Neighbours claiming their dog is sick from my chickens

[JSkelce]

Hi all,

I Live in Cornwall in the UK and twice in the last few months my neighbours have claimed that their dog has contracted salmonella from my chickens. They say the vet said that the dog can get chicken poop on their paws and lick it off, then contact the disease. They asked that I try and ensure that they do not wonder out of my garden (to be fair to them they did escape quite often) so since then I have secured it all and have only had a couple of escapees when delivery people have left the gate open.
However recently they claim the dog has caught it again but my chickens have not left my garden and there has been no excrement outside of their house.
I have done some research and it seems that many animals and birds can carry this disease. My neighbours the other side have chickens, as do a house up the road. We live in a beautiful rural area with wild animals (including many pheasants) , farms, horses everything, within a stones throw of our houses. We also eat a lot of raw eggs in our smoothies and never become ill. Is it definitely our chickens? How can we tell and what do we do??
Last night they put a line of salt along the border of our drive way - without saying anything. They told me a while ago that they heard chickens don’t like walking though salt. I don’t know if this is true either! Any advice would be greatly appreciated! Just to note - we have four atm.

 

[Cazook]

tell your neighbour to stop letting their dog into your chicken run. only way the dog would get it is if they're eating chicken poop.

lol @ putting a line of salt to stop the chickens passing. i think your neighbours are just nuts honestly.

 

[viennaproto]

If the dog is on your property, that is their problem.

 

[humblehillsfarm]

My dog eats every chicken dropping she can find and never been sick, and she’s 14!!! She also eats cat poop, deer poop, and really any poop she can find. The only time she’s ever been sick is when she ate an unopened five pound bag of sugar sitting on my table. That was the worst thing ever. Anyways, I know dogs can get salmonella, but in my experience most dogs are opportunistic eaters and will eat ANYTHING. I think your neighbors are just looking for a way to get rid of your chickens. Or they are crazy. Or both.

 

[JSkelce]

tell your neighbour to stop letting their dog into your chicken run. only way the dog would get it is if they're eating chicken poop.

lol @ putting a line of salt to stop the chickens passing. i think your neighbours are just nuts honestly.

They are a bit nuts tbh! They sell ivory horns at festivals and complain that they get shouted at and have abuse hurled at them! The dog doesn’t enter our property though, they claim it is from the rare occasion that one escapes, which isn’t often, and that the dog walks in the excrement and then licks his paws. They never put him on a lead though so don’t even try and control where he’s stepping. There is no poop past our drive though anyway. They also allow their dog to wee in our other neighbour’s garden which killed all their seedlings. When my other neighbours politely asked them to put him on a lead until they went past their house, they didn’t speak to them for months. I hate confrontation though. I just want a peaceful life with no awkwardness. I just want to find out how likely it is their dog has contracted it from my chickens compared to any other wildlife in the area.

 

[humblehillsfarm]

They are a bit nuts tbh! They sell ivory horns at festivals and complain that they get shouted at and have abuse hurled at them! The dog doesn’t enter our property though, they claim it is from the rare occasion that one escapes, which isn’t often, and that the dog walks in the excrement and then licks his paws. They never put him on a lead though so don’t even try and control where he’s stepping. There is no poop past our drive though anyway. They also allow their dog to wee in our other neighbour’s garden which killed all their seedlings. When my other neighbours politely asked them to put him on a lead until they went past their house, they didn’t speak to them for months. I hate confrontation though. I just want a peaceful life with no awkwardness. I just want to find out how likely it is their dog has contracted it from my chickens compared to any other wildlife in the area.

Based on what you’re saying I’d say it’s extremely unlikely their dog got sick from your chickens.

 

[viennaproto]

They are a bit nuts tbh! They sell ivory horns at festivals and complain that they get shouted at and have abuse hurled at them! The dog doesn’t enter our property though, they claim it is from the rare occasion that one escapes, which isn’t often, and that the dog walks in the excrement and then licks his paws. They never put him on a lead though so don’t even try and control where he’s stepping. There is no poop past our drive though anyway. They also allow their dog to wee in our other neighbour’s garden which killed all their seedlings. When my other neighbours politely asked them to put him on a lead until they went past their house, they didn’t speak to them for months. I hate confrontation though. I just want a peaceful life with no awkwardness. I just want to find out how likely it is their dog has contracted it from my chickens compared to any other wildlife in the area.

Do you have a vet for your chickens? I would ask her/him. If she says it is not likely this has come from your chickens, I would ask her to write this down with a signature and give this to your neighbors. That will shut them up.

 

[JSkelce]

My dog eats every chicken dropping she can find and never been sick, and she’s 14!!! She also eats cat poop, deer poop, and really any poop she can find. The only time she’s ever been sick is when she ate an unopened five pound bag of sugar sitting on my table. That was the worst thing ever. Anyways, I know dogs can get salmonella, but in my experience most dogs are opportunistic eaters and will eat ANYTHING. I think your neighbors are just looking for a way to get rid of your chickens. Or they are crazy. Or both.

Thank you for this! This is what I thought too! Their dog could have eaten any poop from the hundreds of animals and birds we have in the area! They claim to like the chickens but I don’t think they do really!

 

[JSkelce]

Do you have a vet for your chickens? I would ask her/him. If she says it is not likely this has come from your chickens, I would ask her to write this down with a signature and give this to your neighbors. That will shut them up.

I don’t but I am tempted to find one and pay out (once lock down is over) just to prove to them it isn’t us.

 

[ChemicalchiCkns]

I don’t but I am tempted to find one and pay out (once lock down is over) just to prove to them it isn’t us.

Their veterinarian is the one that should put themselfs down on paper with "it might be those chickens", then you will have saved the mony for a consultation with one of your own. Also, suggest talking to the Council people, if they have a fence viewer or the like come out and see what your setup is and make a report/copy you on it, if these doodel-bug neighbors try stirring up trouble they will have to deal with an authority (hopefully) that knows you already and know that you are trying to play by the rules.

And ivory horns? Medieval vuvuzelas?