My neigbors Dachshunds killed 3 of my young chickens today

[KimberlyJ]

I almost always post asking people to be nice, be neighborly and don't make trouble for yourself. HOWEVER. My sister once ran over me with her car while my father was mowing the lawn. My dog was barking at her. My dad asked what happen? did you hit the dog? My sister answered no...I ran over Kimberly. My dad said oh and went back to mowing. Two days later it hit him and he flipped out and grounded her for 2 months. Maybe your neighbor just didn't have time to take it all in. He was thinking "not my little dogs" and "I gotta mow" and was probably frustrated that the dogs were out of their yard and wouldn't come to him....I say now that he's had time to think about it present him with a bill for replacement. And those grown up chickens are worth way more than chicks. Many people here say they get $10 -$20 for a pullet. Bill him at least that. Be nice, but be fair to yourself too! Then politely mention to him next time will not end so pleasantly for him.

 

[teach1rusl]

MAYBE it would be forgive and forget IF he had seemed especially apologetic (the FIRST time....because it very well WILL happen again since they've learned this new "game"). BUT with his attitude, I would bag up the birds, prepare a bill for him ($10 for pullets unless a special breed or from a special breeder, and maybe a little less for roosters), take BOTH over and ask him when you can be compensated for your livestock.

Remove each corpse and spread them out for him to see.

 

[Sunny Side Up]

Ohhh, I am so sorry about this! Here on BYC we understand how awful this loss is, and none of us would have shrugged it off and gone away to mow the grass without an apology & offer of compensation. Some folks just don't get it, and think that chickens are inconsequential, and react as if you said their dogs killed a squirrel or starling in your yard. And that's no excuse that the dogs were "just playing", that's all most pet dogs will do with chickens but it has devestating results.

You need to check local ads, Craigslist, auctions, swaps, etc to find out what it would cost to replace your birds with others the same age, size & quality. Make copies of those ads to substantiate your bill. Let's hope that once your neighbor learns what your birds meant to you and their monetary value he will stop his mower long enough to write you a check for the full amount. Maybe your daughter could write a note or draw a picture to express her sentiments about your family's chickens, that might tug on his heartstrings enough to loosen his pursestrings.

Perhaps you could also check with your local animal control to find out their policies about unleashed dogs, dogs that harass or kill other PETS, dogs that threaten to bite. It will be helpful to know your rights as a pet chicken owner, as a keeper of livestock, as a resident in that neighborhood. I wouldn't threaten the neighbor with harm to his dogs, but would let him know his responsibilities under the law.

I'm cynical enough to think that there's a good chance you may get nowhere with this neighbor, and not get any compensation without an enormous amount of effort on your part. I hope that's not true! Let's hope at least that his house sells quickly, and to another BYC member.

And certainly, reinforce the fencing around your pens & coops so that the chickens you have remaining will be safe from any future hawk or dog attacks.

 

[cheri222]

I am so sorry about your chickens. I would be heartbroken. My neighbors across the street have 2 weiner dogs. They have eaten the downspouts off their house and the neighbors house trying to get the chipmonks. They have also chewed the wires under 2 cars. One has bitten me. I stay away from them. I love my neighbors but hate those 2 little dogs.

 

[speckledhen]

You can't really buy a laying hen for $3 usually. Point of lay pullets I sell for $10, but that doesn't take into account all your feed up to that point and the eggs you won't be getting from those birds. I would never accept less than $30 per bird if that happened to me.

 

[sourland]

I'm so sorry that this happened to your chickens, but now it is up to you to be prepared. These dogs will return the first chance they get.

 

[CityGirlintheCountry]

I think by law you can charge him not only the replacement cost of the chicken (at the age it died, so likely around $20 each, more if they were specialty chickens), plus the cost of the eggs they would have laid between now and the time the new chickens start laying. Eggs go for between $2 and $3 a dozen around here. You would need to figure out how many would have been laying per week and the total number of eggs that could be sold. Basically, you can charge for loss of the animal and loss of income.

You might consider sending the bill to him by registered mail. You might also consider calling the police and animal control. A police report with pictures goes a long way towards helping your case.

I'm so sorry for you loss.

 

[newchickmom]

In my area, POL chickens sell for $20 to $25 each.
I am so sorry for your loss.

 

[Ohhhdear]

I'm so sorry he acted as if his dogs didn't do anything wrong. Hopefully he sees the light. Great way to meet a new neighbor

(

If your neighbor doesn't respond to your him a bill for your dead chickens, take him to small claims court. Charge him for the cost of the chickens, the loss of eggs, trauma, etc. I hope you took pictures of the birds his dachshunds killed.

Document everything. Write down the conversation as verbatim as you can remember it. Dates, times, everything. Print out what you wrote on this forum.

Our family has had various dachshunds for the last 50 years, minis, full sized standards, and everything between. Lovely animals, well trained, obedient, happy companion animals. HOWEVER, every single one has had the incredibly strong killing urge for any kind of vermin or small bird. They cannot help it. Knowing this, we keep our dachshunds on tight leashes and in fenced areas. They are not trustworthy around chickens, unless they were puppies and put in their place by a rooster or angry hen. Once we paid a family friend $25 for chickens my husband's childhood doxie killed. Fortunately he was able to salvage and freeze the chickens killed.

My inlaws live next door and have a mini dachshund who strains to get at our chickens whenever she sees them. She's gotten at them once and got a mouthful of tail feathers. She got it with the flyswatter!! We don't trust her at all, even though she's a loving little bit of a thing. We dogsit for her all winter when they go to Florida cause they can't have her in their trailer park. This will be the first winter we'll have her plus my chickens. Should be interesting.

 

[denim deb]

Currently, I don't have a dog. We lost one dog January, 2009, and our other dog this March. The one I lost last year, I could let her loose w/my animals. And, while she was interested in them, she never bothered them. And, she was a Springer Spaniel. However, the other dog, I could never let her loose around my animals. (She was a beagle.) No matter how much I tried, she'd still give chase. I don't know how much of it was due to her age (she was 11 when I got the chickens), how much of it was due to the breed, and how much of it was due to lack of time to spend much time on training her not to give chase. If she had been younger, it may have been easier. So, I just never let her near them. So, if I wouldn't let my own dog near my chickens, there's no way I'd want someone else's dog coming on my property and going for them.