PLEASE!-Local-Dog ATTACKED our Chickens-Need Advice!

[Valencia]

Last week two dogs breached our yard fence and one of the dogs attacked our chickens.
We had 19 chickens, various breeds all young excellent layers.
The dog killed five and injured five (two severely and three somewhat).
All the five injured have not been laying since the incident.
The owner of the dogs contacted us & expressed regret and offered to pay for the losses.
We don't have a clue as to what figure to give him?

The five DECEASED chickens were year and few months old.
We bought them all as chicksfrom 4-8 weeks for $20 each.
They were:
1 BEAUTIFUL-Ancona,
1 Plymouth Rock,
2 Silver-Laced Wyandottes, sisters
1 Golden-Laced Wyandotte.

The 2 severly injured are:
1 Welsumer
1 Buff Orpington.

The 3 injured are:
1 Silver-Laced Wyandotte(the only remaining sister)
2 Ameraucana.(blue egg layers-when were laying)

Could anyone give us with a suggestion for assigning dollar value to this horror.
Your suggestions & comments will be much appreciated.
We want to be fair-however, it is a sorrowing loss (& we understand it was not the dog's first neighborhood offense.)
Thank you.

 

[chickensducks&agoose]

I don't know, but I will be watching this thread... I am somewhat surprised that you spent $20 per chick, for a 4-8 week old... and unless they were amazing show birds, I've gotta say, i think you got scammed...

 

[Show Me Chick]

The best advice I can give you is to look for ads that are of the same age and quality and breed
of your deceased birds. This will let you know how much you will have to pay to get them replaced. You need to let your neighbor know he has to keep his dog penned up or this will happen again. In my experience once a dog kills chickens for fun it will always do it again if given the chance.

 

[pbjmaker]

That was my thought. Chicks that age around here go for $2 -$4 each. BUT you grew them out and so make sure you include the cost of feed to grow out more chicks or how much you would pay for full grown birds. Search for point of lay pullets.

 

[chickensducks&agoose]

I can see paying $20 per for a laying, good quality bird. I think you should charge your neighbors $100 for the killed ones, and $50 for the injured ones, covering either replacement for half, or the loss of eggs. And be sure that he understands that if it happens again, you'll be charging him $30 per bird, which is to cover the price of the feed, the loss of the eggs of the dead ones etc. The $20 per bird is you being KIND. Next time, you won't be as kind.

 

[smith2]

Check out my previous post. Protect yourself legally if this continues.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=355847&p=23

See post # 228

 

[Sonoran Silkies]

This is not hte place to tell the OP she paid too much becuase it would only cost you ____. The OP paid what she paid, and whether the birds were worth that cost or not, that is what the cost was. I will assume that she purchased from breeders, and that the parents are SQ stock.

I would recommend the OP contact the breeder from whom they were purchased and ask for young adult pricing. As for the injured ones, if you incur vet bills or medical costs (to include medicine & wound care supplies), you should ask to be reimbursed at cost. Be ready to provide copies of receipts.

Depending on your relationship wirth your neighbors, you might want to consider asking that they invest in better fencing (in addition to or instead of part of the reimbursement).

 

[Valencia]

Thank-You all for your comments.
It wasn't a neighbor-but someone in the neighboring town.
Our chickens were fenced in, but free ranging.
The great thing was/is how caring everyone WAS/IS
We were not home at the time-not that we could have prevented it- the one dog pummeled the fence.
We've has chicken's here for seven years- never has this happened.

Anyway- it seems a dog controller was out tracking this dog all day- but lost him.
Then we supposed a car passing by (we live on corner of a busy road but don't have direct neighbors-it's all woods & undeveloped) must have seen what was happening & called the dog in.
The dog controller knew right away-what the dog must be up to & quickly drove here-catching the one dog in the act.
The other dog was well behaved- having no part of it!
The controller found 3 deceased- police also came right away as back-up. The controller & policeman left us a note on our door with their phone numbers- and the dog controller had taken three critical ones to the vet! The vet stayed late working on the chickens. One survived, that evening & next day the two others died.
He was sooo nice- & human- and made such difference in the whole affair. He was impressed by the health & beauty of the birds.

~The policeman came to our house a few days later to check on the situation, so thorough & kind! SO human-caring & nice.
Seems they arrested the dog owner-that day, and had impounded the dog-not sure of his fate. So they take it all seriously. We don't seem to have to get involved with any of the proof etc....
He gave us his phone number- but we were told that he would call us.
We just waited a few days- & he did, he spoke my husband.
I'm sure the Dog's owner- is apologetic- he told my husband he was the one who first reported his dog on the loose.
~Well,- the point is- people are KIND.
I just want to put it behind us now.
It's difficult to get chickens near me. lot's of searching & driving.
I had one(the Ancona) I won't be able to replace unless I buy from hatcheries afar and raise from day old.
but-eventually I will.
it will all work out--everything does
my co-workers will have to find a different egg source for a while! : )
THANKS-AGAIN

 

[Rooster#3]

where did you buy the chicks???

 

[Valencia]

The first chicken I had (7 yrs ago)was a "rescue chicken" from a family member-who has many many animals.
Then some hens were given to us from about 1 1/2 hour away- a friend who lives in the country & gardens.
Then I found pullets- & young 1 yr hens I found them through craigslist from a women was moving across the country-to the other coast & the zone ing there wouldn't allow her to have more than 6 chickens.
That's when I really became interested in chickens. She had so many different breeds- so beautiful she had gotten them from a hatchery, after trying to unsucessfully hatch eggs.
Since then- I've searched to find breeds (Henderson's chicken Chart-etc) I'm interested in within driving distance. That's the hard part. These that I have now & lost were the result of last summer & spring. ....lot's of searching & driving.
Now I know more about chickens- we re-did our coop last spring- and read-read-read. I became- chick-a-holic, hen-a-holic! I hope that answers your question.
It has been a process. first rescue was a buff orpinton.- but we didn't know that- then for years we had mixed breeds- from upstate. then the ones I adopted were certain kinds! Then the HUNT- commenced. I also purchase one ameraucana from a country fair that takes place once a year along with 2 Red star pullets. My latest find was only about 45min away! I was VERY VERY LUCKY!
& so it goes...