pack of dogs breaking into coop

[jak2002003]

last night I awoke to hear a strange banging noise.... I went outside to see 4 large dogs in the process of ripping the wire off the front of the chicken coop.

I chased them off... and went to inspect the damage.. fearing they had got in and killed some birds....

I was very happy to see all the chickens snoozing up on the roosts like nothing was happening! And the group of pullets snuggled on the floor.

The dogs have pulled and bitten a big panel of thick strong wire.. and they were moments from getting in.. because they pulled the wire from the frame in 2 places and there are huge gaps that they could fit through. I was so lucky I woke up in time.

So now what do I do? replace the wire.. will several layers of it make it stronger? its a thick green colour coated welded mesh.

Or get some chain link fence to put around the bottom half of the coop and run?

This is our new house and we are having a lot of dogs come onto our land.. they are fighting each other and mating with bitches on heat.. and peeing up all the house doors and windows!

 

[mtngirl35]

I'm glad none of your chickens were harmed. That sounds like a close call! Hopefully you can find a way to deal with the dogs. They can be a real nuisance. As for the chicken run, I use chainlink wrapped in wire mesh. The mesh keeps smaller predators out and the chainlink keeps the bigger predators out. I also covered the run floor with wire mesh and covered it in sand that way nothing can dig its way into the run. Good luck getting your chickens secured.

 

[Toddrick]

I would go with chain link. Also, I would call animal control or shoot them if they are wild dogs. You are all in danger, not just your chickens if there are wild dogs running around cold and hungry, and mating. They are basically wolves at that point, except not afraid of people. Rabies is also a serious threat.

 

[Jedwards]

Are they feral dogs or are they someone's pets? If they belong to someone you could tell the owner. If they are feral or the owner ignores your request you can file a complaint and get animal control or a local rescue league to catch them. I would fortify your pen as much as you can, possibly even bring in the chicks for a while. Unfortunately nothing will keep those dogs out of your pen if they want them bad enough.. which they do. Best of luck, I hope none of your chickens get hurt.

 

[Jedwards]

I agree with Toddrick, 100%. Feral dogs are a serious issue.

 

[chicknmania]

Run a hot wire or two. And reinforcing the bottom is a good idea too. If you can, bury poultry netting or fence or even plywood sheets around the perimeter, to keep the dogs from digging underneath. And get a shotgun. You can always load it with rock salt if you don't want to kill the dogs. Don't know what resources you have there, but motion activated sprinklers are available on line too, to discourage night time predators.
Don't know the laws where you are in Thailand, but here ,we're encouraged by law enforcement to shoot dogs that come on our land and threaten our livestock. And I agree, feral dogs are very dangerous. Much more so than coyotes or wolves or whatever else you have there. Because they are basically used to people.

 

[Toddrick]

It looks like he is in Thailand, so ferrel dogs and rabies may kinda be the norm. Not sure what advice we could give about dog control when the whole country is that way.

 

[gawildlife]

Looks like he's posting from Thailand. Not knowing the local laws we really can't give advice on what to do to or about the dogs. Though here in the US most if not all states have some form of stock protection law allowing stock owners certain liberties to take actions to defend their stock.
Unable to advice otherwise I would say to use the thickest gauge wire mesh available and secure it as tight and solid as possible. Seriously consider aprons either buried in the ground to a depth of at least a foot or laid flat on the ground and secured with ground staples to prevent digging. Also a secure coop and run needs a roof of some type to prevent entry by climbing or from above.

 

[Jedwards]

I'm not sure if it would be frowned upon/ illegal in Thailand to take matters into his own hand if you catch my drift. But if my family/animals were at risk I wouldn't hesitate to take care of the dogs.

 

[MeepBeep]

For me personally I would consider any 'pack' of dogs raiding my property at night to be a threat to not only my livestock but my family as well... Fortification of the coop might help, but it's really a band aid fix to the bigger issue and threat those dogs pose...

Being from the US where protection of my livestock and family can be dealt with, using lethal force legally I would be waiting for them the next few nights, rifle in hand...