Neighbors Dog Massacred My flock

[Shezadandy]

I'd like to add the trespasser needs to be grounded.
So either on the ground, or touching something grounded. Most fences work, wood to a lesser extent than metal. You can probably go to a farm store and get some info although it's available online as well, with diagrams. If your soil is loose and sandy, the electric fence might not work as well as in a loamy damp soil.
the smaller the load (amount of wire charged by the unit) the bigger the pop will be. (why I opted not to buy a 60 mile unit off Craig's List. I want my dog to leave my chicks alone, but I don't what popdog either.)
Electric fencing isn't difficult;t to figure out once you know the basics.

Exactly. Ground rods properly situated is a must - but adding ground WIRES to the fence helps solve the grounding the trespasser problem.

The ground wire is attached to the ground rod terminal of the charger and is run like a normal strand of fencing. Especially where the soil is bad, but even if it's optimal.

Picture 4 strands, the top strand is attached to the "hot" part of the fence charger, the second one is attached to the "ground" part of the fence charger, the 3rd one is attached to the "hot" part of the fence charger, the bottom one is attached to the "ground" part of the fence charger. Positioned at heights such that the dog will have to touch at least one of the hot wires and one of the ground wires at the same time if it goes after the chickens, so no matter what it's doing with its feet- it will get shocked. (because the ground wire acts as the ground when the dog touches- it completes the circuit).

The math to picking a charger has to do with what material you're using as well as how far the fence is running. Polywire, polyrope and polytape are easier to set up than metal strands, but it's helpful to know that they have multiple strands inside the wire. Some have 6 strands, some have 9, polytape can have up to 15. So whatever the length of the fence, multiply it by the number of wire strands. i.e. 100 feet of 9 wire polywire is 900 feet of wire to charge. 100 feet of 15 wire polytape would then be 1500ft. I went with 9 wire polywire because it lasts, delivers the 12,000 without a problem and is easy to work with.

 

[MandaRae]

I definitely need something I can turn off easily when we go outside. I have small children that I can't risk them touching it.
I'm still so distraught and upset over this.
It's frustrating because we are still cleaning up the aftermath and my kids keep saying they miss their chickens

 

[Shezadandy]

I definitely need something I can turn off easily when we go outside. I have small children that I can't risk them touching it.
I'm still so distraught and upset over this.
It's frustrating because we are still cleaning up the aftermath and my kids keep saying they miss their chickens

Literally just unplug the electric fence when you go out there. The trick is to remember to turn it back on.

 

[Shezadandy]

We found out the dog killed a different neighbors flock last year. So they seem like they just don't care. It's so frustrating because I want a fence around our property but we just don't have the money right now.
This is the first time in the 3yrs of having the chickens here that anything like this has happened.

OK:

Here are your local laws/regulations. I do not know if chickens will be considered as domestic animals for the purposes of these regulations. But, given that you have video of what the animal did to your fence in order to get in and kill your chickens- and that it also did the same thing to someone else's last year - I'd say it might be worth asking the questions.

If it can be categorized as a dangerous dog, it will have to be kept in a run- a physically fenced run with a top, that either has a bottom or has the sides dug 2ft into the ground - and on a leash at all times with a muzzle on when not in their house or in the described enclosure. And there are insurance requirements as well --- give it a good read through. Again, I do not know if they will consider chickens under domestic animal.

https://www.agriculture.pa.gov/Animals/DogLaw/Pages/default.aspx

The Dog Law Enforcement Office is charged with the following responsibilities:​

• Seizing and detaining any dog seen running at large
• Reimbursing individuals for dog-caused damage to livestock, poultry and domestic game birds

https://www.agriculture.pa.gov/Animals/DogLaw/Dangerous Dogs/Pages/default.aspx

Dangerous Dogs​

A dangerous dog is one that has:

(2) Killed or inflicted severe injury on a domestic animal, dog or cat without provocation while off the owner’s property.
And the dog has either or both of the following:

(1) A history of attacking human beings and/or domestic animals, dogs or cats without provocation.

(2) A propensity to attack human beings and/or domestic animals, dogs or cats without provocation.

*A propensity to attack may be proven by a single incident.


https://www.agriculture.pa.gov/Animals/DogLaw/Dangerous Dogs/Documents/Chapter 27 Dangerous Dogs.pdf

 

[SourRoses]

A hundred dollars should replace the birds.
I'd ask him to replace the birds and pay for the repairs to the run that the dog did.

Sorry but I don't understand this response at all.

Pretending every chick purchased was a sure thing... the quoted chick prices would be:
$63.31 for 13 Females
$3.24 for 1 Male
$66.55 Total chick purchase
+ Shipping unaccounted for

Which would mean you only budgeted $33.45 for chicken feed to raise 14 chicks to laying age????
That's without accounting for heat electricity costs OR human labor hours.

In a court of law, every applicable factor would be taken under consideration for a fair & just accounting.

 

[MandaRae]

Sorry but I don't understand this response at all.

Pretending every chick purchased was a sure thing... the quoted chick prices would be:
$63.31 for 13 Females
$3.24 for 1 Male
$66.55 Total chick purchase
+ Shipping unaccounted for

Which would mean you only budgeted $33.45 for chicken feed to raise 14 chicks to laying age????
That's without accounting for heat electricity costs OR human labor hours.

In a court of law, every applicable factor would be taken under consideration for a fair & just accounting.

Plus mine were adult birds which currently go for $25-30 per hen and thats not including my specialty birds the Marans all but 2 were full breeds.

 

[Alagirl]

I definitely need something I can turn off easily when we go outside. I have small children that I can't risk them touching it.
I'm still so distraught and upset over this.
It's frustrating because we are still cleaning up the aftermath and my kids keep saying they miss their chickens

don't sell your kids short. They will likely touch the wire only once to test it.
Generations of farm kids have been used as fence testers! It is a common practical joke on the farm.

 

[Alagirl]

Sorry but I don't understand this response at all.

Pretending every chick purchased was a sure thing... the quoted chick prices would be:
$63.31 for 13 Females
$3.24 for 1 Male
$66.55 Total chick purchase
+ Shipping unaccounted for

Which would mean you only budgeted $33.45 for chicken feed to raise 14 chicks to laying age????
That's without accounting for heat electricity costs OR human labor hours.

In a court of law, every applicable factor would be taken under consideration for a fair & just accounting.

yeah, the replacement value is what is currently on the market.
I have seen run-of-the-mill chickens for sale at 20 dollars, at a hatchery for $30 plus, not considering over a hundred dollars in shipping.
Which of course one might consider to get the exact birds to replace the decimated flock.

 

[T-R-O-U-B-L-E]

I'm glad he offered to replace them. I'm sitting here with my original flock reading this, and thinking, what would I do if that happened to me? I cant even imagine.

 

[Shezadandy]

Plus mine were adult birds which currently go for $25-30 per hen and thats not including my specialty birds the Marans all but 2 were full breeds.

I don't know if they were black copper marans but here's a link to 6 week old pullets:

https://www.mypetchicken.com/catalo...eek-Old-Pullet-Black-Copper-Marans-p1908.aspx

Day old pullets: $9.50 unless they're the Blue Copper Marans in which case they're $21.75.

And the other thing to take into consideration is buying someone else's adult chickens could bring disease to the remaining birds- even if they show no symptoms.