I am so PI**ED OFF

[celticfarmer]

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I didn't know they let you have guns on that side of the pond.

 

[SallyF]

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Hey now there's a good idea. Those things aren't very pricey, and give a lot more legroom than a plain ol' leash... for times when Mom can't be out to keep an eye...

Come to think of it... maybe I should give one to OUR neighbors... cept they have NO trees... can you hook it to anything else? I'ma look. Thanks for this suggestion Dandelion.

So sorry about your girl Jenn. Hopefully your neighbor will keep a better eye, and here's hoping for a full recovery!

We have a runner cable behind our house. It's attached to two ground stakes and lays flat on the ground to decrease the risk of our tripping over it when we're out in the yard. It works just fine like that.

 

[Carols Clucks]

I realize that being mad at the dog next door is the easier thing to do, but you probably should look at making sure your yard is secure if you are going to allow your chickens to free range in it. If it is a shared fence with a neighbor, then maybe she will share the expense too.

If you have chain link, craigslist is a great way to find fencing cheap to free.

This time it was the neighbors dog, but with out a full fence it could be any dog that has easy access.

Free ranging them always comes with risks, best thing we can do is try to reduce all the risks we can.

 

[WoodlandWoman]

If you haven't already, I would still put some Neosporin on that bite wound, just to make sure an infection doesn't get started. I hope she continues to recover. Poor girl.

 

[The Fairy Godmartyr]

This is why my girls will never get to free range. I feel so awful keeping them penned up when I have almost an acre and a half, but there are several dogs in my neighborhood that get loose constantly, and they all head straight for my yard (even before I got the chickens--I have dogs, too, and we have an invisible fence so others can get in even though mine don't get out). I've even had an 80 lb golden retriever come into my house through our doggie door--TWICE.

All of the random dogs drive me NUTS. I know who the owners are, but I doubt talking to them would do much good (and since I'm not zoned agricultural, I worry about ruffling feathers). So as long as they stay away from the pen, I've put up with it. If any of them ever even look at my chickens cross-eyed, though, the owners will get ONE warning--then I'll start calling animal control every time the dog sets foot on my property.

 

[Cleebee]

I'm glad you got there in time. We had a neighbor dog ON LEASH pull out of his owner's hand (a boy too small to control the big dog), jump our fence and kill our best hen. They don't free range anymore, but have a sort of "outer run" that is less secure, with mesh around it instead of wire. No challenge for a big dog. So I understand the anger!! Hope she's okay.

 

[jennh]

UPDATE ON SWEET ANNIE:

Well, surprise, surprise! Sweet Annie laid an egg today! I wasn't expecting one for a while since she was so traumatized Thursday. She was limping slightly today. I picked her up and checked her leg. Did you know that their skin is green?

Jen

 

[redhen]

My chickens skin isnt green...
I think you have a bruised chicken there...

 

[jennh]

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But it's not the color of a bruise, unless their bruise is a different color than ours.
( sounds like a dumb statement, huh?) Anyway, her leg is the color of her eggs.

Jen

 

[Tala]

Neosporin is NOT for puncture wounds. They need to be open to the air. You need to get an oral syringe or a regular one without a needle, and irrigate the wound with warm saline water several times a day. If it's cold there, keep her in until the area dries afterwards. If it shows any sign of infection I'd be right on top of it, I'd probably spring for injectable Penicillin.


I had a roo survive a dog attack, but he was missing for a day. When he came back the next night, he had several puncture wounds on his back and infection had already set into them. He smelled bad from it. Upon bringing him inside for evaluation, I decided that he probably *wouldn't* make it, since I didn't have any abx on hand and he really needed them "yesterday" so I had to put him down because of it. The bad part is that I'm not really sure who's dog was responsible, so it could happen again.