Neighbor's dog just killed my oldest pet chicken...

[Jersey101]

This big black lab just ran into our garden, picked her up, and ran off before I could do anything. I'm absolutely devastated because this chicken was a super affectionate little old lady who I've had for years (she's the hen in my avatar pic) and there was absolutely nothing I could do beyond putting a note through their letterbox asking to let us know if they find her body with him...

For me, its equivalent to if it had killed one of our cats, but I don't think the owners are going to get that.

Just feeling really upset and helpless. In a bit of a state of limbo, waiting to hear if the dog brought her back to his house or not. Or if it was even their dog - it was supposed to be in their house while they were at work and I don't know how on earth it got out!? But I didn't hear it barking when I rang their doorbell after so I'm pretty sure its theirs.

So annoyed too - this must be the third or fourth chicken we've lost to a dog, not counting ones that were scared off/carried off and found alive later...

 

[Mattemma]

Sorry for your loss.I would put out some sort of trap for dogs,and then dispose of them.After all roamers disappear all the time.Gotta do something to protect your property, because dog owners obviously won't.Best wishes.

 

[Jersey101]

Thanks for the advice.
I would gladly catch a dog and take it to be re homed by people who would look after it properly (in my eyes, it's not the dog's fault it got out -I mean its just being a dog), but unfortunately they would be able to see the trap in our garden, and its a rescue dog already, meaning its microchipped. All that would happen if I took it to a local shelter would be scanning for the chip and a sending it home. Animal laws are pretty rubbish in my area, I'm not sure its even illegal for your animal to roam free outside your land...

Even if I had the inclination to kill it, gun laws are strict here too - I know someone who is licensed to shoot but you can't do it within a certain distance of housing and roads, and I believe the animal has to be killing commercial livestock, not pets.

Anyway, this is the first time it's ever got loose. We have another local dog who is a serial offender. Unfortunately he belongs to a family friend and so my parents have said they "aren't going to make a fuss about it". I swear to god: if I catch THAT dog in our garden again I'm calling the police, taking its collar, and telling them I have absolutely no idea who it belongs to. Maybe there's a chance it'll go to a family who actually give enough of a **** to take it for walks, instead of leaving it tied up all day...

 

[Ladybug2001]

I wouldn't say it is just "being a dog". I have two dogs that would never THINK of touching a chicken. A dog like that is just a killer. I would know. I have a golden retriever that keeps coming into my yard and picking off my chickens. He has gotten 7 from this years flock. I have three chickens left and I can't let them out to roam unless I am home with windows and doors open so I can hear if something happens. Even then I am extremely stressed out and keep looking out the window.

I believe chickens are considered livestock whether they are commercial or not, they are producing animals and you can have a farm tax id for that.

Protect your livestock.... I know I am.

 

[Jersey101]

Well it turns out we have ANOTHER problem dog in our area because it wasn't the dog I thought it was.

The neighbour I contacted via the note came round and said his dog had been in with him all day because he was ill and off work, and thinking about it his dog wears a bright red collar, is fairly elderly and hasn't ever escaped before, and doesn't have an outdoor kennel he could easily escape from, but gets locked in their house. It's also a fairly friendly thing that's never made a move at the chickens before, even when they've occasionally strayed into their garden.

So yet another black lab (is it something about these dogs that just attracts bad owners!? ) with a taste for chickens in the area. Whoop de do... I'm getting my parents to invest in some sturdy fencing ASAP. Not to mention locking the chickens in for the foreseeable future and contacting the local authorities that there may be a dangerous stray on the loose.

 

[cgmccary]

Quote: No. First, Black Labs are one of the most common breeds of dogs. The shelters are full of them. Second, they were bred to retrieve birds for hunters. They do this by instinct (genetics). A Lab does not distinguish your chicken from any other bird. It grabs it to retrieve it. A good retriever holds it just enough to carry the bird so the body does not get damaged from its teeth. Then one is able to process the duck, quail without bruises on the body.

The owner of the dog is responsible and should not own a dog who can do damage and not keep home.

 

[centrarchid]

Ignore who the dog belongs to for now. Look into ways you can keep all dogs out. Fencing is first option I would look into. GO after individual dogs when practical but this will be a repeat event and getting the dog is often a lot more difficult than preventative measures like fencing. If all goes well your next round of predators will be with wild predators. I can say the "been there, down that" line when comes to dogs and come to realization that you as the poultry owner have the bulk of the responsibility for protecting those birds. Suppressing the dogs out and about will be something your community will need to address and that may be slow or never realized.

 

[Noobiechickluv]

So sorry for your loss. I just lost my whole flock to 3 dogs. Where I live, way out in the country, stray dogs pack up and there's not much you can do about it but call animal control

Seems so senseless to lose a chick to dogs. It's one thing when a real predator gets them. Racoons, hawks, and fox are hungry. But a dog..... that's all because some human didn't bother to keep their dog up.

The dogs that got my chicks didn't even eat them, just ripped their heads off. So senseless.