So my neighbors dogs attacked my flock and killed two of my chickens about a month ago. Since then those dang dogs keep coming back onto my yard and now my poor girls have to be locked up most of the day! this really sucks because i have 22 chickens and especially in the summer it really saves on food to let them be free around the yard as they please. the neighbors are astonishingly useless about it and couldnt care less. they dont take good care of their dogs and half the time they go unfed. that is why they come over here and eat my chickens. so what can i do about this? ive been thinking about maybe getting a guard dog to keep them off my property. what type of dog would be good for this? is there anything else i could do?
Check the laws in your area. Most areas it's illegal to let your dog roam, and a quick call to the police and forcing them to pay fines might get them to think twice. If you're willing and able, it's probably also legal for you to shoot them. In most places it's legal to shoot a dog threatening and killing your livestock. If you'd rather not shoot them, next time they're on your property, if they're safe to approach, catch them and take them to the pound. Chances are if your neighbor cares that little about them they're not licensed anyway and you can say your found them roaming your property, which is true. Let the neighbor have to pay to get them back and have to pay to get them licensed if they want them, or they won't and they'll find a better home. If the neighbor truly isn't feeding them as you say, you could also report them for animal cruelty, and chances are if they are underfed and skinny, they'll be seized and sent to the local rescue. Most people who comment here are probably going to recommend shooting them but I know some people don't have guns or really don't want to shoot dogs so I thought I'd give you some other options too.
Have you called animal control or does it even exist in your area? I'd start with them. If the dogs are friendly I might even take them to the local animal shelter where their owners would have to pay to retrieve them. As a last resort SSS.
Well i would shoot the mutts, but i am on semi good terms with the neighbors, they sometimes snowblow my driveway for free in the winter and what not. i also do not own a gun. i have shot one of the dogs with a pellit gun to scare it away though ..lol. it all started when i noticed the neighbors were gone for a long time. i live in the country but the neighbors live right across the road. the dogs i guess were not getting fed because these dogs have never bothered my chickens at all before, and i starting noticing that week that the dogs were getting restless and were coming over here a lot, seemingly looking for a handout or something. then one day i found two chickens missing and went over the road to find the dogs eating the last of what remained. two chickens is not that big of a deal, but since that happened a lot of my girls stopped laying. i went from 17 eggs a day down to 10! and i am not working due to illness and so that little bit of money i make from selling eggs is a very nice addition. i was thinking that if the dogs kill anymore chickens i may leave some meat with poison out. how humane is this? i find fresh tracks in my yard almost every morning when there is fresh snow to show the evidence.
I have dogs and have had dog problems. I have also employed law enforcement and shooting dog. Way that seems most effective is putting up your own fence to keep more than the dogs you know out. Look into electrified poultry netting. I use the Kencove product.
Poison is not a good approach for a couple of reasons - first of all, a good clean shot is far more humane and, second, a good, clean shot is directed at a specific target whereas poison bait left out is not target specific.....the chances of "collateral damage" are pretty well limitless.
If you don't want to shoot them in the act (100% legal in many areas) start calling animal control (or the police) EVERY time you see roaming off their property... Second send your neighbors a 10 day demand invoice/letter in the amount of $100 for each chicken the dogs kill...
