Pit bulls in my coop!!

[Shellz]

What is that white sheet material the dogs tore off the coop sides?  Is that metal or plastic/vinyl?  It looks like plastic to me the way it is broken apart.  I think the only way to keep large dogs out of a coop or run is to build it very heavy, everyone recommends using hardware cloth on this forum and it is the best stuff you can get for keeping out normal small wild predators but it is not strong enough to deter a strong predator nor is that sheet siding.  I would recommend using something like chain link fencing or heavy welded wire dog kennel sections, the heavy guage welded wire is probably going to be stronger than chain link though chain link will work as well as it is not a super determined dog with a lot of time to work at it.  Then put your layers of hardware cloth or chicken wire over the top of the heavier fencing to prevent smaller animals from getting in.  Also I am building a shed style coop which can contain all the birds over night or during bad weather or times when there may be danger around, no dog or anything else will get in this coop and it will be locked at night.  An electric fencer with a strand or 2 down low may be beneficial too if you continue to have these issues.

Hog panels are another option of very strong fencing, this is probably the route I would go if I didn't have any extra dog kennel sections available.

I personally don't believe it is the responsibility of a livestock owner to have to spend a bunch of money to build super strong enclosures to deal with dogs who shouldn't be there in the first place, you should be able to free range your animals on your own property if you so choose without worrying about roving dogs killing them, I refuse to build an Alcatraz chicken coop and run and have to keep them enclosed at all times to prevent some jerk's dog from attacking, I will kill the dogs whenever they come around, I have a duty to protect my animals and family the same as they jerk dog owner has the duty to keep his dogs contained.  Losing a few birds to wild animals is annoying enough but domestic animals like dogs and cats killing them really puts me over the edge.

I totally agree with your last paragraph. That sums it up for me too! Well said.

 

[missnu01]

As I said, one of the highest scientific authorities on dogs did not say aggression was a breed problem for pits when I looked it up. They didn't mention adopting other animals, but two documentaries on dog myths-especially myths about agresive dogs and dog agression--mentiined it, as well as Pitts having almost 0% of their aggression being due to the breed and due to their natural habit to be loyal to the point of desperation. Their one of he most easily rehabilitable breeds, often wit basic care and training.
I have yet to find a credible source that says pits are naturally agresive, actually

When they test breed for their temperament pit bulls test higher than labs...but they are a very prey driven dog. They love to chase, and they have so much power. If you have one it is up to you to teach it how to act, and to make sure it gets enough exercise, because pent up energy in a dog becomes bad behavior and destruction.

 

[jester8484]

That's crazy. Pit Bulls are strong dogs so i'm not surprised they went through the coop fence but that must have been a good effort on their part to be at it for a long time. Hopefully it works out and your next rig does the trick.

 

[ladysfield]

Heck yeah, when we first moved we had a 100lb mastiff american bulldog mix that was pretty vicious with other animals. Didn't really know the scope of it til we oved and he darted past e the second day we lived here and made a beeline straight for the neighbors yard then ran right through their 4 strand electric goat fence snapping all the wires as he went...Dogs are no joke. Especially gamey types. They can withstand a lot of pain to catch what they are after. He brutalized their goat, and we found him a new home with lots of room, a fence, and an owner that was aware he could never ever have any other animals while he had that big guy. We also paid to get the goat all fixed up. Cost more than buying a new goat, but hey it was our fault and they wanted to save it. So everyone's happy. Our menace is gone, and the goat is doing well. He also chewed a hole through our solid cored bedroom door like it was made of cardboard. Sometimes there isn't a lot you can do to keep a certain animal out. If they want in they will get in, whether it is electrified or not. Or sturdy or not. Hard times. Hard times. People also worried that if he would take down a goat he would take down a child, but that is usually not the case. He knew the difference between human and animal. He was totally against other animals, but never met a person he didn't like. Unless it was a person that gave me the willies, then he was there to help out with a ridiculously scary growl. We have small kids though, so I have to worry about dogs eating children. Even after he took down the goat I knew I could still trust him with my family. I mean jeez I had to reach in his mouth and remove the goats neck to get him off of it.

My problem is that I want a dog that when people see it they never think about crossing into our yard, but I also want that dog to not want to kill everything that comes into the yard that isn't human...Tough line to tread. I need it to be bad ***, but not so bad *** that it is a menace should it get loose. I also need one that does more than look bad ***...I really need it to do a job, but only when I want it to...it's tough. One day, one day I'll have enough to actually buy a few already trained monsters.

I love your requirements for a dog! As a teenager, I had Australian Cattle dogs. My big male had a fearsome appearance. Black mask and muscular. He was one of those dogs that would stare you right in the eyes. Funny thing, he loved everybody. I trained dogs back then and he was the perfect dog to train as a mild protection dog because it wasn't in his nature to really be mean. I could trust him around kids. But if you told him to focus on someone, they better not approach! I could leave my purse in the car, windows down, and tell him to stay. He wouldn't leave the car and nobody tried to reach in. (not a second time anyway) I did see a guy reach into my car to grab a package off the seat when I parked downtown. That dog leaped up with a roar and the man almost had a heart attack trying to get away from my car. Being a cattle dog, he was quick and silent. Such a good dog, I miss him.

 

[Megan Amber]

Man oh Man that sounds like an excellent dog!

 

[bugglesmommy]

My German shepherd can look scary but man is she a chicken. Seriously she'll be growing feathers soon. (Except against that fiendish water hose. She will kill that water stream one of these days. )

 

[Megan Amber]

That's Funny! My dog is a Carolina Dog and man when a stranger show's up he barks and growls and foams at the mouth but let me tell ya'll secret....he is afraid of the dark!!!

 

[FrankiesMom]

Yanno, It's been a week since the dog attack and at this point, I am really uninterested in the virtues or lack there of, of pit bulls. I did not start this thread to begin a debate about the breed of dog. Just to inform John Q Chickenperson about how destructive dogs can be to chickens and even fairly well built coops, and maybe get a little empathy for my sadness and frustration. The fact is that one of the dogs was pit, the other was a pit mix, they will be euthanized. Had it been a Chihuahua attacking my chickens I would have been just as devastated. If there is any further worthy discussion, IMHO it would be about responsible dog ownership and not breed personalities/traits. Maybe even a discussion about how to build a dog proof coop after using all the recommended hardware cloth as opposed to chicken wire having failed.

I am not a pit bull hater, though I would never own one on purpose. I own Standard Poodles and have for 14 years. I do not allow them to run the street and terrorize my neighbors animals. My dogs live inside my house, not chained to a tree like the dogs who broke into my coop. I do these things for not only my protection, but the protection of my dogs whom I love as family members. I can't wrap my head around anyone who would treat a dog otherwise. I cannot say the owners of the offending dogs are bad people...I can say that they are not protecting their dogs, their neighbors, or themselves from consequences. My fear is that whether it be ignorance or blatant mistreatment of their animals, it will only perpetuate when they acquire more dogs to replace the ones they surrendered.

Thanks to all who posted sympathies. I appreciate that they were sincere, since anyone who keeps chickens has lost one to a predator at one time or another. I hope it is a long time before anyone here, including myself, loses another.

You show great patience here for those that would hijack this discussion and turn it into one regarding the various pros and cons of this particular breed; it's been said many times: it's not the breed, it's the owner. 'Nuff said.

I am truly sorry for your loss and thank you for posting and sharing, particularly knowing I'd have been just as sickened going through the photos as you surely must have been. I have definitely learned something from this thread and, thankfully, it's chicken related.

 

[ladysfield]

In response to the many sound views in the Pitt Bulls' Nuture/Nature argument, it might be interesting to read an article from years past in the Smithsonian magazine. Dogs have been bred to have very strong tendencies; for herding, fighting, hunting, tracking, etc. A researcher took multiple dogs of pure breeding and crossed them several times over a few generations. (This was several years ago, I hope I am remembering the facts accurately, I looked for the article to reference it and was unable to find it.) He then tested dogs from successive generations for those inbred tendencies. I remember one of the dogs was a Newfoundland, whose characteristics include love of people, love of water and courage. Another animal was a herding breed like a border collie. The researcher discovered the tendencies didn't follow appearance and the instincts for certain jobs could show up at random times over the generations. One dog who looked very "Newfie" was afraid of water.

My point is adopting a dog of Pitt Bull descent is a crap shoot. You may, like my daughter, get a wonderful family dog, half Pitt, half Lab. Or you may get a hidden killer, whose instinct to maul would only come to light only from a triggering activity. Like a small breed dog trotting across the Pitt's yard or an infant pulling on doggy's tail and falling down.

I've trained dogs for years with a strong herding instinct. Very well trained indeed. But still, if the right stimuli caught my best dog by surprise, or I was a hair too late with a restraining command, they could be off in flash.

Be aware

P.S. If anyone can find the link for that article, I would like to read it again! thnx

 

[HazelCMAS]

That's crazy. Pit Bulls are strong dogs so i'm not surprised they went through the coop fence but that must have been a good effort on their part to be at it for a long time. Hopefully it works out and your next rig does the trick.

We were amazed and honestly confused that we didn't hear anything while the attack was happening. The birds must have made one heck of a racket, not to mention the dogs. This is one reason that we decided to move the coop closer to the house and buy a few guineas to scream for us.