Lost most of my flock this afternoon

[Shoshana]

Quote:
Seriously. Talk about taken aback. Not nice, not nice...

I am so sorry for your family's loss.

 

[horsejody]

Kansas law:

CHAPTER 47.--LIVESTOCK AND DOMESTIC ANIMALS. ARTICLE 6.--PROTECTION OF DOMESTIC ANIMALS. SHEEP, CATTLE OR HOGS.

47-645. Liability of owner of dog for damages.

If any dog shall kill, wound or worry any domestic animal the owners of such dog shall be liable to the owner of such animal for all damages that may be sustained, thereby to be recovered by the parties so injured before any court having competent jurisdiction.

History: G.S. 1868, ch. 105, § 44; L. 1911, ch. 313, § 1; May 22; R.S. 1923, 47-645.



47-646. Killing dog lawful, when.

It shall be lawful for any person at any time to kill any dog which may be found injuring or attempting to injure any livestock as defined in K.S.A. 47-1001, and amendments thereto.

History: G.S. 1868, ch. 105, § 45; R.S. 1923, 47-646; L. 1947, ch. 303, § 2; L. 1996, ch. 90, § 8; July 1.

 

[yellowchickensmomma]

I'm so sorry for your loss.

We lost all that we started with in the spring to dogs and got some more in the summer. Here we only have 1 animal control person who only has 2 traps. Today I get a call from my brother saying the dogs came back and ripped right through my fence. I thought I had it secure. I guess its like a cat watching a fish swim around in a fish bowl for a wild dog to watch a bunch of chickens in the fence. They cant stand it and I cant stand them wild dogs.

 

[mikeksfarmer]

Horse Jody you are the best! I truly mean that. Kipepeo should print that and submit it with her bill.

 

[kipepeo]

Quote:
I had found the first one but not the second one Thanks

 

[woolymama]

At least when it's a wild animal there's some sort of "sense" to it, if you know what I mean. When it's somebodies dog....well there's just no good reason for that to happen, ever. SO sorry you're going through this - and I hope that the big fat bill they get for it will be a wake up call that they can't let their dogs run out on your property without serious consequence. Too many people think "Oh well, they're just chickens".

 

[MakNat]

Quote:
Never do what again? Have chickens? Care for them? Have a life outside of them and have to leave for awhile? Get totally outraged that they all get killed. Oh wait.. It was the free ranging?, Right? Still, if they are free ranging on their space, ... Wa??? Never do WHaT again???

 

[twentynine]

Quote:
Got to agree with Mahonri atleast in part.

Everything eats chicken. Yes! I agree the dogs in question--or all dogs for that matter should be kept under control on their own property, and your chickens should be able to free range with out threat on their own property.

BUT!!!!!!!!!!!

That ain't how the real world lives. Rare is the dog owner that keeps his animals under control 100% of the time. Proof of that is in the reading of how many threads in this forum, based on the tresspasses of dogs. Do we not have dozens or maybe even a couple hundred that read, neighbor's dog, my dog, son"s dog, stupid neighbor's dog, feral dog--- on and on and on and on. We have seen in the last few days, several dog threat threads, it is truly funny the advice about shooting, paintball guns, pepper spray, animal control and all the other stuff. The fact remains is no one, not no one, can be on guard 24-7-365, one lapse, and the chickens are dead.

Sure the owners of the dogs now owe compensation, sorry I can't get real excited about collecting compensation. I would rather have my chickens. The OP may or may not get just compensation, but the undeniable fact is the chickens will still be DEAD. GONE! Forever and ever. And all the care, water, and feed the OP put into them has been wasted.

In the long run would it not make more sense to protect your birds, keeping them alive, healthy and productive, rather than stand on the principle of my birds should be safe on my property. In this case I think princibles are fine for a spectator, but if I were the one that was going to lose chickens to predators, I'd have'm locked up securely.

Compensation--- frankly in my heart my chickens are priceless, ( I make every effort to protect them as such). But if you guys think them neigbhors are going to pay over $1100 for what I count is 26 dead chickens plus, a vet bill. Well I guess I don't have to say it, but I wouldn't be waiting at the mail box for the check. The OP will have a long row to hoe before he sees one cent of that money. For one moment let's assume that the OP gets 100% of the compensation asked for, what does it add up to----- THE CHICKENS ARE STILL DEAD!

Go ahead, scream, jump up and down, disagree with me, rave at me, call me what you will, but ------THE CHICKENS WILL STILL BE DEAD!!!!!!

 

[lngrid]

Quote:
Never do what again? Have chickens? Care for them? Have a life outside of them and have to leave for awhile? Get totally outraged that they all get killed. Oh wait.. It was the free ranging?, Right? Still, if they are free ranging on their space, ... Wa??? Never do WHaT again???

I don't think it was just that. It doing all of that with a known predator, a coyote, skulking about. It was a judgment call I wouldn't have made but I wouldn't have made the comment he did, either.

 

[horsejody]

Free ranging has benefits. It greatly reduces the feed bill. They keep bugs out of the yard and leave a little fertilizer behind. Years ago, I had a neighbor that let their Great Pyrenese roam. The dog chased and bit my horses. Another neighbor had a husky that did the same thing (those were the same neighbors that owned the rhodesian ridgebacks that killed my chickens). Does that mean that I should have put up a bigger pasture fence or not let the horses out to pasture to eat all that green grass? Maybe I should have just built Ft Knox around a small stall and a dry lot and mowed the grass in the pasture. No, it was the dog owners responsibility to keep their dogs in. I made sure that they knew it. They can go to the expense of building Ft Knox around their dogs to keep them in. I shouldn't be expected to pay to keep their dogs out. The only thing I'm gonna pay for when it comes to their dogs is the price of a bullet. I have a right to chickens on my property. The dog owners have no right to let their dogs roam on my property. My chickens are no longer out all day because I don't trust my neighbors to be smart enough to control their dogs. As soon as I see them on my property again and I shoot them, I will once again let the chickens out all day. My feed bill is easily double because the birds aren't out as much. They definitely aren't as happy because they are confined to a run. I would much rather have the chickens and duck eat the bugs in the yard than have to put down expensive and dangerous chemicals. I have a lot of property and really liked my "bug patrol." They got rid of the Asian beetles, the box elder bugs and even the ticks. My chickens stayed on my property. My property is mine. It's not a dog park. We have wildlife in the area, but they haven't created a predator problem. Even if they did, they most likely wouldn't have a mass killing like dogs do. Right now, the only problem dog owners we have in our sparsely populated area are the idiots that own the Rhodesian Ridgebacks. Those dogs not only kill chickens, but they kill other pets as well, They have brutally attacked other dogs. One little dog was killed by them. They can jump very high fences and enter other people's yards, and they attack dogs on leashes. The theory "people should just expect them to be there and build Fort Knox around their animals" is a bunch of garbage. It's like saying that the lady who owned the Pomeranian they killed was actually responsible because her dog shouldn't have been sitting in his own yard unprotected. Dogs should not be allowed to roam. People that let their dogs roam should be held accountable. Roaming dogs that kill should be put down, and their owners should be banned from owning dogs.

Like it or not, that's my opinion. The owner of any dog doing damage on my property will be held accountable to me and the law. I used to be nice about it. It got me nowhere. I used to tell people to please keep their dog in and not let it loose again. I got apologies, sweet smiles and empty promises from them. Now that they know they will pay dearly, the problem is getting better. We are down to only one irresponsible family. The rest are afraid of the consequences and have made other arrangements for their dogs.

Sorry for the long post.