My Dogs killed all my Chickens

[cmom]

Believe me the dogs once they get zapped by the electric fence, they won't attempt to dig under it again. I have had coyotes and fox attempt to dig under my electric wire but once they got zapped didn't try again.

 

[JaiBanana]

He’s 28. He comes a lot on weekends to help around for some extra cash so he’s not inexperienced around our animals. I’m chalking it up to a bad accident but it still hurts. I’m letting my husband talk to him since he’s his family member. I want to keep the peace. I’m a lot calmer now than a few days ago and we are planing on rebuilding but are going to change the fencing.

 

[Paulaaswan]

I am so sorry for your loss, I have lost chickens and goats because of my dogs, but i started over and now everyone is behind locked gates. Our horse let the dogs out and they killed 3 of my goats and some chickens. We made sure the horse can never get the gate open again. I know the pain, but i did not dwell on it. I take extra precautions now.

 

[DellaMyDarling]

I chose to train my shepherd mix dog instead of spending hundreds of dollars on fancy fences.

It seems an unpopular opinion.
It did work though, just thought you should be aware of another option moving forward.

 

[Folly's place]

Training takes time and is best regardless of fencing, BUT it takes time, and fencing is faster. Some dogs are going to behave, and some aren't.
Della, your next dog might be a lot harder to work with!
Mary

 

[cmom]

My fences are far from fancy but they work.

 

[JaiBanana]

I love the idea of training and we were trying. The lab listens well to us when we are there. The second we are gone she’s likely to act up. The dachshund was always terrible to train and now he is so old almost 15.

We need fencing regardless because we have lots if other predators as well. But it would be nice if my dogs weren’t trying to kill our chickens.

 

[Folly's place]

The dogs that I raised from puppyhood were fine with the flock, because they learned from an early age. they were also easy breeds to train; Chesapeake Bay retrievers, a German Shorthair, and a Dalmation. Maybe not so easy, but easier than the rescue terriers that arrived as adults from bad situations that we have now. I'm also older and less devoted to daily intensive training, so fencing has been the best solution here.
Dogs who behave as individuals, especially when watched, are not the same as two or more dogs (a pack!) out there unsupervised.
Mary

 

[getaclue]

I'm sorry for your loss. Yes, it can be heartbreaking to lose one, or more. Don't be too upset at the dog. When they have a higher prey drive, and aren't trained, things like this happen. Take time to come to terms with it, and use it as a learning experience. Everything eats chicken. Had it not been your dog, it could have just as easily been a stray, or other type predator. Reassess your safety measures to keep your flock protected, and safe.

 

[ChocolateMouse]

Don't loose hope - your feelings are very normal. I'm really sorry for your loss and know what you're going through.

First, family or not, I would have choice words for the sitter. Words like "neglectful" and "irresponsible" and "I'm expecting compensation for these losses those prior things caused". They don't have to be angry words - if the sitter knew what he was supposed to do and didn't do them and it cost the lives of your birds, it should cost him the lives of your birds - literally. As in what you paid for them or would pay to replace them... Just like if they broke a lamp or cracked your TV you'd expect them to pay to replace those things. This is a reasonable expectation - they broke it they replace it. Unless for whatever reason they didn't know any better? But it sounds like they did.

Second - Take the time you need to mourn and reinforce boundaries where you think is best but also know it's OK to start over if you want to or not as you see fit.

Third, definitely take your time to reinforce the fencing. Nobody should deride you trying to contain your animals and keep them safe through practical means and fencing is very practical. Even if you magically train your dogs perfectly tomorrow and they're never a threat again. What happens when a fox digs under? Or a weasel? Or a coyote? A stray dog? I lost my whole flock to one wobbly door and a particularly dedicated raccoon last year. Every bird in the coop, dead as a doornail overnight, bits all over the lawn, no dogs involved. Do what's best to keep your flock safe. Do whatever you see fit to upgrade your containment. Not to mention are other people going to show up at your door to train your dogs and watch your birds so you don't need fencing? No? Then do what's best for -your- situation!

Fourth, you can still trust your dogs, especially around children still. They don't view small animals like people. They're still the same dogs they were the day before, if maybe a bit more driven to hunt chickens now. And yes, you can theoretically train them out of attacking the chickens if you have enough time and patience. Not everyone has that kind of time and that's OK. Not every dog is so easy to break of their bad habits. I have a husky who was a chicken killer for five YEARS. Any small animal even so much as wandered into her eyesight in a place she was normally allowed to run loose and her eyes would glaze over and she'd drool and stand on the end of her leash panting and whining and fighting. She'd take out any hen that slipped the coop and and bunny whose latches weren't totally done up if I wasn't there to stop her and sometimes even if I was. I've lost a lot of animals to her over the years. Also she'd caught several wild animals over the years, squirrels, robins, you name it. And a stray cat. And while I got her to the point that she wouldn't actively chase if I was with her anymore and told her not to, and she'd totally and completely ignore the chickens even though they were just behind easily broken bird netting, she still chased and killed any that got out. The magic didn't really happen until she had something to hunt that wasn't the chickens. She's now allowed to hunt the groundhogs and rats on our property and because she has something she's allowed to hunt she totally ignores the hens. She can walk right up to a hen and ignore it because she's always hoping to hunt something better that won't get her in trouble. I don't think I'd trust her alone with the hens... But I'm no longer terrified when one slips out. And I think that makes all the difference.
At no point would I ever suggest that every dog can be totally trained out of hunting birds. That's a pipe dream. Some dogs will keep pushing no matter how many shock collars and prongs and rolled up newspapers or rotting dead chickens are applied (some common suggestions for teaching dogs not to hunt birds). There's a real chance that no amount of training will save your chickens if they're locked outside at night uncontained with the dogs. Dachshunds are bred to hunt small things. It's hard to get rid of hundred of years of inbred instinct. But almost every dog can be taught to defocus on the hunt and come when called. And that's big enough it could save your birds. Or it could make the dogs think twice about the effort needed to dig into a pen and decide it's not worth it. And that could be a big change for you.

So in summation, or tl;dr

• Yes it's OK to feel how you do. Your feelings are normal and healthy. And they will pass in time.
• I'd be very upset with the petsitter if they knew better and would ask for compensation, personally.
• Get chickens again if and when you feel ready for them.
• If you do get chickens - absolutely upgrade your fencing! It will be good for both your dogs and other predators!
• And yeah, train your dog, but it's OK and not unexpected if miracles don't happen and they don't 180 on the chickens with just a few sessions. Some dogs are unbreakable for that matter. That doesn't mean they're not still your beloved pets - it just means they're dogs.
• Despite all that there's probably progress you can make on training the dogs that will improve your scenario.