Juliachick, these conversations are frustrating because folks "move to the country" and then have problems with dogs/livestock but don't like the answers the farmers give them about how to solve the issue. Farmers are very practical: keep your junk on your side of the property line and we'll be fine. Otherwise it's removed for you - permanently.
How does this effect you? Well...
1. you moved to a place with no fencing and a dog came over to "play". That dog thinks yours is his/hers and has for longer than you've lived in the house because it regularly visited the previous owners. Dogs don't get "come by later and play" or "don't hurt the chickens", they get "mine" and "not mine". You moved into the house and this dog came by to check the new inhabitants out and the ownership out. You let it hang out and play, which from the dogs point of view said; "you still own this". That's your bad, whether it was from ignorance or not, it's still yours. Now the statement is going to need to be, "this is mine and NOT yours." Which means, the dog NEVER gets to come over and "play". Which brings me to point #2:
2. Country dogs don't get to roam. They have a home and it's not on someone else's property. My POV: "Take some responsibility for what is yours cuz if I have to it's going to be a very short problem." You've already been given some very practical solutions by other posters.
My suggestions to you about your chickens and your dogs:
-put the chickens in a coop and run electrical fencing around the coop at six and eighteen inches. That will keep the neighbors dog out and many other predators also.
-don't let your dogs out without you being out there with them. It sounds like you've started doing this, but I would encourage you to do it every time. If you want them outside without you there every moment, create a dog yard for them. If they are big dogs use electric fencing and if they are little dogs use a roll of fencing you can get at Lowes that can be put up with t-posts. You cannot ask your neighbor to do what you are not already doing and you can fix this whole problem for between $100-200 bucks depending on the choices you make.
How does this effect you? Well...
1. you moved to a place with no fencing and a dog came over to "play". That dog thinks yours is his/hers and has for longer than you've lived in the house because it regularly visited the previous owners. Dogs don't get "come by later and play" or "don't hurt the chickens", they get "mine" and "not mine". You moved into the house and this dog came by to check the new inhabitants out and the ownership out. You let it hang out and play, which from the dogs point of view said; "you still own this". That's your bad, whether it was from ignorance or not, it's still yours. Now the statement is going to need to be, "this is mine and NOT yours." Which means, the dog NEVER gets to come over and "play". Which brings me to point #2:
2. Country dogs don't get to roam. They have a home and it's not on someone else's property. My POV: "Take some responsibility for what is yours cuz if I have to it's going to be a very short problem." You've already been given some very practical solutions by other posters.
My suggestions to you about your chickens and your dogs:
-put the chickens in a coop and run electrical fencing around the coop at six and eighteen inches. That will keep the neighbors dog out and many other predators also.
-don't let your dogs out without you being out there with them. It sounds like you've started doing this, but I would encourage you to do it every time. If you want them outside without you there every moment, create a dog yard for them. If they are big dogs use electric fencing and if they are little dogs use a roll of fencing you can get at Lowes that can be put up with t-posts. You cannot ask your neighbor to do what you are not already doing and you can fix this whole problem for between $100-200 bucks depending on the choices you make.
