Hi,
12.00 each is fair. Remember you are better off getting what they can afford without going to court,
otherwise you lose your payback in court cost, etc. Plus help preserve some friendliness in the
neighborhood. Plus, taking that dog to court could bring the animal rightists into your neighborhood.
Never good thing.
Ok, I took a look around the Net and BYC. Here's a thread devoted to meat birds:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/575484/how-much-does-it-cost-to-raise-a-meat-chicken
Consensus: 12.00 a bird. So I would ask for that for the meat birds. Re: the near POL pullets? Honestly, they are only near point of lay. You have no proof they would ever be laying hens. So I would price them as meat birds too because even if they never laid an egg , you could still eat them. If they had already started laying, I think that would be different. But right now, all you have lost is unrealized potential in laying. 17x12= 204. Personally, I don't think you should ask for damages for the coop cost and feeding supplies because they are reusable. Only for what you lost in the birds.
I don't know what your lot looks like , however, we built a lovely dog proof yard for our birds out of panels. It's very easy. In our township , because nothing goes into the ground, we don't need a building permit. Figure for 17 birds you need 170 sq. ft. of yard.
If your coop is 6 ft. wide, that only about 28 ft. long. If 8 ft. wide only 21 1/4 ft. long. An 8 ft. wide yard is nice because you can use 10 ft. lengths if you want to put a roof on.
1. Just make panels out of 2x4 with each 6ft. high and 5 or 6 ft. long. Use 2 1/2 inch coated decking screws to affix all lumber joints.
2. Cut 2 ft. corner braces and screw them in to stabilize the panels.
3.Put in a horizontal 2x4 board at 3 ft. height in each panel
4.Use 7/8 in crown staples in your staple gun to affix the chicken wire.
5. Use 3 ft. high wire for the top 1/2 of thepanel. Use 4 ft. wire for the bottom 1/2 of the panel, leaving a 1 ft. ovr hang at th bottom to bury in the dirt and discourage diggine varmints. Make as many of thse panels as needed to encircle your yard. Put a door in one of them big enough to admit a wheelbarrow.
6. We roof our yard to keep it dry. Put up 2x4 by10 ft. crossbeams . at needed intervals. Staple chicken wire to it.
7. Buy a tarp(s) to cover the roof. Use those red ball bungee cords looped thru tarp grommets and over a nail to hold the tarp down. The bungees will allow just enough give the tarp doesn't rip in winds. If you have an 8 ft. wide run and use 10 ft. cross beams, you cut off any over hang and use that wood as corner braces for the 4 top corners where the panels join together.
As always, without disclosing you are making a poultry yard, check with your township on fence height requirements so you can stay under them.
Best,
Karen in western PA, USA
I hope it goes well in the future for you
