!!!URGENT!!! Neighbors dog killed all of my ducks. This is not the first time.

[GirlsHuntToo]

While I’m here, I wanted to make a final post for my babies.

The Swedish Blue was the male, the other three were females. I got so lucky with the random M/F ratio!

This was my first experience with ducks and I couldn’t have asked for a better group. They made me so incredibly happy and it was such a joy to watch them grow. Rest in peace. <3

 

[Nolakennedys]

electric fence/netting will deter dogs. If this was in Florida on my farm and I witnessed it, dog would remain missing...

 

[RedHillChicken]

Yes, I’m hesitant to hurt any animal. I have a gun, but I just don’t know if I could do it.

Hanna, if you don't protect your animals, then expect them to be attacked - whether by dogs, hawks, raccoons, etc. All the time, work, money, and love you put into your flock will be for naught. Kill the dog and be done with the fear of losing them. They depend on you to protect them.

 

[Chicken_tiger_catt]

Hello. I haven’t been online in a few months because everything was going wonderfully. My babies were nearly a year old.

Earlier today we saw my neighbors dog walking off with our male duck hanging out of its mouth.

Long story short, this the third time something like this has happened. The dog killed an entire group of chickens a few years back and then killed 2/3 of our replacements.

Our neighbors agreed to keep the dog on a shock collar and they’ve warned us once when then dog has went missing so we can keep an eye out. No issues because we were able to lock everyone up in the barn. However, today the owner knowingly let the dog run loose without a collar and now my four ducks are dead.

The last time this happened, we contacted animal control and they told us there was nothing they could do and we would have to handle it privately. Our neighbor “paid us off” with a $50 gift card and after contacting her today, she offered to pay again. However, this does not fix the issue. My pets are dead, they refuse to take responsibility for their pet, and we have other animals that could potentially be at risk.

For context, we live in KY and not in city limits. Our animals are not free roam and stay in the barn or a fenced in area. The dog get in the fence each time. Not sure how, but he does. We’ve checked so many times to figure out how this dog has access and we couldn’t figure it out. It wasn’t an issue when the dog was on a collar.

Sorry for being so scattered because I’m very upset. I just need to know what I should do. I’m 20 and autistic, so I have a very hard time confronting people. Plus, I have never dealt with something like this.

sue. if you have the time and money, take them to small claims court. or, hire some local carpenters to make a 8 foot tall privacy fence. if it happens after one or both of these are done, chickens ar rather smart, and can be litter trained like a cat. so indoor chicken room?

 

[GirlsHuntToo]

sue. if you have the time and money, take them to small claims court. or, hire some local carpenters to make a 8 foot tall privacy fence. if it happens after one or both of these are done, chickens ar rather smart, and can be litter trained like a cat. so indoor chicken room?

This is also a good idea - keeping them inside also.... they were diapers too!

 

[CatInTheHenHouse]

The ‘or seize’ part makes me wonder would a live trap be an option if the dog comes back?

 

[pvaldes]

Disclaimer. This is overkill solution, but will provide a lot of peace of mind without creating a lifetime long war with your neighbors.

If you have some land in your property, building a big pond will made the ducks much happier, healthier and much more safe against predators. Specially if is deep enough and you put a small island in the center and dense shrubs. Will remove a lot of your daily chores with the ducks like adding fresh water to drink day after day or cleaning faeces; and will provide also free food for the ducks.

Ponds are not for every garden, but can be also very beautiful if marsh flowers and shrubs are left grow, and also protect the house from wildfires. Ducks will happily ruin a small pond in a week but middle size and large will be fine.

Cons: Small toddlers need to be watched near water at any time, some mosquitoes will appear and some frog species can be noisy

 

[WannaBeHillBilly]

I disagree with you. I used Premier 1 electric net fencing for my sheep and it kept out the dogs and coyotes. Their product is better than what you would pick up at the Tractor Supply Store. It is also more expensive. They even have solar. There are options. Raise some guineas along with the ducks. They will scream bloody murder if the dog comes over in the day. Mine once alerted me to 5 dogs getting into my sheep pen. (The fence wore out after 10 years and I had not replaced it yet. They dug under the woven wire.) The guineas don't have to be in the same pen as the ducks just in visual range. I would say SSS (shoot, shovel and shut up) but if you have no familiarity with fire arms that's not a good idea. We did effectively dissuade a pair of dogs by using a paint ball gun and freezing the paint balls. They didn't return. Either it scared the dogs too badly or it scared their owners that people were shooting at them and might start using real ammo. I feel you for the anxiety though. I hope you find an answer that works for you best.

You might have been lucky, ask @Magnolia Ducks about her experiences with electric fences, her ducks and geese and predators. If a predator wants to get through, over or under an electric fence they will. - Assuming that the fence won't kill on first contact…
Even premier1 is not claiming their fences are protecting against predators: »Ground-based predators such as coyotes, foxes, fisher cats, skunks, raccoons, opossum, weasels, dogs and even bears are deterred by electric fence.« Deterred not excluded…
And i agree with you, it becomes more and more obvious to me that »triple S« is most likely the correct way to deal with feral dogs, but i have no experiences with firearms and there's a good chance that i would injure myself rather than the intended target…
And there are those who consider shooting a dog with a paintball gun to be animal cruelty. Me i have the same opinion as you, dear dog owners, take this as a warning and take care of your dogs, the next time it won't be a paintball-gun…

 

[WannaBeHillBilly]

I'm pretty sure that is is legal in the majority of places to kill any dog that is attacking your poultry. That means you can rightfully shoot the dog, and that would be the best way to stop it if it comes for another snack.

You are correct, but taking a life is not for everyone…

 

[WannaBeHillBilly]

I just went into the woods between the two houses and couldn’t find my duck. Yesterday, neighbor said she checked her yard and wasn’t able to find anything. Don’t know if I believe her. It just seemed like she was trying to evade responsibility when she brought it up.

To add further context, her dog attacked another neighbors dog or a stray (not sure who he belonged to, but he was in our yard when it happened) about a year ago. My grandma was outside with the other dog waiting for the animal shelter to come pick him up. Neighbor and her dog were on a jog and her dog attacked the stray. Since it wasn’t our dog, we couldn’t do anything about it.

This dog has a lengthy history of being violent. I’m afraid because we don’t have cameras that they’ll throw any sort of action out. It’s basically her word against ours. I still have all the text messages from previous incidents where she did admit responsibility & the card where she gave us the gift card for the chickens.

Still don’t know what to do. If it tells you anything, we don’t have a single issue with other predators. Somehow this dog is much smarter than foxes, hawks, coons, possums, coyotes, everything.

We talking about getting a guard dog, but I’d be heartbroken if something were to happen to them as well. We put some cheap motion cameras up last night pointing at the barn, coop, & their run.

So, to make that clear: That dog was in the public with its owners when it attacked another dog - i assume without being provoked.
That makes this dog a danger to the society! Imagine if that stray dog in your grandma's custody had been a little child. The owner was unable to control that dog and is therefore unfit to own a dog.
Good move with the cameras, so it is no longer word vs. word anymore.