if you don't shoot guns, how do you kill roaming predators?

[HenHaven]

Wow!!! You paint a good picture of your circumstances and locale. Understanding that you don't want to incite your already problematic neighbors and make yourself a target, I think you should go into a defensive mode rather than an offensive mode.

If your neighbors do not neuter/spay their dogs, there will be an endless supply of dogs that will roam and wreak havoc. Your situation is not unlike people who live in the wilder areas of the country and deal with coyotes and other predators. You can't kill them all, so you have to take protective measures. I think that your best bet would be to start using your limited financial resources to creating a safe "compound" for you and your animals.

Probably the cheapest way to do so would be electric fencing. A hot wire is very effective in keeping out predators. If electrifying your entire perimeter seems daunting, you could lock up your animals at night and hot wire just their enclosures for now, then work on slowly fortifying the whole perimeter as finances allow.

 

[chickbea]

ELECTTRIC FENCING! ELECTRIC FENCING! That's how I sleep so well at night.
It really isn't that expensive, especially if you use the old fashioned wire instead of the newer tape stuff. If you are only concerned about night time, when they are probably in a smaller area anyway, you can probably get away with a less powerful, and therefore cheaper, charger.

 

[SpottedCrow]

If you live trap, maybe you can drop em off at the dog pound...I know up here, if you catch anything, it can't leave the property alive. Ever try to shake a sleepy baby skunk out of a live trap...glad he knew that I was trying to help.
I happen to think that poisoning is a horrible way to kill anything...no matter what it might be...
Have you thought of leghold or body traps? I hear all of you yelling at me...but a loose dog running in a pack is nothing more than another predator out to kill your livestock. And should be treated as such.

 

[Southern28Chick]

Have you thought of leghold or body traps? I hear all of you yelling at me...but a loose dog running in a pack is nothing more than another predator out to kill your livestock. And should be treated as such.

I'm not yelling at you but, legholds should be illegal!!! How can you be against poisoning and not against legholds and bodytraps?

I am pro animal...I am not pro having my animals get killed by predators. If you must take out a predator, a bullet is very cheap and everyone owns a gun. If you don't have one then borrow one. HUMANELY trap the dog and kill it. This shouldn't even be a topic for discussion. There's a big difference in killing a predator and torturing an animal.

Edited for spelling.​

 

[newchickowner]

IMHO, sounds like you're living in hell and I'd move!

I don't know what else to say.

 

[hinkjc]

End of discussion.

Jody