laid white eggs.

We didn't show and I have no idea on show quality of the hens. We also didn't sell the eggs. We used all the eggs and they were pets. However we spent 2 years raising, feeding, and heating them. There are costs involved. Any help in determining restitution values would be greatly appreciated.

Are there any credible websites where I can get restitution value guidelines?

UPDATE 5/21/2013
Just wanted to say that the dog owner has been very good to work with. They have been very apologetic and we came to an agreement and restitution has been made. Not all dog owners are hard to work with.

 

[199787]

Whatever it costs you to buy started pullets to replace them. Sentimental value doesn't count for much in the laws. It considers animals property and assigns a dollar value to them. Price started pullets and charge her for them.

 

[aart]

$50 bucks per hen sounds reasonable... a point of lay BCM hen is going to cost at least that...the others not so much.
Where are you located?

You're lucky the owner is taking responsibility for replacing your loss.

 

[D Kluck]

Our local Justice of Peace place a value $150 ea. on 17 chickens that I lost by a neighbors dog attack 3 years ago.... I shoot and killed both dogs and this idiot he decided to press charges... . I had video tape evidence of the attack. The JP ordered him to pay me $2,550 for damages...

 

[199787]

i just think that since she is offering to pay, you should be as fair as possible or likely she will withdraw her offer and you'll have to drag her to court and wind up hating each other.

 

[cukooformarans]

A fair price for hens around here (pet/egg quality hens) is $20.00. Show quality would be more of course, but backyard laying hens are pretty high if they bring much more than that.

 

[Smalltown]

Thanks so much! This whole thing has been an awkward situation. I'm not asking for major damages. I want to fair.

I have searched our local ads for laying hens for sale and have found none. I have never purchased a hen at laying point before so I don't know how much they run period. I would expect them to be more than a chick though simply because of the feed cost to get them to that point.

Can anyone tell me the breed of the one in the pic I posted? Oh, and we are in Utah.

 

[Mtn Laurel]

Restitution is about taking you back to the same conditions as before the incident. You would need to find out how much laying hens of the same breeds are going for. If you can, find two such prices for each breed and charge her the average of the two per hen. You also need to include the cost of the fencing and any accessories to repair your fence that the dog broke through. Don't forget gas to/from the store for fence supplies, transportation costs of the replacement hens, and your time and labor in doing all this.

This is similar as to how her homeowners insurance carrier would process such a claim under her liability coverage. If she doesn't wish to pay out of pocket, she can file a claim through her insurance. I doubt she'll want to do that - insurance companies don't like dogs who do property damage - and will probably be willing to work with you on the matter.

While restitution is about taking you back to pre-incident conditions, it's also about making sure that she corrects the problem so this will not occur again. If the repercussions of her dog doing this isn't sufficient to make her prevent it from occurring in the future, then it will happen again. There needs to be an "ouch" factor involved for her to take action to fix the problem.

Edit: There are breeders on BYC. Possibly they could assist you in determining a value. Check the auction/sale section of the forum to find out who is selling your specific breeds.

 

[ChickensRDinos]

I would guess a brown leghorn. Sorry for your loss.

I generally buy started pullet leghorns for $20-$25. But, your hens were 2 years old and you have been paying for their care. I think anywhere from 25-50 is well within fair.

 

[luvmychixandducks]

I checked values for two year old hens and they are valued less than pullets at POL. I guess some breeds are about thru laying at that age, and at least are producing fewer eggs than their younger sisters.
This spring I was seeing lots of two year olds selling for between $2. and $5. but maybe these were spent hens being sold for the pot, and owners just didn't want to do the butchering themselves.
I agree the Marans hen would be worth more just for her pedigree but a hen never shown kept as a pet has diminished value at 2 years. Yes you did pay for her feed and care, however you got all her eggs during the most productive part of her laying life, and a similar hen in an egg production situation would be about ready for replacement at a giveaway price at two years old.