Neighbors dog attacked my chickens!

[xadika]

...

 

[Swamp]

Well, she did accept responsibility for the attack by offering to replace your loss. To me, that is the main point. I think it best to overlook the lack of grace and remain on decent terms with your neighbor.

If you do decide to give the neighbor a piece of your mind, make sure that your house is in order first, and you are prepared to live with the consequences.

 

[Sequin]

Maybe putting a little hotwire on a couple levels along that side of the property? Is this the first time it has ever happened? It might have been a really random honest mistake on their part. You might go over to her and let her know that you have been thinking about the incident. That you understand that dogs do act on instinct and that most dogs do have somewhat of a prey drive, some more than others. However, it is her responsibility to ensure the safety of her animals and your responsibility to provide protection for the animals/pets that are on your property and you will take whatever means necessary to ensure their safety because you take that responsibility seriously. You might leave after saying that you hope she understands your position clearly and that there are no misunderstandings about what you may find necessary to do to protect your flock should a predator enter your chicken yard or property while the chickens are free ranging on your property. This gives her fair warning to keep her dog Off of your property.

Sorry, but things like this really irritate me. Responsible dog owners of strong working breeds, like rotties, work hard against BSL. And irresponsible owners make it that much harder. So I get sort of irritated. I hope I didn't offend or start something. Please, just take my thoughts as ramblings on a topic here.

 

[SpottedCrow]

Jerk...I hate that people think that our birds are interchangeable like gears...I mean ARGH!!!

I'm so sorry that the dog got your birds...and he should be kept on his own darned property...
If you need to take them to the vet...get the bill and hand it to her.

 

[chicks4kids]

Wandering dogs are aggravating! Our neighbor has a HUGE German Shephard, sweet as pie, but now, with our chickens, I have concern. They let him off his leash everyday, and to this day, he has peed on my holly bushes so much that they have died, and I don't want to say the same for my girls. We just shoot a couple rounds off so as to scare him away and it works. Haven't seen him in the yard in a while. That may help you, plus if you're neighbors hear you shootin' off rounds, you can guarantee they'll be more concerned about where their dog is!

 

[SpringChickens]

Sequin,

No, it's not the first time their dog has come over, it's just the first time in a while. It is the first time he's come over since we've been letting our girls free range (they're only 14 weeks).

I am very seriously considering putting up a strand of barbed wire along the top of our fence, as I believe that would fix our problem nicely. The problem with electric fencing there is that we have a lot of brush and trees, so I think we would have a difficult time keeping it hot.

I understand what you're saying about responsible dog owners, and irresponsible dog owners. As I mentioned, I have an exceptional red heeler. She's out with the chickens all day, along with my lab (both breeds known for attacking chickens). The neighbors have a boxer, who they have no control over at all. I would NEVER consider owning a boxer if that was the only one I knew.

SpottedCrow - I agree, I think that's the thing that bothered me most about the conversation with her... these birds are pets, not something to be exchanged at will.

Chicks4kids -
I'll have to try that! I'll bet a few rounds fired would scare this dog off for a while. If I see him over here... I like that idea more than killing somebody else's pet. I will if I have to, but I'd prefer not to.

 

[The Chicken Man]

Do you own a dog yourself, SpringChickens? That's a thought. It would be a peaceful way to resolve this conflict, as you'd have an animal of your own to protect your chickens. I'd recommend a Great Pyrenees. Pyrs are great dogs, they're incredibly calm, and, best of all, they've been bred for millennia as Livestock Guardian Dogs.

Hope this helps!

 

[The Chicken Man]

Oops - just re-read the post before mine. It's good that you have dogs. Could you maybe train them to protect your chickens? It's a pain that the neighbors haven't put forward a better effort to restrain their dog.

Good Luck!

 

[ZepChick]

SpringChicken~ oh boy I would be really upset. I had a similar incident a while back, but the dog mortally wounded 3 of my chickens on 2 separate occasions. The worst part was my 14 yo daughter, who has raised them from babes, and they really are our pets. Our neighbor had the attitude "it's just a stupid chicken". We ended up slapping her with a $1500 fine, and they didn't pay it, but packed up and moved away. Take care of you and yours, good luck

 

[jmetzger]

these sound just like my neighbors! What is up with people