Please help! Seeking every legal avenue for vengeance after a slaughter (TX).

[Matejka]

That should CHANGE!! There should be cruelty laws that protect chickens. I find it unfair. Chickens can seek pain grief and have strong feelings. These animal laws are messed up and need to change. Once they were these people that beat there chickens with a hammer repeatedly and did not get arrested because they were seen as a nuisance to the county and believe me that chicken was screaming in pain!!!

I did not post the entire book of laws for Texas. Only the part concerning protecting livestock.
For your reading here is a list of links concerning cruelty

https://www.animallaw.info/statute/tx-cruelty-consolidated-cruelty-statutes
It is not cruel to protect your property. Many people have alot of time and money invested in their livestock.
If an animal is endangering a $10,000.00 bull (yes some are worth that much) the owner should have the ability to control that danger legally.
Let's NOT throw our opinion on right/wrong into the mix when it comes to our animals. Just answer the OP questions.
If you feel the laws are wrong-start working to change the laws

 

[LateBirdFarms]

It's not your fault if your chickens (your property in any law I've ever seen stated) were on your land. Whether you were sleeping or not has no relevancy in the placing of blame. Your neighbors dogs should be controlled in some manner so they are not destroying property (family pet/livestock). But a chance to calm down and approach this with a cooler head is a very good idea. I'd like to think your neighbors were being careless, not malicious, they didn't sic their dogs on your chickens and ducks, they just thoughtlessly let them roam with horrible, horrible consequences. They may not be able to speak fluently, but someone in the house might be able to speak enough of the language so that your hobbies hubby, or MiL might be able to discuss a solution peaceably before resorting to the law?

 

[MissE]

Your neighbors have the responsibility to keep their animals secure, as do you. Neither cancels the other out, but you also aren't the one letting your animals into their yard, so their portion of the responsibility is much higher.

Are you able to use an electric poultry fence? My dogs won't go within 20 feet of it after one shock. Keeps bears, pine martens, and foxes out too.

I think most livestock and property law limits are set at the value of said property. While we may see our property as a pet, and being priceless, the law doesn't.

Do your neighbors have the responsibility to keep their property under their control? Without a doubt. They are liable for the damage caused to your property by their property. Just understand the low value the law will put on your property.

You shouldn't HAVE to lock your car to keep it from being stolen, but as we all know, some people don't respect the law. Since your neighbors don't care about their property, you need to take extra steps to keep your property secure.

 

[Ninjasquirrel]

I would take them to civil court personally and sue for loss of income you would have potentially made from the birds in their lifetime. If anyone in your family is currently seeing a therapist you could also sue for emotional distress from the situation. Sometimes just getting a sub peona is enough for people to act. My brother lived in a rental and after he moved his previous landlord filed a lawsuit against him for leaving dog poop in the yard. My brother showed up the next day after recieving the sub peona and picked up all the poop and the landlord dropped his lawsuit.

 

[VeryHappyHens]

I did not post the entire book of laws for Texas. Only the part concerning protecting livestock.
For your reading here is a list of links concerning cruelty

https://www.animallaw.info/statute/tx-cruelty-consolidated-cruelty-statutes
It is not cruel to protect your property. Many people have alot of time and money invested in their livestock.
If an animal is endangering a $10,000.00 bull (yes some are worth that much) the owner should have the ability to control that danger legally.
Let's NOT throw our opinion on right/wrong into the mix when it comes to our animals. Just answer the OP questions.
If you feel the laws are wrong-start working to change the laws

Exuse me that was not what I was saying. I was trying to say the global law on chicken. You misunderstood my off topic thread. Lets not be to be foggiest in any how. Your reply was pretty nusince and you were jumping to conclusion.

 

[LateBirdFarms]

Here we have court fees that would outweigh any take home from a law suit, you would be lucky to get any more than the cost of the chickens you're replacing, a judge may see any previous vet invoices just that, previous, so put some thought into your plan moving forward. If the court fees are anything like they are here, that hotwire fence would be a cheaper investment.

 

[Auntiejessi3]

Don't have animal control where I am and had a similar incident but luckily I was outside and stopped the dog(who killed my neighbors 20 chickens a month back)Talked to the local law then went to the owner of the dog and told them straight up, if I see your dog on my property again I'll shoot it. They now keep that dog confined to they're property.

 

[MamaBelle5]

Here we have court fees that would outweigh any take home from a law suit, you would be lucky to get any more than the cost of the chickens you're replacing, a judge may see any previous vet invoices just that, previous, so put some thought into your plan moving forward. If the court fees are anything like they are here, that hotwire fence would be a cheaper investment.

Yes, I absolutely agree with this. You've got filing fees plus the cut the attorney takes if/when you win, and that's assuming an attorney will take on a case that will only have a small judgment (if one at all). And, I'm not familiar with TX law, but judgments can be notoriously hard to collect.

I think the best thing to do is file a report with the police and animal control. They do owe you money for your losses. That is the best path, in my opinion, to recoup it.

 

[cmom]

So sorry for your loss. You have gotten a lot of good advice. I would report the incident to animal control and take a lot of pictures especially of the dogs in your yard. Not knowing your situation and if your yard is fenced and how the dogs are getting in. I would first go that route and maybe animal control can communicate with the owners of the dogs. This probably sound harsh but if animal control doesn't take care of the situation then try another route such as the next time the dogs appear in your yard if you have a paintball gun, shoot the dogs with a paintball as sort of a warning then do whatever you have to do whether it's to file for damages and take them to court or eliminate the dogs. I don't know where you live or the laws. Here it is legal to shoot anything except a bird of prey if it's on my property and harming my livestock. Good luck...

 

[cmom]

I do have electric wires around my coops and pens, good heavy duty netting covering all of the pens and concrete under the gates, all due to losses from predators in the past. Nothing gets past the hot wires and anything that touches them will hurt for a couple of days. I want anything that touches the wires to know it.