Neighbor Poisoning Our Chickens?

[Marbleheader]

Quote:
We have a camera in our coop (see sig), and it's really not difficult to set up, if you have electricity and wireless internet within range. Most relatively inexpensive internet cameras have motion detection to only record when there's a (potential) intruder. The trick would be to aim the camera higher than the chickens (so it doesn't record all of the time), and low enoughto catch the backsideholes.

 

[RyanAndMeri]

Good advice. Thank you every one. Can I still file a police report if the last attack was over a week ago? We still have one chicken that's in our bathroom trying to recover and we spent $100 on vet bills for her and would like to return it (the bill) to them.

 

[Sonoran Silkies]

It does sound like it might be poison, but the hard part is identifying exactly what the poison might be. A couple of years ago I went through a similar incident and was never definitively able to identify the poison because the samples were insufficient to test against many things. The one thing I asked that they test for they did not.

Anyways, dummy cameras are inexpensive. You can also rig up a motion alarm to tell you if something is coming into your yard, or near the chicken coop. You usually thing of a motion sensor to turn on a light, but it could also

- ring a bell inside your house so you can go check to see what is going on, or

- start playing a recording that sounds like you are out in the coop, or

- sound a loud alarm, or

- ...

 

[Sir Birdaholic]

Next time shoot the dog,carry it to her,tell her your chickens killed it!

 

[horsejody]

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It's worth a try, especially since you have a witness. If that doesn't work there is always civil court.

 

[tulie13]

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It's worth a try, especially since you have a witness. If that doesn't work there is always civil court.

That, plus they most likely have some sort of homeowner's insurance - if their dog damaged your "property", then their homeowner's might cover it. Just like it would (theoretically) cover the bill if you knocked on their front door, and they opened the door and their dog ran out and bit you in the leg. It's THEIR responsibility, and happened on their property, thus the insurance would pay. I believe for a "moving threat" like a dog, they cover it if the dog goes onto YOUR property, also.

After you get the report filed + the vet bill, also add up the cost of the other chickens you lost, plus the feed to raise them to laying age, etc. and add it to the bill. If they won't pay, find out who they are insured by for homeowner's insurance and file a claim against them. Keep us updated!!!

 

[Cackling Hen]

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hahahaha I love it

 

[hens & chicks]

Next time shoot the dog,carry it to her,tell her your chickens killed it!

This would work for me! Same thing with new neighbors but with a pitbull and a boxer. It got several cjickens and geese. Chased the peacocks like mad. Neighbor denied dogs ever left yard. After third time DH( police) told the guy. He still denied it although they had been putting in underground fencing for dogs. DH and his wife got into it next time. Since the first time they had been warned we would shoot the dogs. Last time I showed them the dead chicken, he offered to pay for it but I said no. As we had been lied to (to make a long story short) I just told him no-I will absorb the cost of the chicken this time as in the other times--"and since you have stated that you go to chucrch and were gracious enought to ask us to go, please just quit lying to us in and the Lord about things and that is payment enough". Have had no problems since-that has been for at least 3 months.

 

[RyanAndMeri]

birdaholic wrote:
Next time shoot the dog,carry it to her,tell her your chickens killed it!

Thanks for the laugh! That dog has bit a child before; it's a nuissance and I'll put it down if it's in my yard again.

I tried calling the university and they just referred me to a local vet for Necropsy / Toxicology tests. I'm working on getting a camera installed as well. My wife is talking with Attorneys at her work to see what charges we can bring against the neighbors. We've spent a lot of money on the chickens but it will be hard to document it all. The chickens went into a molt on the last attack so we only have 1 egg a day now from the remaining 18 hens... we got chickens for eggs and now our neighbors have ruined that for us.

One thing worth noting that I learned from the whole thing is this herbal remedy my mom had for wounds saved 4 chickens from extremely nasty bite wounds. I think it's called Essiac Tincture. We had 4 hens with deep bites and 2 of them missing skin and flesh and we could see the fat layer underneith. We put this stuff on them twice a day and didn't give them anything else and they all survived. These wounds were 2-3 inches wide and some had puncture wounds around the vent. This stuff cleared it all up. It's amazing. If anyone wants the recipee PM us and I'll share it.​

 

[horsejody]

If you suspect that the neighbor is poisoning your chickens, please don't eat the eggs.