Pit bulls in my coop!!

[HazelCMAS]

I am sure had the animals been in the process of attacking my chickens my husband would have shot in order to save the ones who had not perished. However, I admire his restraint in keeping the dogs trapped in the coop until the sheriff got their with animal control. As angry as I was, If I had been making the decisions, I'm afraid I would not have been so generous.

Animal control still had the dogs as of yesterday and will be putting them down. They were waiting for the owners to surrender them. Thing is, these people were apparently known to animal control due to previous offenses. The problem with people like this is, they will get more dogs and continue to neglect them and allow them to run loose. I have to take measures to protect my property, my animals and kids from their ignorance. It's really a shame that the dogs are victims of stupid owners, but I intend to make sure that we or our animals are not victims again! It was a hard lesson but very effective!

 

[HazelCMAS]

Thank you for the info on the woven wire. Would this be the only thing used on the new run or would you use a smaller wire in addition to the wonven to keep coons from grabbing them thru the larger holes? We have coons, possums, and hawks here along with "free ranging" dogs.

 

[heronz]

Imagine what would have happened if they came across some children!
I hope they get put to sleep before that gets a chance to happen.

 

[Shellz]

Exactly! That's one excellent reason to TCB yourself. If legal. Expedites the process.

 

[cntrywmnkw]

Thank you for the info on the woven wire. Would this be the only thing used on the new run or would you use a smaller wire in addition to the wonven to keep coons from grabbing them thru the larger holes? We have coons, possums, and hawks here along with "free ranging" dogs.

DEFINITELY line the run with 1/2 hardware cloth at least 2-3' up from bottom to prevent anything like coons & possums & such from reaching in & grabbing your girls, also bury the hardware cloth at least 6" down to deter any diggers. Put at least 2-3 spring latches or better yet, hasps with a carabiner to secure the run & coop doors.

 

[LiveVintage]

Very sorry for your loss though I have to reply to Heronz comment. A good chance is that nothing would have happened if they'd met children. I've known many dogs that couldn't be trusted around dogs or other animals but lived out their lives as wonderful family pets.
I have a pointer that would gleefully kill a cat besides our own (though he's watched carefully even with ours), doesn't make him an evil dog.
Its all in the individual dog.

With all the coyotes around us we have some neighbors put a 'bell line' around their coops. Growing up my father was a fan of SSS for any animal that killed livestock.

 

[aart]

Sunday morning I woke up at 7am to take my dog out. I glanced over at the coop as I always do and instead of seeing my chickens, saw 2 pit bulls staring back at me. I screamed for my husband to get the gun but it was way past too late. My 11 chicks (only 7 weeks old) were gone, my coop was damaged, and well...my Sunday afternoon was spent crying over my chickens. These dogs tore holes through 1/2 inch hardware cloth and corrugated siding to get to the chicks. They pulled screws out of the wood. I built the coop knowing there were dogs in the neighborhood. I had no idea they could do so much damage. Stupid animals were clever enough to break in but couldn't get out so we called the Sheriff and he had animal control come get the dogs(Hubs refused to shoot penned dogs even if it was MY pen they were trapped in)....the owners were notified and decided to surrender the dogs to avoid a citation. This isn't the first time their dogs have eaten a neighborhood animal. Two months ago they ate a neighbors Beagle.

I have 28 more chicks in brooders in my garage. I am going to build a better mousetrap/coop. I've decided to move the coop 10 feet from the house, hot wire it, and buy some guineas. If we have another attack I will hear the commotion and shoot the dog long before it eats ALL of my birds. At the very least, he'll get a "thrill up his leg" when he gets zapped by the wire.

We are thankful it was not our dog or our kids that were attacked but I sure miss those chickens, they were my first.

My condolences on your loss. Are they going to be compensating your for the birds their dogs killed?

Do you have a picture of this damage? Am real curious how they got thru it.

P.S. Std. Poodles Rule!

 

[MrsH527]

I'm so sorry this happened! I can't even imagine how you feel. My thoughts are with you as you try to recover and start again.

Imagine what would have happened if they came across some children!
I hope they get put to sleep before that gets a chance to happen.

In response to the above post, it is not fair for you to say "what would have happened had they met children" because their animal aggression has nothing to do with their people aggression. I personally raise and rehabilitate Pit Bulls, and while a couple of mine may not be the greatest with other animals sometimes, they are NEVER aggressive towards children. This does not make what happened to Hazels chickens okay by any means, but assuming these dogs woul dhave hurt children is the problem this breed has. Everyone assumes they are child killers, when they are far from it. Pit Bulls have actually been proven (by the American Temperment Society) to be one of the top 5 breeds to have with children and families. Before assuming something like this would have happened to a child had this dog encountered it, maybe you should do your research and know about the breed first. I agree these particular dogs SHOULD be put down because this is obviously a habit for them, but the breed itself is an amazing and misunderstood breed.

 

[MrsH527]

btw Hazel, is there anyway you can press charges and ask that these people not be able to own dogs again? They obviously don't know how to raise them, and Pit Bulls do take a special hand. They are not a breed for everyone.

 

[HazelCMAS]

btw Hazel, is there anyway you can press charges and ask that these people not be able to own dogs again? They obviously don't know how to raise them, and Pit Bulls do take a special hand. They are not a breed for everyone.

I could take them to civil court and ask a judge to compensate me for damages and ask that he order that they only be allowed to own goldfish. I am considering doing so. Had the owners refused to surrender the dogs the county would have given them a citation and they would have had to appear in court but I am assuming they surrendered to avoid such an action.

I have to agree that there is a difference between animal aggression and human aggression in dogs. I have known some fine pit bulls and my daughters both own pit bull mixes that are wonderful dogs. I trust them with my kids but would never allow them around my chickens. (both lab mixes as well.) I do know we have all heard horror stories about these dogs attacking humans tho and when they do it is very devastating. If one does not know the dog running the streets how does one know until the act is already committed? I'd rather be safe than sorry so we have decided to fence in a portion of this rented property (at our own expense) in addition to the precautions for the coop, for our own peace of mind. We want to let our kids play outside without having to worry about them constantly.