the neighbors dog killed one of my hens!

[kays chicks]

Best not yell at Cynthia. She didn't do anything wrong.
She knows dogs can be good with poultry, but if you are not the owner of the dog and it is on your property, you are in the right to take the dog down. I have read far too many stories of losses because of stray dogs.
My corgi is FABULOUS with my chickens. Right from the get-go. He protects them to the best of his ability, but he is my dog. He is around my chickens. The dog that came onto my property is around a bunch of red hens all day, but he is vicious towards OUR birds. I can't imagine Koda being that way, but I would take responsibility of my dog if it was in the opposite situation.
I would definitely not lay blame on the dog and say it wasn't my fault. I would apologize profusely and offer compensation and assurance that it would never happen again. I would RUN after my dog who got lose. We have done so. They run onto the road (stupid dogs) and Susan (finace) has even done so in her underwear. We do our very best to keep our dogs in our property. Thankfully the only other place they have ventured was the road. They have a death wish.

as ive said i totally agree to all i just didnt like the attack on myself by Cynthia , i just guess this is where we are all different and different places we live . if a dog got to kill an animal in our countryand property we are not allowed to take matters into our own hands even thought we should be allowed to , we are not allowed guns unlike the usa we have to call the police where the dog is put down / killed by a vet and owner is arrested and charged . i would never agree to any other animal or person killing anything but i also agree that owners need to start looking after there dogs and not let them loose at any time , at the end of the day i am very sorry for the loss of the loss of the chicken and i hope it never ever happens again .

 

[speckledhen]

thank you aoxa for this reply to Cynthia i was not saying at any point i agreed with that dog killing the chicken as i have agreed and liked comments others have made , as you know your dogs are good with your chickens as mine are , Cynthia has got the wrong end of my stick and slated me by the looks of it . i was just trying to lighten the mood and show some NOT ALL dogs are good with chickens and i am a good dog and chicken owner and i can give you my word that if my dog came in contact with your chickens she would treat them as if they where hers because thats the way i have looked after my dog . ITS THE DOG OWNERS FAULT Cynthia FOR NOT KEEPING HER DOG UNDER CONTROL !!!!!!!!!

....
as ive said i totally agree to all i just didnt like the attack on myself by Cynthia ,

Whoa, where did that come from? I did NOT attack you. I do not attack anyone on this forum and if you knew me, you'd understand that. I was trying to make a point, not saying anything against you personally. I was using your dog as an example to make a point, was all. Could have used anyone's chicken-friendly dog to do so. I'm sorry if you misunderstood that.

 

[aoxa]

as ive said i totally agree to all i just didnt like the attack on myself by Cynthia , i just guess this is where we are all different and different places we live . if a dog got to kill an animal in our countryand property  we are not allowed to take matters into our own hands even thought we should be allowed to  , we are not allowed guns unlike the usa we have to call the police where the dog is put down / killed by a vet and owner is arrested and charged  . i would never agree to any other animal or person killing anything but i also agree that owners need to start looking after there  dogs and not let them loose at any time , at the end of the day i am very sorry for the loss of the loss of the chicken and i hope it never ever happens again .

Here the police/animal control would do nothing but charge the owner a fee. We would not get reimbursed for losses unless we were to take them to small claims court.

I am not familiar with the laws regarding taking down the animals once on our property. I do know that if my dog were to kill her dog while on my property, that my dog is not to be penalized for that.

As far as I know, we can not fire a rifle or a shot gun within 200 metres of a dwelling. Being gun-stupid, would a dart gun count? Could I use a tranquillizer gun if I am trying to stop an attack? All this is still unknown to me.

A dog is not of any more value to me then my poultry, and certainly not my neighbours dog. I honestly care for many of my chickens equally to my dogs.

 

[bobbi michelle]

I am sorry for your loss and the shock of it as well
I have lost chickens to a neighbors dog myself last year. We do have to protect our chickens as they are our responsibility and their lives are in our hands. However that does not give the neighbor a pass on keeping their dog under their control, nor excuse them from damages.

I am assuming the "get back at them" statement was made when you were still hurting from the loss of your hen just minutes before the post. It takes a bit to process loss and it sounds like you have. After all we can feel as close to our hens as we do to our dogs.

I empathize with your question what to do?
Not sure what you can do about it, but I did want to say I am dealing proactively with the same issue now that I have got up the courage to raise chickens again. Last year I lost 4 out of 5 hens to a neighbors dog. I spoke to the neighbors who's dog I saw leaving the property. They said their dog is usually nice, which I know to be true in a general sense, but that the other neighbors dog got out at the same time...and they think that is probably why they killed the chickens. So here is my plan. My new and young birds are in their run but next week I want to let them out. I have my property now fenced with no climb around but I have three openings you can drive a truck through that I will never totally secure at all times. I am going to bring some apples and lettuce from the garden over to the neighbors. Tell them I like their dog, and let them know I have chickens again and I need them to ensure the dog does not repeat last years performance. I am also going to invite them to come over and meet the chickens and every once in a while ask neighbors if they'd like some fresh eggs...just to remind them I have chickens.

If their dog gets on the property, I will lock him up in the house with me, and then call them (number is on collar and tag) and ask them to collect him. I plan on reminding them at that point this is serious.

If their dog hurts a feather, I plan on making a much bigger issue of things all which will have an effect I am certain however won't heal a hurt or dead hen. Of course I plan to stay ever wary when I start letting the chickens forage as they deserve too

 

[Cetawin]

in all the years i have ben living here (31 years) first of all i have never had a dog in my yard that should not be there and second of all i am yet to see a dog that can jump a 8 foot fence (and thats the minimum hight some are higher)

i think thats where it differs a little we cant kill dogs so we protect so dogs cant enter wher as in US as you say you can so thats the aproach you aim to take

but still i see you have very valid points and i do also have valid points

so i think it would be best to agree to disagree

Just because you have not seen one is not gospel that it cannot happen. Case in point...my former Ben who has been deceased for several years...he could clear a 10' fence with a little run, an 8 foot fence with a springy jump and a 6 foot fence from a stand. Case in point 2...my current dog a Great Pyr/Lab ...he can jump an 8' fence with very little effort. Gets his front feet on the top and then climbs and propels himself over it with his back feet. He now wears an electronic shock collar to make sure he does not escape.

Just because you cannot shhot dogs in the UK has no bearing on an American's right to protect their animals. We have the right to bear arms by Constitution and the right to defend our livestock, pets and person. So let's drop that one.

thank you aoxa for this reply to Cynthia i was not saying at any point i agreed with that dog killing the chicken as i have agreed and liked comments others have made , as you know your dogs are good with your chickens as mine are , Cynthia has got the wrong end of my stick and slated me by the looks of it . i was just trying to lighten the mood and show some NOT ALL dogs are good with chickens and i am a good dog and chicken owner and i can give you my word that if my dog came in contact with your chickens she would treat them as if they where hers because thats the way i have looked after my dog . ITS THE DOG OWNERS FAULT Cynthia FOR NOT KEEPING HER DOG UNDER CONTROL !!!!!!!!!

She did not have the wrong idea. Just because your dog is good with your chickens does mean it will be with mine or Cynthia's. My dog is great with my chickens but I would not lindly trust him to be great with Cynthia's. Why? Because her chickens are not "his" and my chickens are.

So you can give this guarantee because your dog has broken loose and gone into someone's yard where they had chickens? You can guarantee this because you have taken your dog around homes with chickens? Sorry but your word that your dog will not hurt my birds does not mean squat. I would expect your dog to be on a leash and kept away from birds PERIOD. Dogs trespassing here get shot immediately. My days of chasing them off and warning neighbors too stupid to take care of their animals is over. They come here, they do not leave.

as ive said i totally agree to all i just didnt like the attack on myself by Cynthia , i just guess this is where we are all different and different places we live . if a dog got to kill an animal in our countryand property we are not allowed to take matters into our own hands even thought we should be allowed to , we are not allowed guns unlike the usa we have to call the police where the dog is put down / killed by a vet and owner is arrested and charged . i would never agree to any other animal or person killing anything but i also agree that owners need to start looking after there dogs and not let them loose at any time , at the end of the day i am very sorry for the loss of the loss of the chicken and i hope it never ever happens again .

She did not attack you. She pointed out the same as I did above and she was pleasant about it. I am so tired of people such as yourself who own the perfect, can do no wrong, would never hurt a chicken dog owners blabbering nonsense. You have no clue what your dog will do when you are not there and it is around others' animals but yet you always swear and guarantee and give your word that you doggie would never do it. Then a month or so later I shoot your dog for chasing my ducks in my yard and you have a crying screaming fit. Keep your dogs at home with your chickens and keep them away from my property and my chickens and we have no issue but don't try to blow smoke up my arse on how wonderful and perfect your dog is, it is NOT the same dog when it is running free being a dog.

As for you not being able to have guns...sorry about that you can move to the US or you could take it up with the Queen or you could accept the fact that here we protect our animals as best we can. And for future reference...I was very pleasant this time...please do not ever jump at Speckledhen again or I will be anything BUT pleasant.

 

[leadwolf1]

Speckledhen and Cetawin, you have tried your best to get your point across in a nice, straight forward manner. I am impressed. As of yet, I've not had to protect my chickens from my neighbors' dogs but, I have had to protect my dogs from their dogs. We ended up in court. Sometimes, it would have been easier to just shoot, which is our right. This problem had gone on for 3 years. The only thing that stopped my husband was the white faced 14 year old girl trying to get her dog back under control. They were found negligent, the court fined them and put one strike against their dog. Here, two strikes means you have a dangerous animal and must either destroy it or, keep it literally under lock and key at all times. Amazingly, these people blamed my kenneled dogs..not theirs for running free.

Onto the other point of the dog being 'chicken friendly'. Just a short story...

I had a female akita. She loved our cat. She hated everyone else's. She wouldn't leave our yard but woe be the stray that crossed the border. One night, she went ****bent for broke across our yard. Skidded to a halt moments before impact with a cat..it was ours. If it hadn't been, the cat would be no more. The point of my story...just because your dog is good with your animals doesn't mean squat when they are faced with new animals. Even bringing new chickens into the established flock could cause problems with a dog that has imprinted on his birds.

 

[MuckyPuppy]

Just Me

That is so sad, poor dog and kiddos. I can't imagine how that must have upset them especially as they were only trying to do the right thing.

My parents ended up giving our little white mutt to the neighbor who was feeding it treats whenever it got out and our hounds learned that they couldn't climb upside down.

Sorry OP for being off topic.

 

[Cetawin]

Speckledhen and Cetawin, you have tried your best to get your point across in a nice, straight forward manner. I am impressed. As of yet, I've not had to protect my chickens from my neighbors' dogs but, I have had to protect my dogs from their dogs. We ended up in court. Sometimes, it would have been easier to just shoot, which is our right. This problem had gone on for 3 years. The only thing that stopped my husband was the white faced 14 year old girl trying to get her dog back under control. They were found negligent, the court fined them and put one strike against their dog. Here, two strikes means you have a dangerous animal and must either destroy it or, keep it literally under lock and key at all times. Amazingly, these people blamed my kenneled dogs..not theirs for running free.

Onto the other point of the dog being 'chicken friendly'. Just a short story...

I had a female akita. She loved our cat. She hated everyone else's. She wouldn't leave our yard but woe be the stray that crossed the border. One night, she went ****bent for broke across our yard. Skidded to a halt moments before impact with a cat..it was ours. If it hadn't been, the cat would be no more. The point of my story...just because your dog is good with your animals doesn't mean squat when they are faced with new animals. Even bringing new chickens into the established flock could cause problems with a dog that has imprinted on his birds.

Sounds like my Ben who was a 3/4 wolf 1.4 husky. If I brought an animal to our home then it was accepted, cats, rats, hamsters you name it but if it came on his own into the yard...it was dead when he saw it. He would carry my daughter's rat on his back from one part of the house to the other...the rat had is own hairy transport. My goober now...fine with our birds but I would not dare trust him out of sight around someone elses birds. Nope.

 

[aoxa]

Speckledhen and Cetawin, you have tried your best to get your point across in a nice, straight forward manner.  I am impressed.  As of yet, I've not had to protect my chickens from my neighbors' dogs but, I have had to protect my dogs from their dogs.  We ended up in court.  Sometimes, it would have been easier to just shoot, which is our right. This problem had gone on for 3 years. The only thing that stopped my husband was the white faced 14 year old girl trying to get her dog back under control.  They were found negligent, the court fined them and put one strike against their dog.  Here, two strikes means you have a dangerous animal and must either destroy it or, keep it literally under lock and key at all times.  Amazingly, these people blamed my kenneled dogs..not theirs for running free. 

Onto the other point of the dog being 'chicken friendly'.  Just a short story...

I had a female akita.  She loved our cat.  She hated everyone else's.  She wouldn't leave our yard but woe be the stray that crossed the border.  One night, she went ****bent for broke across our yard.  Skidded to a halt moments before impact with a cat..it was ours.  If it hadn't been, the cat would be no more.  The point of my story...just because your dog is good with your animals doesn't mean squat when they are faced with new animals.  Even bringing new chickens into the established flock could cause problems with a dog that has imprinted on his birds. 

Yes my dog is the same way (My Corgi). He loves our other dog Chloe (hates our LGD, but that's beyond the point) ignores our cats and loves the chickens. He would kill a stray cat if it was able to be caught. If he does so on my property, I would feel bad. If it was a stray dog that he mauled, I wouldn't. The neighbours cats are always on our property, and I have determined that they are safe around my birds. They are big fluff balls and enjoy watching the birds, but have never shown any predatory behaviour (ie: Stalking, lip licking, etc). Plus my roosters give them chase if they see them.

As for a dog.. That is a whole other story.. The nicest teacup poodle could tear through a silkie flock faster than you could ever imagine. I don't allow any visiting dogs what-so-ever on my property. I want my dogs to know that if they see them, they don't belong.

I believe in warnings before shooting. If you shoot without warning that seems a bit harsh. Give your neighbours a heads up. IF they let their dog loose again, you SHOULD have the right. Sadly I don't. Found out that it is against the law here. I will bring that stupid mutt to the furthest SPCA I can find. 3 hours away if I have to. They should have to work to keep their dog. I should not have to work so hard to protect my farm from THEIR DOG.

 

[kays chicks]

Just because you have not seen one is not gospel that it cannot happen. Case in point...my former Ben who has been deceased for several years...he could clear a 10' fence with a little run, an 8 foot fence with a springy jump and a 6 foot fence from a stand. Case in point 2...my current dog a Great Pyr/Lab ...he can jump an 8' fence with very little effort. Gets his front feet on the top and then climbs and propels himself over it with his back feet. He now wears an electronic shock collar to make sure he does not escape.

Just because you cannot shhot dogs in the UK has no bearing on an American's right to protect their animals. We have the right to bear arms by Constitution and the right to defend our livestock, pets and person. So let's drop that one.


She did not have the wrong idea. Just because your dog is good with your chickens does mean it will be with mine or Cynthia's. My dog is great with my chickens but I would not lindly trust him to be great with Cynthia's. Why? Because her chickens are not "his" and my chickens are.

So you can give this guarantee because your dog has broken loose and gone into someone's yard where they had chickens? You can guarantee this because you have taken your dog around homes with chickens? Sorry but your word that your dog will not hurt my birds does not mean squat. I would expect your dog to be on a leash and kept away from birds PERIOD. Dogs trespassing here get shot immediately. My days of chasing them off and warning neighbors too stupid to take care of their animals is over. They come here, they do not leave.



She did not attack you. She pointed out the same as I did above and she was pleasant about it. I am so tired of people such as yourself who own the perfect, can do no wrong, would never hurt a chicken dog owners blabbering nonsense. You have no clue what your dog will do when you are not there and it is around others' animals but yet you always swear and guarantee and give your word that you doggie would never do it. Then a month or so later I shoot your dog for chasing my ducks in my yard and you have a crying screaming fit. Keep your dogs at home with your chickens and keep them away from my property and my chickens and we have no issue but don't try to blow smoke up my arse on how wonderful and perfect your dog is, it is NOT the same dog when it is running free being a dog.

As for you not being able to have guns...sorry about that you can move to the US or you could take it up with the Queen or you could accept the fact that here we protect our animals as best we can. And for future reference...I was very pleasant this time...please do not ever jump at Speckledhen again or I will be anything BUT pleasant.

sorry but you would never shoot my dog as i live in the uk and not the usa , as ive said i agree with everything said however i have a nice dog !!! end of story ok