My dogs brought home a chicken...

[Sjisty]

If you saw my friend's little girl's face after she was savagely bitten by a neighbor's dog in HER OWN FRONT YARD, you might just start to understand the shoot first mentality. This beautiful little girl is now intensely afraid of all animals and has frequent nightmares, not to mention the years of cosmetic surgery ahead to try to minimize the horrible scarring on her face.

I live on several acres and just spent a fortune replacing my fence, not to keep my dogs in, but to keep the neighbors' dogs out who did a number on my chickens last year. I would never let my dogs run free, even for 30 minutes. It's just not responsible pet ownership.

 

[GableBabble]

People dump dogs on farm roads all the time. We have lost many animals to that. The closest house to us is so far down the road I'd have to stop feeding/cleaning/caring/etc and drive to get to them just to see if it is there dog. No one in their right mind will come out and see their livestock/pets or other animals being killed or stalked and go try to catch it. The offending animal will get shot.
Everyone here loves animals. That is why we have them. Everyone is trying in their own way to pass on wisdom they have learned over time. Some of this is common sense. It is not a mentality, it is a safety/security measure. My animals depend upon me to keep them safe from roaming predators. Just as your dogs depend upon you to keep them safe and at home.

Case in point:
My Father in law has a lab. Lab has been around chickens, ducks etc for years. Person buys the small farm across the woods behind him. Has a 100 pound shepherd lab cross and some other hound like dog. Their exact words the first morning he found the dogs: "Oh they would not hurt a fly. They were just exploring new territory.". The very next morning that woman's two dogs and my father in laws lab were all found stuck inside the coupe. All his stock was dead. The woman paid for all the birds. He went and got more birds. One month later that woman's dogs had done it again (Reese, FIL's dog was in his new kennel). She had let them out to poop and the phone had rang.......

We ourselves have lost more then chickens to roaming dogs. A few years back we lost a calf to just two dogs.

Be respectful and responsible and keep your dogs at home and under your supervision and you will never have an issue. The mentality of " Oh I live out where my dog can run loose to his hearts content" upsets me.

 

[speckledhen]

Since someone on this thread reported my very restrained last post (trust me, it was very restrained after the heartache of yesterday), I want to clarify that I am posting as a member in this thread, not a moderator on this subject. I did not and will not moderate this thread, will not and did not take reports (report was left for others to handle), but I cannot remove my moderator title from above my avatar every time I want to participate as a member here.

To clarify another point, moderators are members first and as such, are allowed to have opinions on the forum.

My opinion is that if you own a dog, you fence it in. If you can't do that, give the dog to someone who can contain it responsibly. That applies to dogs in the country, not just city and suburbs. Even my very rural mountain county has laws about keeping your dog controlled by leash when off the owner's property. Seems very few know their county laws. If they can't control their dogs, trust me, we will. It's plain being a bad neighbor to allow your dog to roam loose for even 5 minutes.


To the OP, your dogs may have just found a chicken carcass... this time. Eventually, if you keep allowing them to roam/escape, they will find a live one to bring home to you that may not be alive when they get it home. Think about that bird's owner, please.

 

[keesmom]

My two German Shorthairs brought home a chicken yesterday. We don't have any birds, yet. Still fixing up a coop. The neighbor across the road doesn't have chickens, and the next closest places are a mile away. I don't have any idea where they got this bird from. The dog was carrying it in the typical "retrieve" fashion and dropped it on the lawn when he came running to greet me in the driveway. Here's the weird part: The chicken was totally intact, except it had no internal organs. I did see two egg yolks stuck up there, but no intestines, etc. The bird wasn't mauled, the dogs had no signs of mischief or recent eating around their mouths, and they were acting like it was just another stick they picked up or something. Not overly excited about it. What happened to this chicken? Is there a butchering technique that would leave a bird in this state? Do folks leave poisoned birds out for predators?? (Our dogs found some rat poison somewhere a couple months ago, too, and are on vitamin K). The dogs are not running loose when we're not home and they're inside dogs at night. Though they WILL run off sometimes, for 30 minutes or so when let out to do their business. Thoughts?

Dogs can travel a long distance in even just 30 minutes.

I don't understand why you're not doing everything possible to keep them from roaming. You say they've already managed to get into rat poison. You're lucky you didn't lose them then. There are many other dangers as well - coyotes, cars, etc.

I know fences are expensive, so if that isn't an option how about leashing them up and exercising them yourself? I've taken my dog out at least 3 times a day for walks/runs for the entire 14 years we've had him. Good for him and me.

 

[speckledhen]

You can fence a 1/4 acre area. They don't need 11 acres to run. We used livestock fencing hung on steel U-posts on 2 of our 5.37 acre mountain property and we did it in stages. If we can do it on military pension, anyone can do it.

 

[NancyP1]

I had new neighbors move across the road a year ago. The first day they moved it, their big shepherd came into my yard, terrorized my goats. My friend tried to run it out and almost got bit. The guy came over to get it, could't catch it. Took him a good 1/2 hour. 2 days later, its here again, came after me. Chased my guineas and finally got one. The guys wife stood there watching and says "dont worry, he only pulls out the feathers" If I had a shovel I would have hit her with it. Dead bird next day. Of course, I do not want to kill someones dog, but let me tell you, that dog has a bullet with his name on it. The dog comes here EVERY time it gets loose. (these people blame it on their 3 year old...reallly?) Over a dozen times in a year. I have no patience for a loose dog. This dog has also ran my horses, tried to bite my husband etc etc. All to the excuse "my dog would never do that". Once again "really?" I will kill any dog I see on my property harrassing my livestock. I won't feel good about it, but consider it a done deal. If I see a stray that is just passing thru, not bothering anything, it gets one chance. Thats it. If your dogs are on my property, and I have missing or dead birds...guess what...you wont have dogs anymore. I would think that them being poisoned would have taught you something. I have a dog. I love my dog right to death, he is my best friend. He does NOT leave my property, EVER. If you think that your dogs will not go back there, you are sadly mistaken. Sorry to sound harsh, but thats just the way it is. You need to keep your dogs on your property at all times! There is NO excuse for letting them run. If they do get shot, you have no one to blame but yourself.

 

[speckledhen]

I agree with you, Nancy, and I'm so sorry for all your trouble. We have had neighbors who couldn't control one single dog next door. Invisible fencing didn't work, which they put in after the dog kept coming up here around our chickens (thank goodness for good roosters!). Gee, might help to keep batteries in the collar, but if the dog breezes through and gets zapped, you think he's coming back IN just to be zapped again? Nope. He keeps roaming. After a couple more times, last time after finding him on my house deck, just after putting away a broody hen with her chicks who had been free ranging and calling them to come get the dog, precipitating threats from said neighbor about killing all my chickens with a shotgun if we shot his dog, he put in a huge chainlink fenced area that he said he "couldn't afford". Do you think that dog stays in it? Of course not! For some reason, they think he needs his freedom. Eventually, his freedom may cost that dog his life.

My county ordinance, which is pretty much the law for the whole state, and very similar to most basic county laws:


Quote: except that a person may:

(1) Defend his person or property, or the person or property of
another, from injury or damage being caused by an animal; or
(2) Kill any animal causing injury or damage to any livestock or
poultry.
The method used for killing the animals shall be designed to be as
humane as is possible under the circumstances. A person who
humanely kills an animal under the circumstances described herein
shall incur no liability for such death.


Causing injury can be just running at the pen and making them hurt themselves in fright. They don't even have to actually get hold of the bird.

 

[NancyP1]

Thanks speckledhen. I think we have the same neighbors! This jerk has threatened to shoot my animals! Thing is, he has a prison record (not sure what for) and he is not suppose to have guns! I love being in the barn cleaning horses hooves and getting treated to automatic rifle fire. I haven't been hearing that since I yelled across the road to "shoot the dog, then put the barrel in your mouth". I also know that it's just a matter of time before the dog is here again. I get tired of having to keep a shotgun handy. I never did understand why people who move to the country think they can just let their animals loose. When that woman told me the dog just pulls out their feathers then lets them go..I wanted to let my big belgian horse pull out her hair. That dog mauled my guinea right to death. He also got in my coop, nobody died that day, but what a bloodbath. I realize it is not the dogs fault, totally and completely on the owner. Sometimes I wish the SSS method applied to them as well! (just kidding, well sorta). It's scarey how much ignorance there is out there.

 

[erijn5]

I will give an opinion too: I am too having this problem with the neighbors dogs!!!! I live in a very small community where everyone knows everyone's animals. I have 2 neighbors 1 with a 100lb mutt he comes over all the time and it is very annoying, it sniffs my pens and riles all my birds up. He also tries to get my rabbits through the bottom of their cages. the other dog that comes over here is part CYOTE (sp) and part something else so it is just wanting to get after everything all the time....

Well their wishes came true they both paired up the other day and got in my BLRW pen and got a hen. They went in between the 2 layers of chicken fencing on one side and then exiting out the other side tearing my pen all to pcs. The cyote dog I have had trouble with before and I have notified the neighbor that it is going to die soon! They seem not to care so therefore I do not care.. I have told both neighbors that if their dogs get 1 of my peacocks they will PAY ME $300 A PEICE for each of them they kill!

And I have 6...they are all aware of this and still show disregard. I paid over $500 last yr for my BLRW hatching eggs last yr to get my beautiful flock established...and I WILL NOT have SOMEONE ELSE'S DOGS kill them.. To top it off now I am in process of building a BRAND NEW PEN out of WELDED wire because the cyote dog goes to chicken wire and will shred it and pulls it apart to make holes, also I had buried the bottom of the fence 6 inches and curled it for varmit invasion, and she just ripped it at the ground tearing all the fence. She is very persist and crafty. And yet when I advised them of this they never once offered to help pay for the fence their dog destroyed!!

I have 1 Doberman, 2 Choc. Labs, 2 Beagles, and a Jack Russell....and all of my dogs are BIRD trained they do not chase, bite, nip, encourage flight, to any of my birds or there are conseqences! My 7mo. lab pup goes with me in my pens every morning to get the eggs and she checks everyone out for the day..So when the strays got in the fence my birds DID NOT run because they assumed NO DANGER! After I retreived my dead BLRW bird back from the 2 dogs, I took pics via cell phone and sent it to both parties and clearly stated that, THAT WAS THEIR LAST WARNING TO KEEP THE DOGS AT HOME! I now have a loaded 22 by the back door at all times....bottle rockets obviously did not get the point across..but I have a feeling lead will.

Your dogs MAY not have killed the chicken, they may not kill your chickens....but if they do you will then feel the pain and frustration of raising Your birds from babies and spending all the money and time caring for them...all to having to dig a nice dirt hole. Also karma is a terrible thing, so IF your dogs are the ones that killed it and then thereafter you get yours and someones else's dog comes and kills yours, you will feel the other persons pain...

On another note, for the person who posted this thread, is a NEW EGG, Jeez she is a new egg, lets not run her off with violence in her first thread posting...!!!

 

[LisaP24]

Please make sure your dogs are never allowed off your property without you. There could be so much damage they are doing without you knowing it. We recently came home to our 17yr old cat dead in our yard and the two dogs that did it were on our drive. My 5 and 7 year old daughters wept while we waited for the owners to come get their dogs. They lived more 2 miles away, and apparently their 4 year old daughter accidentally let them out, which he said happens on occasion. If we hadn't been able to catch the dogs and call, they never would have known what happened. Who knows how many other pets they killed in that two-mile stretch, and your dogs could be doing the same. The family was very apologetic, but it didn't take away the loss of our cat, especially for my girls. Thankfully our chickens are in a predator proof run, however dogs have come in our yard and charged their run, so the risk of injury is there. We do not ever let our dog off leash, not even in the front yard, and we watch him closely with children. When our daughter was 14 months old she was bit on the face by a friend's dog (who had never been aggressive), and has the scars for life. All that to say, dogs are unpredictable and can do so much damage...to children, pets, livestock, you name it... and all it takes is an instant. This is all much more important that just being on friendly terms with neighbors.