We came home from church today and found 11 hens dead, 2 injured, and 1 still missing. The dog that did it was still here. Most of the hens had their necks snapped. This was a pet, not a starving stray. I'm just sick. One was my son's pet. annette

-- annette (j_a_henry@yahoo.com), August 26, 2001

Answers

How awful! I'm so sorry for your loss. Was the dog that did it one of YOUR pets, or a neighbor's? We had a problem last year with a neighbor who let his dogs run the area. They got into our chicken pen and killed 1 hen. We saw the dog run off, and told the neighbor about it, and that we would have to shoot the dog if we saw it on our property again. Unfortunately, he didn't confine the dog, and it got into our chicken pen again, killing 14 hens. We shot the dog, and returned it's body, along with the slaughtered hens, to the neighbor. He was at least gracious enough to pay us for the hens.

It's just a horrible thing to have to go through. I hope your son is handling it as well as can be expected.

-- Cheryl in KS (cherylmccoy@rocketmail.com), August 26, 2001.

thats why they make chain with clips and collars that the clips hook onto. Soory about your lose,, but after being there,, done that,, and all the stories on here,,,,, its shouldnt be surprising

-- stan (sopal@net-port.com), August 26, 2001.

Unfortunately, it is most dogs nature to kill chickens, they kill groundhogs and rabbits, they cannot "see" the difference. It is not the dogs fault, you have got to keep the chickens, when you are not right there to protect them, in a secure place. If it is not stray dogs that will get them, it is raccoons, weasels, foxes, and cougar. You will have a difficult time in keeping ALL of Mother Nature at bay forever, it is easier to keep the chickens protected from what might come at them. A securely built henhouse, made of hardware cloth wire, NOT chicken wire ( a raccoon can tear right through chicken wire!!!) and a stout roof will save you the heartbreak of this ever happening again, you can let them out to roam and scratch when you are there to supervise them.

To kill the dog is senseless, it is not their fault, it is the chicken owner's responsibility to protect their stock from predators by physically separating them from ALL predators, i.e., a good chickenhouse.

-- Annie Miller in SE OH (annie@1st.net), August 26, 2001.

Annie, if one of my chickens happens to wander onto someone else's property, and gets eaten by a dog, cat, kid, whatever, then THAT's my fault, and I don't blame the neighbor at all. BUT, when a neighbor doesn't keep his/her dog under control, and it gets onto MY property and starts killing my chickens, then that is one dead dog.

-- Cheryl in KS (cherylmccoy@rocketmail.com), August 26, 2001.

I know some folks can live with themselves and do that, but, I can't. I also cannot deer hunt or hunt wildlife in any manner, and I cannot blame a dumb animal by taking it's life for the stupid actions of it's master.

-- Annie Miller in SE OH (annie@1st.net), August 26, 2001.

Annette, Sorry to hear of your loss. We had dogs come through eailer this year. Ten chickens, one goose and three turkeys killed by dogs. Two dogs killed by us. If people what to have dogs, they need to keep them penned up just like we do our poultry. I should not have to kill a dog, but I also should not have other peoples pets on my land killing my livestock. If the dogs are going to be intruders then they are going to die. Again, sorry for your loss - it comes with country living.

-- Tom S. (trdsshepard@yahoo.com), August 26, 2001.

Annette: Sorry for your loss. I hate that some of my neighbours just let their dogs roam loose. My dogs are contained within a 5 ft high fence on a half an acre. I know that it is in many dogs natures to kill chickens but I want to be able to let my chickens free range on my property and then contain them at night so if I were to find a stray or neighbours dog killing my chickens I'd have to say there would be serious consequences. If you let the dog go it will just come back and do it again.

Not only that, dogs especially when running in a pack are dangerous to not only livestock but children as well. I'd like my children to be able to enjoy our place in the country and not be put in a pen for their own good.

Do you know who's dog it is?

Anita

-- Anita Holton (anitaholton@mindspring.com), August 26, 2001.

The dog was taken off by animal control. You see we live inside the city limits, and so sss was not an option for me. I have never seen the animal before and this is one of the reasons I do not want a dog. I simply prefer animals who pay their way. Not that most pets aren't valuable to their owners, I just am on a tight budget. The chickens have a secure hen house, in fact that was how one of them survived, by being stuck inside it. But the yard is chicken wire, and the dog dug underneath it. Ten out of 24 is the survival total, but all of my layers were killed. The two that were injured will not survive due to their injuries. I've sent off an order to macmurry, but I don't know if I'll be able to get the chicks. My son is handling it as well as can be expected for a seven year old, but he really wants another chicken. annette

-- annette (j_a_henry@yahoo.com), August 26, 2001.

call animal control,, if they find out who owns the dog,, get them to pay for the chickens

-- stan (sopal@net-port.com), August 26, 2001.

Annette, I too am sorry to hear about your chickens. I know what it feels like, I just have a deep rage come over me when somebodies dog (s) come over and do damage with my stock. The other day a classmate of my 7 yr.old daughter started coming over to play with her after school. Every time he would come a big pack of dogs would come with him. The first time he came I told him to run his dogs back home cause of my chickens. Which they only ran back up the road just a little ways and waited for him. The second time he came I told him that if any of his dogs kills any of my chickens I would have to make his parents pay $7.00 a piece for each chicken. This didn't seem to phase him any and then his dogs started chasing the chickens. I was keeping a close eye on them and managed to stop them. I then told him to go home and never come back unless he locked or tied his dogs up first. I've never seen him since. I can't believe this, I've already run my daughters first boyfriend off.

-- Russell Hays (rhays@sstelco.com), August 26, 2001.

you can never break a dog from killing chickens once they start the dog must be removed or destroyed, or give up the chickens. sorry if this post seems blunt and to the point,but every chance the dog gets it will kill again. i was raised in the country and this is just a farm life fact. paul

-- paul a coleman (wormfarmerone@yahoo.com), August 26, 2001.

Are you sure you can't stop them? I had a dog years ago that I used to take to a homestead that I worked at sometimes, he started killing chickens, got two on two different days. We tied one of the chickens around his neck and tied him to a tree with only about a three foot lead. He was there that day and night, then the next day. He did not kill another chicken. I ironically have a problem right now with one of my dogs that has killed a chicken and wounded another, but the dead chicken tied around the neck is not working. The biggest problem is that he doesn't just kill chickens, he will kill a chicken only if it goes into the back yard. If he goes out to the front yard (11 acres worth) he just walks amongst them with no problem. He saw us chase the chickens out of the back yard and decided that we must not want them there (which we don't) and fiqures that it is his job to take care of it. He gets tied up on a short lead whenever he goes out and we are allowing the chickens in the yard now, any ideas from anyone else? Tana

-- Tana Cothran (tana@getgoin.net), August 26, 2001.

Animal control was not an option for us. We had called the sherrif in the county but he told us there were no leash laws. We were also told that if there were animals on our land killing our animals to "shoot them". In our county poultry are not considered livestock - it they were the dogs owners could be fined. It seems to me that if a person raises poultery for a living that they are livestock. I own two dogs myself but they do not roam.

I have a right to protect my property. My wife was sick when she considered the number of eggs the chickens could have produced. These dogs were killing for fun, none of the animals were eaten. The last dog that was shoot was back on our property for the third time in one night. Some may say that they were just acting out of instinct and should be left alone. But do you just let a dog kill everthing you own?

It is good in your case that you have the option of animal control. Some of us in the country don't have that option.

-- Tom S. (trdsshepard@yahoo.com), August 27, 2001.

Another good reason to keep a very large, old German bloodline German Shepard to protect you and yours from all types of predators. After an encounter with a hundred pound assailant with large teeth, the marauding dogs will not be back, ever!

Get a bigger, bolder, dog, then you don't have to shoot ANYTHING, not stray dogs, not raccoons, fox, coyotes, etc., etc. There are alternatives to just blasting away at things.

-- Annie Miller in SE OH (annie@1st.net), August 27, 2001.

Anne, I understand that when some dogs kill chickens, you say it isn't their fault--that it's just instinct. Well, I brought home a rescue collie; he thought it would be great to chase the sheep and the chickens. Now, I didn't blame him for chasing the sheep, because that is bred into him. But, he's a smart dog. I talked to him in a stern voice about both situations as soon as they occured. He never bothered the chickens again, and suprisingly, never chased the sheep again either. I don't blame the dogs that kill livestock--to them it is great fun! The owners, now, that is a different matter. However, if the owners are irresponsible, then I have to protect my livestock. Nothing personal towards the dog or dogs, but they are on a par with coyotes, and the same solution applies.

-- Judy in IN (whileaway3@cs.com), August 27, 2001.

Annette, Could you place logs on each side of the chicken wire? That would greatly increase the size of the hole the dog would have to dig. You can lay hardware wire down around the outside of the pen, make sure you attach it firmly to the wire fence. This will prevent them from digging uner too.

We have thorned Honey Locust trees. Too many of them. But the logs, with the thorns, make excellent barriers for preditors.

-- Rickstir (rpowell@email.ccis.edu), August 27, 2001.

The missing hen came in last night and it was the last layer. Logs around the bottom of the pen are an option, one I'm going to look into. Not one of the chickens was eaten. This dog was not starving wich is the only way that I can personally excuse such behavior. I have requested that the dog be put down. Someone has to have 'lost' him. He had a rabies tag, and that will be used to track down the owner. I will request money for replacements, but I'm afraid of the owner laughing it off and getting the animal back. There are atleast three other flocks in a five block area and two are free range. annette

-- annette (j_a_henry@yahoo.com), August 27, 2001.

Annette I really feel for you and your son, I live in New Zealand and am a regular on a site called lifestyleblock.co.nz where lately there has been several postings of dogs attacking sheep and chickens, the onus has to be on the dog owner or dog, this is your private property, your home that has been tresspassed and violated whether it is an instict of the dog or not, if the dog has an owner I would be asking that person to apologise to my 7yr old son. Personally I think it is the owners responsibility to make sure their dog does not wander the streets and they should be held accountable for this kind of disaster

-- Jen Butler (heavenleigh2938@hotmail.com), August 29, 2001.

I have the answer. Run 2 strands of electric wire around the bottom of the coop. The lower should be 3-4 inches off the ground and the upper should be 6-8 inches from the ground. Get a good quality, strong fence charger and a grounding rod. Make the wires low enouogh that a dog cannot get under them without getting hit. They can't stand it. They will only touch it one or two times before they learn their lesson. Where I live, there are lots of coyotes and stray dogs running around and I have never lost a chicken. I have a herd of fullblood Boer goats that I have in a 7 strand electric fence along with two Great Pyrnees dogs that have never been harmed.

-- Doug (dcoffey1@bellsouth.net), September 01, 2001.