Stray dogs?

[OhZark Biddies]

It depends where you live. If applicable contact animal control, or in the county contact the sheriff...and ask about your local leash laws, etc.

Often if you live in an area where there are no leash laws, then the authorities will likely not be willing or able to help, but that is certainly the first step to take.

If you learn that the authorities are of no help, then I think electric fencing is likely your best bet.

Edit:
dang I got sidetracked while replying and there are now a half dozen more replies.. lol... so I guess what I meant to say is Ditto the above... but also ditto on electric fence!

 

[birdlover2]

I agree wth many that fencing and security is the best way to go. If u can't afford to get some right now, I suggest keeping chickens in the coop unless u are around. They do need to roam free, however, so that is only a short-term solution.

 

[MissChick@dee]

Find out your laws ... it’s legal EVERYWHERE to protect Yourself from dogs.
Get a gun ... practice especially when the dogs are around
As a common curtesy where I live we just call the sheriffs if we discharge a loud gun. They appreciate it when we do. But I live in a open carry state and the shooting of menace animals in protection of live stock is legal.

 

[Acre4Me]

All good suggestions above. If you do put up a chain link fence etc, remember to try to keep the dogs from digging under the fence. Pavers or something to deter them. Hot wire is an excellent solution.


Of course, if you have a lot of strays, they are reproducing, and then packs form...never good. If authorities aren’t very helpful, can you catch some of the dogs and get them to the animal shelter? It might be an option to reduce the population in your area.

 

[Howard E]

This thread was started to help folks in your situation.....

https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/dogs-and-electric-fences.1210854/

Once a dog gets a good hard dose of the pain a really hot electric fence dishes out, you can hardly get them to go near it again.

Or.....you can start shooting and deal with whatever consequences that brings to your doorstep.

 

[The Lazy L]

SSS

Shoot
Shovel - bury the carcass.
Shutup - don't tell anyone.

I get the impression you free range. Stop until the dog(s) threat is resolved.

 

[OhZark Biddies]

SSS...

Th OP mentioned in their post that they have no implement with which to carry out the first S...

And while I've never tried it, I think getting the second S accomplished without the first S is going to be a bit of a challenge...

But on the off chance that S #2 gets accomplished without carrying out S #1, I think it would be hard to do S #3, because you're going to have quite a story to tell!

 

[The Lazy L]

In my county Animal Control will not come unless you have the animal in question already confined. See if Animal Control will loan you a live animal trap/cage. If not buy one and make it a goal to rid the country side of stray dogs.

Read a true story. Chicken owner borrowed a live trap from his local animal control. He'd catch a coon, drive it the few blocks to the animal control (for relocation) and exchange for another trap. He was catching coons left and right. Until one day the animal control parking lot was full so he parked behind the building. He took the coon in the front, got a empty trap, walked around to the rear of the building. As he was putting the trap in his car's trunk he saw the rear door of the building open, a animal control employee releasing the coon. Chicken Owner came to the conclusion he's been trapping the same coon over and over.

 

[Howard E]

In my county Animal Control will not come unless you have the animal in question already confined. See if Animal Control will loan you a live animal trap/cage. If not buy one and make it a goal to rid the country side of stray dogs.

Read a true story. Chicken owner borrowed a live trap from his local animal control. He'd catch a coon, drive it the few blocks to the animal control (for relocation) and exchange for another trap. He was catching coons left and right. Until one day the animal control parking lot was full so he parked behind the building. He took the coon in the front, got a empty trap, walked around to the rear of the building. As he was putting the trap in his car's trunk he saw the rear door of the building open, a animal control employee releasing the coon. Chicken Owner came to the conclusion he's been trapping the same coon over and over.

Folks I grew up near found out the same thing. They would give the coon a shot of orange spray paint on it's back so they could ID it. Drove it 10 miles away, dumped it out, ran some errands in town, went out to dinner, went home and found the same coon back in the same trap it came from earlier in the day. Being a repeat offender, coon was snuffed the 2nd time.

 

[Redhead Rae]

Yeah, if you drive a coon far enough that it can't find its way back, it either becomes someone else's problem or it dies of starvation because it doesn't know the area. It's just kinder to shoot or drown it.