When the neighbor dogs kill your birds - ugh!

[Chicky-dees]

We love our neighbors - we all get along (well, most of us do) and we all have large property with lots of acreage, lots of livestock - horses - chickens - gardens - and whatever else comes up and begs for food (four- legged, that is) and we don't hesitate to help each other out when we need to go out of town, take a vacation, care for a sick relative, you name it. But boy does it just make life miserable when the dogs belonging to one of these really nice (shirt off their back for you) neighbors comes over and kills your birds?

This happened to my neighbor. She only had 10 birds, but after careful selection for breed and sex and then building them their very own cute house with attached pen (complete with painted daisies on the door and flower boxes and newly planted roses - she went all out here for her very first time at raising chickens) - and don't forget the weeks of daily attention and brooding them through the cold weather and then months of waiting for the first eggs, *POOF* they are headless and strewn about all up and down our road from her doorstep all the way to the dogs' home and on their doorstep.

The owner was sorry and offered to replace the chickens but you know that $ can't replace all of the time and effort and those specific chickens which she had made pets out of and would hop on her lap to be petted. You can't just fork over a few bucks and say 'here - go get yourself another chicken' and assume that the problem is solved. OH what a mess. She's heartbroken and ANGRY and feels like so much of her time was just a waste.

I've been through it myself, but more with wildlife being the culprit and only a few times with domestic dogs. She's so disgusted that she doesn't even want to get any more birds. And after all of her fancy housing and gardening just for the hens! She really broke her back for those birds. Poor gal!

Can anyone relate?

 

[Chicky-dees]

Sorry I put this in the geese section - I started thinking about my geese that got eaten by a guy's pet bobcat (yes, pet bobcat!) and went to this section to post about it but then ended up telling the other story (her chickens were killed just the other day). I hit post without paying attention.

What do you do when you really like your neighbor but want to egg their house at the same time?

 

[Evelle]

yes i do understand that!!
my neighbors are great people who have been cursed with such turmoil!!! (18 year old daughter died of a brain aniurisum (sp?) and he was just diganosed with throat cancer!)
but their dogs killed many many of my birds and sometimes when they arent paying attention nor i am they come over and get a few.

i love my neighbors but this whole thing has put a strain on out neighborly ways

i hope that she will beable to work with her neighbor about this situation.. have the dogs locked up when not watched. when they are outside.. or have a set time when the chickens are out and about.. like 4 to night fall..
wish her luck for me and tell her she isnt alone on this..

 

[Miss Lydia]

Quote:
Very sad and very thankful it hasn't happened here yet. I hate to hear of stories like this because it is heartbreaking. People don't understand the time and effort we put into our geese, chickens, ducks etc just to have them slaughtered by a neighbors dog. I hope she will again get chickens and that she'll never have to go through this again. I hope none of us have to go through this Ever. I keep my dogs on our property because i don't want them getting into trouble or eaten by predators. I wish others would have respect for their neighbors pets and property. Please tell her how sorry I am and hope she can try again to enjoy having chickens. Also sorry about your geese.

 

[Ridgerunner]

Somebody dropped a couple of big (100 pound range) unneutered male dogs in the country for the good life. They got hungry and found my chickens. When they came back for seconds, I managed to shoot them. I did not enjoy shooting them. Actually it was extremely unpleasant. I have caught dogs dropped off out here before and taken them to the pound, so it is not that I blast away at anything that moves, but in this case, that was not an option.

A while back, a recently widowed neighbor was given a pup by her grand-daughter. That pup was chasing my chickens, but never caught any. When I mentioned it to the owner's son, he said "shoot it". I'm supposed to shoot a recently widowed woman's puppy, given by her grand-daughter? I would have if it had come back, but it also chased horses, cows, and newborn calves. It soon "disappeared", not by my doing.

Another dog recently killed some of my chickens. I was not here, a neighboring girl was taking care of them. She won't say which dog it was, saying she does not know. I think it was her cousin's dog and she won't admit it. I can't really do anything until I have proof which dog it is. The cousin's father also said "shoot it" a long time ago when we discussed things like this. It's my job to protect my chickens and I'll do what I have to, but I need proof before I act. I will not get in trouble with my neighbors for shooting a chicken killing dog, but it is not something I enjoy doing and I really need to know it actually is that dog.

I keep a small flock so it is a serious set-back when several get killed. The two-dog attack really hurt because I had recently culled my flock down to the breeders I wanted to keep. I lost the rooster I wanted and my best-laying hen that was also my only green egg layer. I can't relate in exactly the same way as your neighbor, but, yes, I can relate.

People around here have working dogs. There job is to keep other animals from harming farm animals, keep raccoons, ground hogs, and such out of the gardens and crops, and keep vermin and snakes away from the houses. They cannot be locked up and do their jobs. Occcasionally one crosses the line and does things it is not supposed to, like chasing calves or killing chickens. The age old tradition is that you shoot those and get one that behaves as it should. I understand what is going on and will do what I have to, but life is not always easy.

 

[Chicky-dees]

Quote:
I'm so glad that you mentioned the above - I was to 'chicken' (yes, pun intended) to mention my experience with the possibility of shooting others dogs. I haven't had to kill one, but I have had a bit of a face-off once. Not that I got into an argument with them, but their faces actually fell when I walked their loose dogs back to their house with my 30 30 slung over my shoulder. I only said sweetly and and in a friendly way that they were chasing my birds and for their own safety, they should make an effort to keep their dogs from running loose on my property. I have so many coyote invasions (as of this week I'm down to 4 chickens which is crazy - I'll get more next spring) that I shoot at anything that comes after my birds, even if I can't see what it is through the brush (stretched the truth a little here - I always site my target). I told them I'd hate for their dogs to come into my line of fire (this has also kept their kids and their friends off my property as well). Ne'er a problem since and we still get along fine.

 

[CMV]

Boy, can I relate. Several weeks back I offered to help some good friends out by burying their dead dog on my property. They came over to have a small funeral with their family and their remaining dog. Their remaining dog bolted out of their car upon arrival and ripped the throat out of one of my ducks in under 3 seconds.

Still so angry about that...

 

[juliaronan]

Sounds like some hot wire around the birds might help...maybe???

 

[WriterofWords]

It is sad, and it's even sadder when it's friends but that can't really matter in something like this. The dogs need to be contained, period. The birds need to be replaced and paid for, period. No it doesn't make it all better, but it needs to be handled properly no matter who is involved.

 

[gryeyes]

So far, my only losses to neighbors' dogs have been due to my freely ranging chickens crossing through or over a fence onto their property. In those cases, as sad as I was, I reassured my neighbors they were not the least bit liable. My chickens were the trespassers.

In both instances, the different neighbors were horrified their dogs had killed my chickens - and very worried that I would be upset with them.

How could I be? My two wayward chickens were far too tempting for dogs with strong prey drives, and they were in the dogs' yards!

I hope like heck I will never experience predation by dogs ON my property. I've already been told to shoot any dog going after my chickens "because it's legal and everybody understands it.". Like Ridgerunner, I would hate to have to do so, especially if it's a dog I know and greet daily through the fence.