Neighbor's Dogs Killed 18 Chickens

[HenOnAJuneBug]

It's a matter of acceptable risks. If I am at home able to respond at a moment's notice to a threat, then that is an acceptable risk to me to let them free range unconfined. When I'm not home I pen them up. It's really that simple.

 

[centrarchid]

Most incursions occur when you are not present often making use of a firearm impractical. Farmers of fish I work with have a similar issue. Even when they use weapons with considerable reach, at some point repelling approaches like fencing or netting become more cost effective.

Even though the chickens can get past the fencing either by simply squeezing through or flying over as the games are prone to do, the domestic dogs, coyotes, foxes, and raccoons have a much harder time of it. I differ from Howard E in that I also work to keep chickens away from the exclosure perimeter. Note the differentiation from inclosure concept used for other livestock.

 

[Howard E]

I think we are pretty close to being on the same page. My electric fences work to keep the birds in as well as dogs and predators out.

The shoot em method does have that serious flaw. Even if I am willing to shoot whatever comes around, that requires that I be there at the time, and on alert, locked and loaded and ready and willing to shoot. In the past, I was once startled to see a strange dog on my front porch........I'm on 10 acres, and 100 yards from the road.....but there it was. German Shorthair pointer on my front porch.....no more than 100 feet from where the birds were hanging out in the back yard. Dog's owner was a nice young lady who was riding her horse down the road and letting her dog......that dog......run around with her on her ride. It wasn't loose....it was running with her...out on a nice walk. Yet it chose to leave her side and ranged out to my doorstep. So I could have been faced with the choice.......get up.....get my shotgun, keep an eye on it and if it crossed the fence and started after the birds.......gun it down......then explain to the young lady about consequences and all that. She could have done nothing to stop it in time and she was right there......as was I. What stood in it's way was an electric fence.....so I never budged or gave it any worry. It left, unharmed, as was the case with the birds.....unharmed. But death was that close.

I have seen other dogs who have gone after the birds, then tangle with the fence and they leave in a hurry....still very much alive......and never come back. That was with me there to witness the event. No telling how many times that scenario has repeated itself that I don't even know about. I think of that really hot electric fence as being like the goats blood over my doorway. It is what allows death to pass me by. More like encourages death in it's many predatory forms to leave the birds alone.

 

[FrankHomestead]

I was going to ask a question pertaining to hot wire but I think this thread has trailed off enough I'll save it for another day

 

[centrarchid]

It is perfectly on course where prevention is emphasized, rather than reaction after suffering losses.

 

[FrankHomestead]

It is perfectly on course where prevention is emphasized, rather than reaction after suffering losses.

Op didn't ask advice on prevention. Rather compensation, I'm not the thread police and don't care either way, I just didnt want to add to the trailing off. which I'm kind-of still doing anyway

 

[swamperkk]

put a hot wire around your pen,no more problems,dogs,cats,and other meat-eaters will never come back

 

[Howard E]

I was going to ask a question pertaining to hot wire but I think this thread has trailed off enough I'll save it for another day

Feel free to start a new thread with your hot wire question and we can pick it up there.

 

[cholland]

I didn't read the whole thread but I saw at least one other person mentioned this. My personal experience with small claims court is even if you are awarded your claim, the problem is collecting it. A reasonable person would pay you without taking them to court.
How much is your time worth? Preparing the filing, going to court date, then time to collect. You also have to serve papers to the defending party.
When your talking about a few hundred to even a thousand dollars, you can quickly invest more time than it's worth if the other people are difficult.
Just my opinion from trying to collect $1500 awarded to me in a landlord/tenant dispute.

Sorry for you loss. Good luck.
I believe in good fences with a little electricity. Goes a long way towards prevention.

 

[FrankHomestead]

Feel free to start a new thread with your hot wire question and we can pick it up there.

Thanks ! I'll do that tomorrow