Neighbors Dogs killing chickens

[Jeff in Colorado]

I vote for shoot, shovel and shut up. I would even consider making room in the chest freezer if I thought the dead dog had chicken feathers in it's stomach that could be uncovered in an autopsy. That little tidbit of evidence would make any dog owner question the idea of sueing you. BTW what kind of dog is it?

 

[chickenannie]

I had the exact same problem this summer. The dog arrived back at the neighbors house with one of my dead turkeys in its mouth! They paid me for that bird, but then when the dog kept coming back every 2-3 days and killing more, I was REALLY upset. I was nice -- we tried to talk to find a solution -- they said they'd try to keep the dog away but couldn't guarantee ... well, next time it came over a few days later, I called the local dog officer. Luckily he's a nice guy ... he showed up at their door to give them a warning (he wears a police uniform) ... and to work with them to find a solution for keeping the dog on their property (it's 1/4th mile away from here). The dog never came back -- I believe they sold him. So call you local police -- they probably have the same type of officer. In my honest opinion, I don't blame the dog. They had the wrong breed for their situation -- that kind of dog is a "working dog" and needs tons of work to do all day to keep him out of trouble. It was not a 'yard dog' -- those are serious work animals that need a mission in life or they typically get into trouble. Best of luck with your situation!

 

[herfrds]

If you are in country call the sheriffs department.
ask the neighbor to reimburse you for the loss of your birds.
if the dog comes back, kill it.

Sorry if that sounds mean, but once a dog starts killing birds that is it it will not stop. Had to get rid of my sons dog years ago because of that.
Now if your neighbor is ok he will re-imburse you for your birds.
A similar thing happned to me a few years ago.
I had around 30 laying pullets and truck driver that hauls our calves to the auction ring showed up with his dog. The dog got out of the truck and went on a killing spree. I lost 19 birds.
Hubby had a call waiting for them when they stopped for the inspection.
trucker never brought the dog back and re-imbursed me for my loss.

Edit Sorry I wrote that wrong the trucker did re-imburse me for the loss of my birds.

 

[fancbrd4me02]

Quote:
You should have sued in small claims, I would have. You would have won.

 

[John8404]

There is some good advice posted about restatution for the birds. I will also add the cost of teh eggs that the hens would have typically produced on average over their lifespan. And the cost of feed you spent to get them to where they were at before the attacks happened... Just a thought.

 

[PineappleMama]

Quote:
I'm confused. Why would adding up the cost of all the eggs they would produce in their lifetime (including decline as they age?) be accurate? Wouldn't you instead add up the eggs lost until you get another bird to the point they were upon death? Then that hen takes over where the other left off?

I'm with the others that say ask for payment, and go after them if they refuse, and call animal control/sheriff... if that dog had bitten your child, cat, dog, etc they'd do something so why not your other pet? But, I'm a stickler for honesty... my gut wouldn't let me inflate the costs one jot. Cover the cost of a new bird, either a laying hen straight cost, a pullet +feed/etc to laying, or a chick +feed/etc to laying... plus the cost of eggs lost from date of death until your egg production is back to where it was before the attack... but other than that I probably couldn't ask for more.

Also, I'd see if they couldn't help with the fence... for their dog's protection (Trespassers Will Be Shot ring a bell?)... in manhours if not in money.... really the least they can do.

Edit... part of the reason I'd take that path is because I hadn't bothered to put up a fence any more than the neighbor had. I hadn't bothered to keep my animals from roaming any more than they had. So, the blame for animals going back and forth belongs to both... good fences good neighbors... *shrug* Also, if the ... estimate (for lack of a better word) is honest, then I'd be more likely to pay it without a grudge. If I knew it was inflated, "Oh Whiplash!" I'd be less happy about it, might still pay it, might not, but I certainly wouldn't think my neighbors were honest trustworthy folks any more... and since I want to stay where I'm at ... better to have open communication and good relations... Just my two cents, feel free to ignore completely.

 

[jjthink]

I'm so sorry that I could only read the OP's initial post before replying - mayhem schedule right now.

There are many good threads about this topic (and how to handle) on BYC - please search for them. Crucial for it to cost the dog owner' in order for there to ever be a collective paradigm shift about the value of our bird's lives.

After first dog attack birds need to be in lock down until a situation is pred proof - dogs will come back and maim/murder again. Can hardly think of a worse way to go.

JJ

 

[gsim]

In this type of situation the first thing to do is to secure your flock. Then address the predator issue however it needs to be handled. I would buy a 100 ft roll of 6 ft tall welded wire fence and string it in a big circle around the coop for now, with a few posts to keep it steady. Once the yard is secure, then you have the luxury of time to do it right. Chickens will routinely fly over a 4 ft fence, but not often over a 6 ft fence. You might want to do a fence charger on your fence, with one hot wire 6" above the top of the fence. That would discourage climbing it. Regardless, you should always secure the coop at dusk or risk losses overnight to predators. Do not rely on one line of defense for your flock. I have read way too many sad posts on BYC describing incidents where a single defense was breached and a flock was slaughtered.

 

[Mattemma]

After securing the birds I would kill the dog if it returned.It sounds like the neighbor will just get a new dog when another disappears,so a good property fence is a must in the future. After my dog was attacked I just don't trust loose dogs no matter how nice they are for the owner.Best wishes for a peaceful resolution!

 

[NateinFL]

If you have already taken the prevenetative measures, shoot the dogs when u catch them in action, even if its with a b.b. gun dont be afraid to do it! Check with local laws but in most places u have rights to protect ur stuff.