I'm gonna kill me some dogs!!! Rant ~

[mrszlopez]

I also have gone thru a similar situation. I Wish you all the best of luck. Its a very tough thing to go thru

 

[NotTheMomma]

Oh my, my heart breaks for you and your chicks!

Huge huggles!

Our beagle killed one of my babies when I first started letting them stay outside in the run. I'm thinking they were about 5 weeks old, and apparently she pulled it through the chain link. I had just finished telling someone how proud of her I was, because she was laying under an apple tree, and not bothering the chicks. Went outside to bring the chicks back in, and there laid a dead chicken right were the beagle had been laying. I spanked the beagle with the chick, but I don't think that did any good. I KNOW right now that she'd attempt to kill them again, but I truly believe it's because they run and make noise. She loves squeeky toys that make the same noise that baby chicks make.

Anyway, my oldest chickens are now HUGE in comparison to what they were, and are 10 weeks old. I'm going to take the beagle outside on a leash, and let them chickens attack her. I've seen them surround and attack my mini dachund so I know they are capable. I know I won't be able to trust her without direct supervision, but I hope it will scare her into leaving them alone. Their peck HURTS right now, and when 25 chickens surround you, like they did my mini daschund, and you're in the middle of the circle, it's gotta be intimidating! For now, dogs are inside when chickens are free ranging. Chickens are in the coop and/or run when the dogs are outside. My mini dashie is the only one that doesn't try to get the chickens. She's scared of them!

 

[rufus]

Fences and gates. Dogs don't belong in the chicken yard.

Rufus

 

[Cetawin]

I am so sorry

Well cmopromise with the family then. If they want to keep the dogs which cannot be trusted with other animals then they must build a secure kennel for them to be put in whenever you are away from home.

Secure them when you cannot be right there. Maybe a solution?

 

[Chicks_N_Horses]

Thanks everyone for sharing your own heartbreaks....It is sad when this happens. I read on here almost daily about dog attacks on chickens and I wasn't expecting it to be my day yesterday.

My DH felt really bad about it. He knew I was having a rough day yesterday anyways. He said he would get some fencing and we would build a dog coop LOL I hate to have dogs penned up or tied alot when mine are so used to having free range on our property and woods. But I can't let them kill my chickens either so they will have to live most of the time in their new coop. Hopefully he will work on that this coming weekend.

I am more sick over it being my BCM chicks that I paid a good bit for. I feel like I let them down by not locking them up when I left but I really didn't even think about it......

Last night the DH was saying that his headlight just fell out of his truck when he got out yesterday and that he now had to run around and find one today...So I say "well at least your 150$ chicks aren't dead" and he says "babe, yes, MY 150$ chicks are dead" He understands, I think, even though he isn't big on chickens either.


Ahh...lesson learned....don't leave chicks unattended with dogs all day long....

 

[Davaroo]

Quote:
Oh dear, Im sorry. Yours is the same story as mine, from a few years ago. Its the reason why I play this song, now:

"The Electric Fence Shuffle."

Many will come on here and tell you how you can train your dogs to leave the chickens alone. Been there, done that.
Take their advice and adapt it as best you can, it's not bad advice. Use it as part of your overall plan - layered defense, and all of that.

But I also highly recommend you add a new tune to the "Dog Training Dirge."

I can think of none better than the "Electric Fence Shuffle."