Sad loss of Casper; warning graphic pic!

[Mixed flock enthusiast]

I live in the second largest city in Panama, and fully 80% of all households have back yard chickens, and many families also keep other small livestock such as rabbits, goats, ducks, quail, a few have geese... It is commonplace to raise these animals for meat and/or eggs... for food to feed ourselves. A dog is supposed to PROTECT livestock, not make sport of them or eat them.
Here, it's understood that if a dog is caught red-handed, so to speak, killing chickens or molesting livestock that the owner of the livestock has every right to kill the dog or demand that the owner of the dog do so. Absolutely no qualms about it.

In the heat of the moment, I might have ended that dog’s livestock killing career. However, when I had cooled off a little, I went out with a leash hoping to capture and turn in to animal control. He was nowhere that I could see... I did find a possible owner on our lost pets Facebook site and am trying to contact them. I’m keeping all poultry locked up tomorrow then will reassess. It’s going to be so hard to go to work tomorrow!

 

[Quailobsessed]

So sorry for your loss, Casper seemed like a lovely guinea

I love guinea fowl and if I could have them, I would. We have lost many birds to predators; dogs, rats (rats especially) and you wish you could just guard you flock forever and never leave them. I hope you find the dog and the owner so the dog won't hurt anymore poor birds.

 

[gtaus]

I absolutely hate these stories of roaming dogs killing backyard livestock. Where I live, if you see a pack of household dogs running down deer, you can shoot the dogs - no questions. I don't think I could shoot a neighbor's dog if he came to my property and killed some of my chickens, but maybe I could.

As a former dog owner, I always felt responsible for my pet and if he broke the chain or ran off and killed some neighbor's backyard livestock, I would have taken responsibility for the act and try to reimburse my neighbor and double my efforts on containing my dog. But I know not all dog owners take responsibility for their pets. When you think about it, the problem is not the dog that killed your bird, it's the owner's fault and responsibility.

Sorry for your loss.

 

[EggWalrus]

Here, it's understood that if a dog is caught red-handed, that the owner of the livestock has every right to kill the dog or the owner of the dog if the owner is a POS and doesn't make it all good.

 

[HomesteaderWife]

@Mixed flock enthusiast - Please let us know how it goes!

 

[Mixed flock enthusiast]

@Mixed flock enthusiast - Please let us know how it goes!

Not much to report here. We locked up all birds today and left the game camera rolling near the coop but the dogs didn’t make a reappearance. I contacted the woman who had posted a lost dog ad on Facebook with a dog pic that looked a lot like the miscreant, but she’d indicated that her dog had come home prior to the incident. I still suspect it may have been the same dog but can’t be sure... I’m thinking about letting the adult guineas back out tomorrow but leaving the juveniles locked up until the weekend. I’m also considering adding another bird door and wondering if anyone has had experience with dual coop doors to help keep the guineas from being trapped in their coop...

 

[southwind00]

I'm sorry to hear about your loss of Casper and it really hits home to me because my nephew was here this weekend hunting deer and told me they lost all there chickens a few weeks ago to a dog. And to add to that one of my neighbors stopped in last week because two of her four dogs had escaped and they have been in my yard before and I only fear the worst if they come by now with 11 guineas in the yard. I use auto doors like you, mainly in the summer when the days are long but am now rethinking that. I'm also thinking about some sort of electric fence entrance that the birds can walk under but a medium or large dog would get into. I do have a dog that patrols the yard but she is getting up in years so maybe it's time for another yard guard. If a dog did get into my yard I think my young birds would have no problem flying up into the trees, they are always there. My old birds don't fly very much at all, I think they are too fat. Good luck, nothing is easy, especially poultry!

 

[Mixed flock enthusiast]

I'm sorry to hear about your loss of Casper and it really hits home to me because my nephew was here this weekend hunting deer and told me they lost all there chickens a few weeks ago to a dog. And to add to that one of my neighbors stopped in last week because two of her four dogs had escaped and they have been in my yard before and I only fear the worst if they come by now with 11 guineas in the yard. I use auto doors like you, mainly in the summer when the days are long but am now rethinking that. I'm also thinking about some sort of electric fence entrance that the birds can walk under but a medium or large dog would get into. I do have a dog that patrols the yard but she is getting up in years so maybe it's time for another yard guard. If a dog did get into my yard I think my young birds would have no problem flying up into the trees, they are always there. My old birds don't fly very much at all, I think they are too fat. Good luck, nothing is easy, especially poultry!

Awww, you have white guineas like Casper!!! I didn’t plan on getting white guineas as I didn’t think I’d like them, but I adored Casper’s looks - he was so majestic! He was also always one of my friendliest keets. My adults were in the trees like your pic, it’s the juveniles that were pinned in their coop. Roosts are six feet up so the ones that flew up were safe. By the feather pattern though, Casper was taken on the floor of the coop. I don’t know if he didn’t fly up fast enough or if he spooked and flushed from a roost. Both sets of guineas are in and out of the coops all day; I’ve always worried about them being pinned there. I was also wondering about a fly over hot wire barrier near the entrance. I do worry that I might inadvertently train the guineas to fear their coop... If you come up with something I’d love to hear about it! Despite my coop problems, I have to think it’s safer than roosting in the trees, due to our abundance of great horned owls and raccoons!

 

[southwind00]

Yea, I have one white and one lavender, had more lavenders but all I can say is that they seem like the most stupid. One got her head caught in a piece of chicken wire far away from the coop and died and the other got his head caught in the wire release on the door inside of my flyway and died, both very strange and devastating. My white one was hatched from 6 eggs I bought on ebay, yes a sketchy place to buy but I really only wanted a few eggs and the price was right. I don't name all my guineas but I did her, it's "Ebay" ! I do worry that her color will be her downfall though, when they are all weaving threw the woods and briars she is the one that will stand out the most. Oh well, that's guinea life I guess.

 

[GeeseMama]

OMG! I am so sorry for your loss. We are fighting the same battle with a "neighborhood" dog that keeps getting out. He frequents the same farms because he knows he is able to kill things there. He gets out all of the time and the owner does not care. Even went as far to threaten people to shut their mouths or he would shut them up. Dog law and the police have been called. He has had multiple fines. The dog has personally gotten ducks, Guineas, and sadly a peacock from me. But from other neighbors...baby goats a baby lamb, chickens, rabbits, and even a couple week old puppy. It is so disgusting and just breaks me heart. I'm so sorry to hear about how your lost your precious guinea. It just breaks your heart