Neighbors dog got my rooster today as he was protecting his hens. Captured on security camera

[bobbi-j]

I have seen solar fence chargers. They’re a bit spendy, but maybe better than trying to run a cord across or under your driveway. My dog showed me today that our electric fence is working around my layer coop. Poor guy - accidentally touched it with his nose, and I heard a sound I’d never heard before come out of him! Then he ran up to the house yelping. He gave that coop a very wide berth tonight. I would strongly suggest electric if you have a bear wandering around.

 

[Ihavesomechickens]

I just finished reading through this whole thread, and I think your neighbors are amazing. Sure they did make a mistake, but they showed genuine remorse for it and helped you with the aftermath. That’s a rare thing to see. And what makes that even more incredible is they choose to do that, even though you haven’t always had the best relationship with them. I would want them as my neighbors any day of the week

I’m so sorry about your rooster. He sounded like a great boy, and he probably saved your flock in his final moments. So very brave, and it’s depressing to see he had to leave so soon. I couldn’t watch the video, knowing the outcome just made it so hard to press play.

Hugs.

 

[BestToothFwd]

Sorry about your rooster , so sad and unfortunate.
I think it is admirable how you and your neighbor were able to work things out. In these situations emotions run high and it is easy to let anger take control. As you mentioned, it's funny how the tables can turn. Being able to put yourself in the other person's shoes, to me is a beautiful thing. We could all use more neighbors like you.
The new run looks amazing. All the best .

 

[aart]

Would a hot wire keep this fellow away?

This might be a good place to start:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/a-treatise-on-electric-fences-for-poultry.72229/

Was gonna suggest an anti-dig apron for the gaps and just because it's good idea,
But if you're gonna do hot wire aprons might not be necessary
Good examples of anti-dig apron installation.
If rodents are prolific, burying the apron ~12" would be good.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/wire-around-coop.1110498/#post-17093528
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/new-coop-project.1169916/page-2#post-18481208

 

[BY Bob]

First post here and I wish it was under better circumstances. Just started raising chicks this spring for the first time. Started out with 12 chicks back in the spring and one of them turned out to be a rooster. They just started laying about 2 weeks ago.

I setup up a coop with a very small run (3x7) back when we first got them, which was really way less space than they need. So we started letting them free range which went really well at first, but then the neighbor's dog got one of them about a month ago. We talked to them about it and came up with a plan to coordinate when we let the chicken free range vs. they let their dog out. All was well for the last 3 weeks, but then today we noticed the rooster went missing. Looked all over but couldn't find the poor guy.

On a hunch I checked my security cameras and was very upset with what I found. The neighbors dog was loose today despite our agreement and the chickens were out at the same time. Dog was up on the road and spotted the hens in our driveway and came in after them. But our brave rooster did all he could to keep the dog away, but in the end the dog of course prevailed.

Here's a link to the footage of the brave protector's final few minutes fending off the dog for as long as he could. I'm so proud of him but also very sad at the same time.

Needless to say, I'll be building a larger run for them after this episode as soon as I figure exactly how I'm going to do that given the location of the coop on a somewhat hilly slope.

Again, I really wish it was under better circumstances that I make my first post here, but I felt like I had to share my little guy's valiant effort to scare off the predator in an effort to protect his flock. He gave his life for them and I'm going to do what I can to maintain his legacy and protect the flock.

What a brave fellow. I could not watch it to the end. I'm so sorry for your loss.

How is a dog with a harness like that running free? Why would you put a harness on a dog you are not going to control? It just seems odd to me.

This is just a reminder that even the best dog left to run free is dangerous to other animals.

I know I'm late to the thread but the outcome here is exceptional. I'm glad you were able to improve your setup so. If I could make one more suggestion. Get yourself another rooster as backup to all your improvements. Those ladies could use an extra layer of protection, just in case.

 

[HorsesRMe123]

I’m so sorry to see this! Unfortunately dogs can be merciless sometimes. I wish the best for you and the rest of your feathered family.

 

[Sapphire Sebright]

So on the hot wire, what do I need exactly? Assuming I need a 120V source, I'd need to figure out someway to get a feed run under my paved driveway. Ugh...

Would a hot wire keep this fellow away?

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Per the timestamps this is from early May when I first put the chick out on their coop with a heat lamp (power cord running across the driveway).

Fortunately he was pretty full after eating what was in my trashcans (he made a real mess) and I have had that happening for years.

Dear Jiminy Cricket!
Sorry about that -- I'm very easily startled by even a picture of a bear. They're so big!
Anyway, I'm glad that things worked out. Sorry again about your rooster, and good luck with the rest of your flock.
Oh, and I hope that the bear doesn't bother your hens!

 

[Daisy Minotaur]

So glad to see such a positive outcome!

I’ve got two dogs with strong herding, hunting and aggressive playing instincts. They are now a year and a half old and sometimes still try to “herd” my ducks despite uncountable hours of working with them.
So glad you chose to maintain a good relationship with your neighbors. No dog owner wants their dog to attack let alone kill another’s animals and it’s hard for them to believe their sweetly is capable of it what it does happen.
Makes me want to build better “duck tractors” for my ladies, but unfortunately I don’t have much budget flexibility with a minimum wage job.

Nobody’s perfect, we’re all just human. Just do the best you can and expect others to do the same.

 

[Mtnchickenmom]

My neighbor gave me a check today for $125 towards me building a proper run. I picked up 200' of fencing, a bunch of T-post and a 6' gate.

It was hot as all be today in Virginia, so I got an early start around 7am and dug my holes for the 4" round posts at the corners. The run is 60' x 30'.

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And by 4pm I had a way bigger run than before! In case I need to go taller than 4', I'll leave the 4" round post at their current height (about 6'):

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I do need to add some additional netting in this area as the slope caused there to be like a 4" gap at the bottom in places:

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So I think my neighbors did the right thing. I paid $6 for the rooster as a small chick, so them writing me a check for $125 towards the run is very fair I think. Yes, "ollie" is gone forever and the the girls miss him (both the hens and my 2 girls), but "things" happen. (don't know if I'm allowed to use the word I wanted to or not here, so I played it save). Still a newbie, lol.

As others have mentioned, dogs run loose here in the rural foothills of the Blue-ridge Mountains, so I don't see how calling the cops was really something I wanted to do.

Heck, my dog is probably over on their property more than their dog is on mine bothering my chicks.

My next project (once I fix the gaps along the ground in certain areas of the fence line), will be to build a feeding station for their water and food dispensers. It will have roof to keep things from getting too messy when it rains and they will be suspended so they won't make a mess of the water/food themselves.

So I think a the end of the day, this has had a positive outcome. I feel really sorry for loosing the rooster, but it got me off my butt to build a proper run for them.

It looks great! Your neighbors are awesome for that check!

 

[50-45-1]

Im sorry for your rooster, but glad you have neighbors who made offort to repair the relationship. An omen of good things for the future.
Funny story:
My husband had a friend Bill, who showed up one day and let his 2 black labs out of the cab of his truck. (We free range our chickens)
DH says " you know bill I hope your dogs dont kill our $500.00 chicken"
Bill replies with startled look on face""YOU, have a chicken worth $500.00"?
DH " you dont understand Bill...any chicken your dogs kills will be my $500.00 chicken"

Actually bills dogs were pretty well behaved around the chickens, but i still watched closely and he soon whistled them back and put them back in the truck.