What do I do?

[C17]

The dog just killed 20 girls. I think my son let the dog out and didn't check to see if the girls were out.
My daughter, who came home from lunch to gather eggs found the mess.
If it was my dog, it wouldnt be eating dinner tonight however, its my wife's dog..mine..by marriage?

 

[kari_dawn]

...I would talk to your wife about it...I would want my significant other to talk to me about it before offing my pup...however, I would agree that mine or not, the dog can't stay.

 

[bobbi-j]

Clean up the mess, get more chickens to replace the ones the dog killed (or wait until spring and in the meantime maybe make a run for the chickens), start training the dog to leave the chickens alone, have a talk with your son and remind him of the importance of making sure the chickens aren't out when he lets the dog out. In other words, learn from it and move on. There's no reason to kill the dog on the first offense. It's not the dog's fault it hasn't been trained to leave the chickens alone...

 

[bairo]

Quote:
A resounding x2. Very good advice.

 

[C17]

Thank you all.
This isn't his first time, he killed 5 of my original 6. So I got 26 more thinking a few loses......not 20. Don't think training him will work, as he is part lab and pit......You all know the time, love , money and love that we put in to it. Five girls made, maybe I should reval raising chickens.
Again, thanks for all the good replies.

 

[bobbi-j]

What I'm going to say is in an effort to offer hope, and not to be argumentative. There are many, many people on BYC that have labs, pits, and crosses of the two that have successfully trained their dogs to leave the chickens alone. I have a lab. He's great with my birds. Never bothers them. I'm guessing your dog is an adult, and it may take more work, but I believe that with TIME, PATIENCE, and most of all, CONSISTENCY your dog can be taught. It all depends on how much work you (or your wife) are willing to put into it. If you're looking for an excuse to get rid of the dog, then I guess you've found it.

ETA I don't think the dog is the only one who needs training. So do the humans who are responsible for allowing the untrained dog access to the chickens. (I think my son let the dog out and didn't check to see if the girls were out. )

 

[Mattemma]

If no one is training the dog or preventing it from getting out to kill then I would get rid of the dog. If that was not an option I would provide better security for the chickens and electrify their area,so the dog gets a nasty shock. Actually,I might do the invisible fence for the dog.

I would be very resentful if my spouse kept a dog that kept killing my chickens,and they did not make an effort to prevent more deaths. Best wishes!

 

[bobbi-j]

Quote:
I think I'm on the other end of the spectrum. I'd be resentful if my spouse wanted to get rid of my dog because he wasn't making an effort to keep the chickens in a secure area to prevent more deaths. I agree that OP needs to secure the chickens better. In the long run, it would be best for all parties concerned. He can have his chickens, she can have her dog.

 

[C17]

I left a lot of details out. All your points are vaild and helps me to think things out. The dog wouldn't be put down, only relocated. Which isn't going to happen. There is ownership on all levels of this, just another hard lesson to learn.
other then Mypetchicken, where else can I get new girls?
thanks for understanding....

 

[Oregon Blues]

The daughter who let the dog out when the chickens were loose is the one who should be going without her supper.

You've got a dog that kills chickens. You've got careless persons in your family. The only way for you to keep chickens is to keep them in a very secure pen that the dog can't break into.

NOT the dog's fault, here. I'd say the major blame falls upon the person who does not keep his birds in adequate safe housing.