- Jul 2, 2007
- 146
- 3
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I have a neighbor that has a Lab/Pit mix.
About 6 months ago, this dog, and her other two slaughtered 10 of my chickens. I called animal control, reported it, and she wrote me a check for $500 in damages. She also promised to keep the dogs locked up.
Fast forward to a few days ago, the Lab/Pit mix gets into my coop and kills my entire flock, save one. I find evidence of it the next morning and follow the tracks, straw and feathers (it snowed lightly the evening before, so this was really easy) and I end up at her backdoor and dog pen.
The next day I explain to her that I lost 23 hens. I break it down for her and explain that I get just over a dozen eggs a day, they sell for $3 a dozen. That's $100 a month. It will take me 6 months and about $200 in food to raise another flock. So I am out about $800, not including electric, straw, water etc.
She says she is a single mom and doesn't have that kind of money...ok, I can understand that...I offer to split the damages, I take a $400 hit, and she writes me a check for $400. She agrees.
The next morning, I find an empty envelope with a message written on it says there is no way I could fit 23 chickens in an 8'x8'x8' coop and that she will only pay for one chicken.
Now that my integrity has been questioned...I am pretty unhappy. In actuality, I lost 26 hens and a beautiful Wheaton rooster. They all fit nicely in the coop. The reason I was only able to claim 23 chicken is that I could only find 23 corpses (and photographed them).
Any way, I confront her and show her the pictures and she finally writes the $400 check.
I am starting my flock over again, and building a concrete/chainlink/metal roofed coop and run this spring so there is no way a dog can get in. I really don't want to shoot this dog because she is doing what comes naturally to her, but she has cost me a lot of time, money and heartache already. I loaded slugs in the 870 last night and I plan to put a baby monitor in the chicken coop. If the dog comes back I think it's time to end this problem.
Am I being unfair? Have I given the dog owner a reasonable number of chances to correct the problem?
Done venting...feel better now.
About 6 months ago, this dog, and her other two slaughtered 10 of my chickens. I called animal control, reported it, and she wrote me a check for $500 in damages. She also promised to keep the dogs locked up.
Fast forward to a few days ago, the Lab/Pit mix gets into my coop and kills my entire flock, save one. I find evidence of it the next morning and follow the tracks, straw and feathers (it snowed lightly the evening before, so this was really easy) and I end up at her backdoor and dog pen.
The next day I explain to her that I lost 23 hens. I break it down for her and explain that I get just over a dozen eggs a day, they sell for $3 a dozen. That's $100 a month. It will take me 6 months and about $200 in food to raise another flock. So I am out about $800, not including electric, straw, water etc.
She says she is a single mom and doesn't have that kind of money...ok, I can understand that...I offer to split the damages, I take a $400 hit, and she writes me a check for $400. She agrees.
The next morning, I find an empty envelope with a message written on it says there is no way I could fit 23 chickens in an 8'x8'x8' coop and that she will only pay for one chicken.
Now that my integrity has been questioned...I am pretty unhappy. In actuality, I lost 26 hens and a beautiful Wheaton rooster. They all fit nicely in the coop. The reason I was only able to claim 23 chicken is that I could only find 23 corpses (and photographed them).
Any way, I confront her and show her the pictures and she finally writes the $400 check.
I am starting my flock over again, and building a concrete/chainlink/metal roofed coop and run this spring so there is no way a dog can get in. I really don't want to shoot this dog because she is doing what comes naturally to her, but she has cost me a lot of time, money and heartache already. I loaded slugs in the 870 last night and I plan to put a baby monitor in the chicken coop. If the dog comes back I think it's time to end this problem.
Am I being unfair? Have I given the dog owner a reasonable number of chances to correct the problem?
Done venting...feel better now.
