Washingtonians Come Together! Washington Peeps

[Chicken Rustler]

Quote: Well this dog was basically "thrown away" by neighbors son because dog is not good enough as a hunter. So good old mom takes the dog but does NOTHING to keep it home. Yes I know the dog is kind of doing what bird dogs do. I am just at my limit as I have told owner he had been here before. I will GUARANTEE you ALL that IF this dog gets Fudge. I will walk right over and shoot the dog on the owners porch !!!! Yes cold I know !! But they have been warned and that is what fudge means to me. And IF anything were to get Fudge (especially a dog that I had warned the owner) that would mean I have totally let Jeanine down !!!

 

[Flaming Chicken]

Bird dogs can be hard to deal with when it comes to protecting your flock. In the dogs mind, they are just trying to do their job and what they are bred for but the owner of the dog needs to do their part and more to keep the dog on its own property. Elmer and I own a bird dog along with all my chickens. She only has gotten a hold of one of my pullets but that happened before I had my chickens in a coop/run and she slipped past me while I was feeding her in her kennel and brough Elmer back one of my chickens. She didn't even misplace a feather on that bird and now that bird is my apricot colored hen, Blondie. Because she is a bird dog, we couldn't really punish her because she doesn't understand. Now that my chickens are in a coop/run til the bugs comes out, our dog, Whitney gets to run loose on the property. She knows not to go near my coop. The one time she did, she got a scold warning a good smack on the butt. I also think the electic fence zapped her. Since my coop is within myhorse pasture, I have trained Whitney to stay in the front yard and wait for me while I go feed the chickens. Its amazing how smart she is. All I have to say is "momma's feeding the chickens. Stay here" and she sits and waits for me. When the bugs come out, I will have lock Whitney in her kennel or leash her when she is outside so my chickens can roam every afternoon. I don't want to punish her for bringing me a chicken because to her its a bird and that's what she bred for and why we have her (pheasent and duck) so as a responsible bird dog owner, I willl make sure that I don't give her the opportunity to get a hold of a chicken. Bird dog owners have a responsibility to keep their dogs on their proporty because they are a special type of dog and guns don't bother them which makes it difficult to scare them away from chickens and coops. And sometimes, it triggers them to bring a bird back. Its early in the morning and I'm probably babbling on but my point is, bird dogs can be a huge threat to our flocks and the owner of that dog needs to keep them away from neighboring flocks because scolding the dog will just confuse them.

My Springer Spaniel (bird dog) got zapped a few times by my poultry net fence. He actually got tangled in it once. Now when I am letting the chickens out. He sits way back and just watches. I wish the coyotes were that easy to train. I have lost a few each year, and I think they are able to jump over the fence.

 

[itsren]

Tell your son I think he did a great job on his car. I remember that in boy scouts as a kid and then I remember my son with his youth group at church.
It's great for kids.

That cracks me up your Husband ordered those axles. I guess you can buy anything these days.

I also like it you Parents and families have races. That is a great idea.

Thanks.

When the Pinewood Derby rolls around, I'm always amazed at what does get purchased. I think the guys just ordered some sort of timer that starts timing each car as soon as it starts, and shows each cars time at the finish line. When he told me they were getting that I was like... really???? Isn't there something else we should be spending money on? Sometimes I think the Pinewood Derby is more about letting the big boys play. LOL.

I really want a band saw... I'm thinking this month might be the right month to ask for one. I could tell him I need one for the Pinewood Derby.

 

[itsren]

So cute!

 

[WhiskiRanch]

Its sad hearing about birds dogs who "aren't good enough" be "thrown away" my bird dog is so gun shy, we can't use her as a hunting dog. Did we "throw" her away? Heck no. We have turned her into a family dog. Shame on that dogs owner for putting his life at risk by letting him run loose and endanger another person's precious flock. I would want to do the same thing if a neighboring dog came after or killed one of my chickens and would put 100% blame on the dog's owner.

 

[itsren]

I'm so sorry! Can you call animal control? As much as I feel like I walk on eggshells with the noise my chickens make, I also know there's a flip side to that - our city has very tough animal laws and it only takes a 2nd offense to have an animal removed. There's motivation to keep peace with the neighbors and make sure the animals don't upset anyone.

 

[itsren]

Leg catch poles also work very well on near mature LF.

What are those? Where do you get them and how do you use them?

 

[itsren]

Today I walked into my barn to find the neighbors STUPID bird dog trying to get into my chickens. I grabbed the first thing which happened to be a walnut board about 1x3 x about 4'. Today was the first time I have actually lost my temper in several years. The dog did run home. I contacted the neighbor and told them (they were at work) They know I have a zero tolerance. If the dog comes back it won't be good. See he is a bird dog. Too stupid to run when I try to chase him and . when I have shot into the ground to scare him off he runs to me. well how much easier could it be to give him a lead injection. This dog already killed all but one of the owners chickens so I rustled that one. This dog should have been dealt with then. I will save them the trouble IF he is still alive and comes back.

I totally understand your frustration. The dog that grabbed Rhodie was a bird dog (lab) and the owner insisted that their dog was just a pet and wasn't trained to hunt so he wouldn't have gone after my bird. The dog was in my back yard and I saw Rhodie in it's mouth. Oh boy, that was a "fun" discussion that DH ended up having to come mediate. It turned out OK, and those were some difficult days, but relationships are finally being mended.

Another neighbor has a cat that has been in my yard and stalking my chickens. The big girls are pretty good about chasing it off, but I do worry about Latte. Gun use is not allowed, although I have been mad enough to threaten pulling out the BB gun. DH has talked about getting a pellet gun. I don't know. The owners gave me permission to spray it with the hose - yeah, like I'm going to have time to run over and turn on the hose if my chickens being attacked.

 

[itsren]

Great pics! Welcome back!

Just curious - is this chicken laying right now? My EE, Caunnie's face turned black like that and she stopped laying. Then, all off the sudden we noticed her face was turning golden red again and she started laying again. I thought it was strange.

 

[Chicken Rustler]

Quote: I got mine at local feed store. Mine is about 3' long. To use just reach down place the hook around foot and gently pull back as long as you pull/lift the bird will stay caught. I like mine better than my net. No tangle like a net. BUT they don't work well on bantam or chicks.