Neighbor dog killed all 6 of our backyard chickens

[laughingllama75]

I too am guessing it was either the loose dog in question, or a skunk/opossum. Your dog is probably skulking, becuase he thinks he is bad, for not "doing his job". Dogs are way more sensitive and intuitive than we usually give them credit for. I hope you get that darn fence fixes, as well as some new chickies.

 

[AtHomeDaddy]

Would a skunk/opossum come out in the middle of the afternoon? I had that thought, but I figured between the dog and the daylight, we were safe from them.

I am definitely leaning towards the neighbor's dogs doing my chicks in. (For the record, I lost all of them. Even the one that made it "home" was dead.) And if that is the case, I will repair and reinforce the fence then we will bring some new birds home in the future.

I can't believe how much my kids liked having the birds. We were spending tons of time in the yard, just watching and caring for these girls. So I am assuming that we will try more in the future.

 

[laughingllama75]

Usually they are nocturnal, but I have had both kill chickens in the daylight hours.

I am betting it was the dog though...... yep, sure up that fence, and just keep an eye out. I bet you will catch him/her trying to get back in, to see if there are any more chickies to play with. When it comes back, I would bring it back home, and let them know it was in your yard and killing your birds. If that doesnt work, bring it to an animal shelter in the next town, as a stray.

or, you could sss, but depends on how you feel about that.

 

[buckeye lady]

Your great Pry is not the culprit. He is sulking because his job to protect them he feels he let you and your flock down by allowing a predator get to them.
So Sorry for your loss.
:aww

 

[Jolyn]

Are you going to ask your neighbor if their dog showed any evidence of killing the chicks?

 

[krackerhill]

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Let me begin by telling you how sorry I am for your devastating loss. My family has truly enjoyed the many pets that we have and all their funny traits and personalities. I commend you for your response on the dog.....to many people think in anger. When you have a combination of animals you can't very well sit them down and explain the
rules of living as a happy family. Heck some people can't even
get that one right. I love all my animals but the bottom line is
that they are still animals. All of my dogs are over 125lbs and could easily injure or kill my chickens and ducks which free range. Now they love to chase the girls, but as a responsible animal owner I, like you, monitor the situation and make sure noone is in harms way. Your dog knows you are upset and is probably upset too......my son has had to bury many chickens and has been upset over losses but that
I explained to him is the natural order of things. Sorry for the long post.

 

[Beekissed]

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I would have to agree with this...my GP mix is all about showing everything she did that day on her white fur....if a hole gets dug, all I have to do is see whose paws are covered in dust!

 

[amazondoc]

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I would have to agree with this...my GP mix is all about showing everything she did that day on her white fur....if a hole gets dug, all I have to do is see whose paws are covered in dust!

I disagree with this one. As many of you already know, one of my dogs killed my birds last month. There was very little blood anywhere, and none on him. But I do agree that the evidence of the broken fence casts suspicion on the neighbor dog. Just be very careful with your own dog when you get new chicks!

 

[AtHomeDaddy]

I think I must if we are going to get more chicks. I need to know where the weakness in our system was (fence, our dog, her dog, whatever) so that I can correct the problem.

I won't go looking for her dog's head on a pike or anything. This is a suburban neighborhood, not farm land. The dogs are well behaved around my kids and dog, so I won't hold them responsible for coming after the birds. Even if they came into my yard.

In the end, if we want to have the chickens free in the yard, then it is our responsibility to make it safe for them. I don't assume that the neighbor's dogs are as well behaved around the chicks as my own dog is. So it is my job to make the fence secure enough to keep her dogs and my birds separate. I thought it was and now I know differently.


Guys, thanks for all the responses and good support. Nice to have such a great group.



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[amazondoc]

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I think you've got the right attitude. We all screw up sometimes, or unexpected things happen. The important thing after we get through kicking ourselves is to LEARN from it and try to make sure it doesn't happen again.

Hang in there!