Trapping dogs - UPDATE

[PurpleChicken]

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You dog, your land, your choice. No flaming required. Feel free to share a cat story via PM.

 

[PurpleChicken]

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Be kind, gentle, and assertive. You are calling her "wonderful (I'm sure it's a nice dog, just a chicken killer)" dog a murderer. If she freaks out a little let her and hopefully she'll calm down. Most people's first response will be denial and counterattack.

Going with your "keep the peace with the friendly neighbor" attitude you may consider not asking for damages, just that she better secures her dog.

Just my 2 cents.

 

[switchback]

LOL... new rosebush.

Yes, her first response when I approached her last week was denial, and she seemed a bit angry at first too that I would even suggest such a thing. I took the opportunity as she was explaining to me how gentle and obedient her dog was to quietly observe the size of her paws and plan where to put my trailcam.

I just wish my mammoth jack was older and his testosterone was kicked in already. Donkeys hate dogs and a 60" jack can do a lot of damage (even a standard donkey can kill a horse).

I do want to ask for reimbursement (although I considered not doing that), considering how much time and money I put into them and how awful it was to find the pile of bodies that night. It won't bring them back, but maybe it will make it less likely to happen again and at the very least I will get back some of what I invested in them.

The only question is how much? Actual cost of chicks + food? Replacement cost (which is??)? Loss of eggs/baby chicks that I could have sold?

The worst part is, the day it happened I had just returned from picking up building supplies to build a new, more solid coop (with a mortared concrete block foundation 4' deep - I was going all out).

 

[bumpershoot]

switchback, I would personally just ask for the cost of replacement chicks and some food.

How long before your Jack is an adult? He will definitely put a dent in the dogs enthusiasm for your property.

 

[switchback]

He just turned a year old. And my mules are four and two (and much faster). The two year old was the escape artist that went after her dog... and I'm starting to think she did that for a reason, it was AFTER I started seeing the tracks going into my property. Then again, mules generally hate dogs too so maybe that's all it was.

By the way, the massacre happened just a little ways from their pen. If only they hadn't been in it...

 

[suburbanhomesteader]

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Just be careful if you decide to interrupt an animal in the middle of its killing spree.

I once went to "shoo" a tomcat away from a fledgling cardinal with which he was toying. I was about 15' away and waved my arms while saying (in true Texas form

) GIT!

Well, it didn't "git". It launched itself right at me and buried all 4 fangs into my shin, right up to the gums. Infection set in within 24 hours and I am not exaggerating when I say nearly lost my leg from the bite. I ended up in the hospital for a week on IV antibiotics and then had a 3week course of injected Rocephin. Each shot left me with a baseball-sized bruise and a lot of pain. I still have dents in the bone where the infection ate it away.

So anyway, be careful about doing anything that a predator might perceive as "stealing my dinner".

 

[bumpershoot]

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perhaps you need to move the chicken coop into their pen...I am thinking it would end your dog problem pretty quickly.

 

[switchback]

perhaps you need to move the chicken coop into their pen...I am thinking it would end your dog problem pretty quickly.

Yeah, I was thinking about locating the new one in there anyway when I build it. If only they didn't like to chew on wood (and one of them on metal!), though. Oh, and one of them likes to stomp roosters...​

 

[Mattemma]

A playpen will work. I have a collapsible graco that I cover with bird netting.

 

[bumpershoot]

stinkers! well, you could go for a cement block coop!