Neighbor's dog killing chickens! help!

ok so my neighbor's dog is small but today I caught it in my other neighbors yard with two dead chickens, I left for a little and came back and one was gone, but one was still laying there on her back but when it started raining it jumped up and limped off to her coop, so I ask, can a chicken play dead, and what should I do about the dog? I fear my chickens are next.

I suppose that you start by writing down what you saw, and giving a copy to both neighbors... This sets the legal groundwork to be able to say later on that the dog owner knew that the dog was a liability, then willfully ignored the problem. Gives you better protection if you shoot the dog-at-large later on, or if you choose legal options after it gets into your chickens. If you do end up shooting the dog, I recommend: Shoot, shovel, and shut up.

In my experience, irresponsible dog owners continue to be irresponsible until someone does the right thing and takes out the ill-mannered dog.

Joseph is pretty much on track, also report the incident to animal control so you'll have something on record. They'll more than likely tell you theirs nothing they can do but at least you'll have started down the legal path. As far as your chickens keep as many barriers between them and the threat as you can, existing fences or some of the electric fences available. I do a lot of predator control work and could give you several other options, but if your close enough to neighbors to witness dogs killing chickens in their yards it would cause you to have quite a few legal problems of your own.

The country solution would be much quicker.

I suspect one of my dogs, Beau, was killing chickens. I found two dead in my yard in the fall.
I did my best to keep him in my fence, but I suspect there wasn't a fence made that would hold him.

He disappeared last November and never came back. I suspect someone used the "country solution" on him.

I really miss my dog, he wasn't a bad dog, just a dumb one.

Cris Bessette wrote:I suspect one of my dogs, Beau, was killing chickens. I found two dead in my yard in the fall.
I did my best to keep him in my fence, but I suspect there wasn't a fence made that would hold him.

He disappeared last November and never came back. I suspect someone used the "country solution" on him.

I really miss my dog, he wasn't a bad dog, just a dumb one.

I have a chicken killer who can jump 6' fences. We kept him chained for some time until we were able to put hot wire around the top of our dog run fence. The hot wire was only live for 2 weeks but I think he must have had an almighty shock the very first day because he won't even jump anymore, anywhere. He stands about a foot from the fence when barking now too. I wish we'd done it years earlier. So much healthier for him to be loose with the other dogs and not chained. Anyway, if you ever encounter it again. Electric livestock fencing solves it.

I think the country solution is great except it doesn't get you money to replace your dead chickens. My SIL had a neighbors dog repeatedly come and kill her chickens. They finally shot it and then called the sheriff who then required the dog owners to pay restitution for the chickens. Probably doesn't make for a great neighborly situation but if the neighbors dog is killing your chickens it's not that great to start with.

P.S. we recently got new neighbors who let their little dog run about loose. I've seen it's foot prints in the snow around my chicken fence. It's a very small dog and my peacocks can be very mean so I have every hope the birds will take care of themselves. If not I made a point of writing him a note when he first moved in warning him of the possible dangers of a loose dog.

elle sagenev wrote:
I have a chicken killer who can jump 6' fences. We kept him chained for some time until we were able to put hot wire around the top of our dog run fence. The hot wire was only live for 2 weeks but I think he must have had an almighty shock the very first day because he won't even jump anymore, anywhere. He stands about a foot from the fence when barking now too. I wish we'd done it years earlier. So much healthier for him to be loose with the other dogs and not chained. Anyway, if you ever encounter it again. Electric livestock fencing solves it.

Yeah, that was something that occurred to me later. I have about a quarter acre fenced in for my dogs, and I can't remember how many times I've patched holes, made the fence taller, fixed gates,etc.
I'll have to keep that in mind.

elle sagenev wrote:I think the country solution is great except it doesn't get you money to replace your dead chickens. My SIL had a neighbors dog repeatedly come and kill her chickens. They finally shot it and then called the sheriff who then required the dog owners to pay restitution for the chickens. Probably doesn't make for a great neighborly situation but if the neighbors dog is killing your chickens it's not that great to start with.

P.S. we recently got new neighbors who let their little dog run about loose. I've seen it's foot prints in the snow around my chicken fence. It's a very small dog and my peacocks can be very mean so I have every hope the birds will take care of themselves. If not I made a point of writing him a note when he first moved in warning him of the possible dangers of a loose dog.

I think the "country solution" is terrible, but then I am a wimpy pacifist, and I like dogs better than I like people. If I could have found out where my dog was going, I would have gladly offered to pay for the losses and
done everything I could to stop the dog doing it again.
I still understand that I live in the country and the "country solution" is how things work around here.

Cris Bessette wrote:

elle sagenev wrote:
I have a chicken killer who can jump 6' fences. We kept him chained for some time until we were able to put hot wire around the top of our dog run fence. The hot wire was only live for 2 weeks but I think he must have had an almighty shock the very first day because he won't even jump anymore, anywhere. He stands about a foot from the fence when barking now too. I wish we'd done it years earlier. So much healthier for him to be loose with the other dogs and not chained. Anyway, if you ever encounter it again. Electric livestock fencing solves it.

Yeah, that was something that occurred to me later. I have about a quarter acre fenced in for my dogs, and I can't remember how many times I've patched holes, made the fence taller, fixed gates,etc.
I'll have to keep that in mind.

I feel you completely. We have the same type of set up. We made it 2 feet taller with an overhang ala the first picture. Didn't bother the dog at all. Second picture is under the extension and it stopped him cold.

Cris Bessette wrote:

elle sagenev wrote:I think the country solution is great except it doesn't get you money to replace your dead chickens. My SIL had a neighbors dog repeatedly come and kill her chickens. They finally shot it and then called the sheriff who then required the dog owners to pay restitution for the chickens. Probably doesn't make for a great neighborly situation but if the neighbors dog is killing your chickens it's not that great to start with.

P.S. we recently got new neighbors who let their little dog run about loose. I've seen it's foot prints in the snow around my chicken fence. It's a very small dog and my peacocks can be very mean so I have every hope the birds will take care of themselves. If not I made a point of writing him a note when he first moved in warning him of the possible dangers of a loose dog.

I think the "country solution" is terrible, but then I am a wimpy pacifist, and I like dogs better than I like people. If I could have found out where my dog was going, I would have gladly offered to pay for the losses and
done everything I could to stop the dog doing it again.
I still understand that I live in the country and the "country solution" is how things work around here.

Well I hate to be harsh and I certainly understand that dogs escape. Mine have done it. In fact we used to just have a regular dog tie out on our great pyr. He broke it. So we ended up having to get an actual chain. It weighed a ton and the links were thick. It kept him where we needed him to be kept. I knew he was chasing the neighbors cows and I once saw the neighbor chasing him off with a gun. I'm thankful he didn't shoot him that day because I know he could have and I would have understood why he did. I'm thankful he didn't but we were constantly doing things to keep that stupid dog in the fence and on our property. Spent thousands of dollars. Bloody dog!

I used to rescue dogs,so understand them getting out. SOme are far worse than others. neighbors need to tell each other when they have a dog issue. I HARTE some of my neighbors for shooting my dogs. When their dogs came here and went after my cats, I never hurt their dogs. Often, a dog CAN be taught not to do it. You need to have rapport with the dog first. Talk to him/her, pet, and paly with him her (don't feed him/her anything or the dog may never leave). But, the minute the dog goes after your pets/animals, shout, wave your arms violently, and go after him/her with a broom (don't hurt him/her at first). If this doesn't work quickly enough (it will for 30%+ of dogs), feel free to hit the dog or grab him/her by the scruff of the neck and shake violently (like their mommy did when he/she was bad). I'd rather get physical with a dog and maybe hurt him/her, IF the other methods don't work, than kill the dog. Animal control will likely kill the dog, too -depending on how active the local human organizations are in your area. Also, feel free to tie a note to the dog's collar - wrap it in a ziplocked sandwhich dog and tape tightly around his/her collar.
I've also tied my neighbor's dog to his farm gate. he was IGNORING his dog and the dog really wanted attention...that was why the dog came to my house. But, my own aggressive dog HATED this unneutered male and they fought....and the intruder went after my cats periodically.
Relocate the dog. Call a human group if that dog seems adoptable and good-looking.
The neighbor who kept shooting my dogs, often right on the property line, was shot by someone - I heard the yelling/argument and the gumshots. I had no idea who shot whom, but hoped it was him. It WAS !!!
Good neighbors help each other. Making enemies is sheer stupidity.
Another neighbor who shoots dogs almost sawed his leg off one day. 911 couldn't find him. If'd he'd come to MY house for help (he went to another neighbor), I am not sure if I would've helped him. He would've bled out. He also dammed up the creek, making my stream nearly dry and lowering my enjoyment and value of my own property.

Wynn:

I suspect my dog was killed by the guy that lives on a hill across the highway from me.
A few years ago I had to call the police because someone was shooting from that property onto my property IN MY DIRECTION.

This happened twice within a few months, The first time I thought it was a simple accident / stupidity of the person across the street. The next time at least 3 bullets whizzed through the air within
10 feet of me.
The deputy that came went up the guy's hill, turned around without even getting out of the car, and went back to town, I never heard a single thing from them.

There is some kind of serious crazy going on over there, and the police made clear they don't care, even if shooting across a highway is illegal in Georgia, and shooting blindly
into the woods across said highway at something (someone!) you haven't identified is pretty good indication of a person that doesn't understand basic firearm safety.

Yeah, so, I'm not going to confront that neighbor over my dog or nearly killing me.....

My brother-in-law had two dogs that liked to attack and rip to shreds his peacocks. I showed up as he was ripping the dogs to shreds. I told him a story I had heard of a guys dog killing his chickens for sport.
The guy took two dead chickens and used number 9 stiff wire and attached to the dogs collar, he also chained the animal up. The birds rotted off of the dog. Cured dog of going near birds.
My brother-in-law did it, cured.
Make sure to keep dog away from your house as the stench gets pretty bad. Oh and you still feed the dog during this time.

Now that you mentioned it, an old country boy from NC told me the same story about his dog killing his favorite pet goat. Same result.
I may have to try that horrible solution one day. I've taken 2 strays off the streets before who killed one of my cats. I got rid of both of the dogs (didn't kill them). I should've tried that. Totally forgot about it.

I don't know why people think it's ok to let a dog run loose
If my cows are running loose and grazing in there yard they have a fit but it's ok for there dogs to run all over and kill things.and cats too.

Try shooting a cow or donkey or maybe (less risky) a goat that has escaped and gotten into your yard. See how 'the authorities' deal with it. You'l probably be sued and may wind up in jail.

Re: Wyn

Respectfully, a neighbors livestock escaping and simply walking on a neighbors property is in no way a similar comparison to another neighbor's dogs escaping and killing livestock.

In that situation, the most neighborly thing to do is report the escape to your neighbor and see if there's a way to take the animal back under control.

At worst, the escaped livestock may drop a few fertility packages for your soil microbes during their visit

On topic, I think the situation of whether you shoot a dog at large is completely dependent upon the circumstances. What is the relationship with the neighbors? What damage has the dog done? What are your local laws regarding this?

Some places, you may need to document the damage and report to local authorities. Other places, the shoot shovel and shut up method is completely customary.

Some of the pacifists here would rather accept the losses and take measures to prevent future ones. That's fine too. For me personally, by keeping livestock I am accepting responsibility for their well being and that includes defending them from outside threats if need be. If additional defensive measures are not feasible or effective, it is your responsibility to take more direct action. The obligation you have to your own livestock should trump your moral objections to harming a predator.

Just my .02

Lots of different solutions here and some "interesting" situations for folks.

Elle's solution for teaching her dog to stay in worked real well for me at one point. I've heard of folks using the dead critter trick to good effect, but it is very smelly. I've also done the "country solution" in the past, don't like it at all, but I like less what was being done to my critters. Good neighbors are a blessing, bad ones are a trial, I like my good neighbors.

For Maddie, talk to your neighbor, explain your fears and their need to control the dog. Hopefully the neighbor with the deadly dog is reasonable and will be horrified, then again they could deny that their sweet, little baby is doing the horrible things you are saying. If it is the former, maybe they know and don't have any idea how to stop it - your time to shine with some of the good advice. If it is the latter and they get nasty about it, I wouldn't argue, huff or puff - just walk away and prepare yourself for what you are willing to do. Each of us has to make that choice. If you are living in a suburban area, the country solution is most likely out the door. Animal control/law enforcement are probably your only recourse. I hope you get a reasonable response and I really am sorry you are in this situation.

I feel like we may be missing the forest for the trees here. While I agree that a dog who kills livestock is a liability and needs to be dealt with, what about the chickens? If a dog can get to them, so can a fox, coyote, weasel, raccoon, etc. Free-ranging without electric fence is asking for trouble, IMO. I know it's a pain, but look into either a secure tractor or electric. Dogs are destructive, but at least you know where they live, wild predators are just as vicious and difficult to locate and trap etc. It can be very stressful to start your electric fencing project after the first predator attack, racing against an unknown critter coming pack for more of your birds any minute. I would take this as an omen and beef up security.

Emily Wilson wrote:I feel like we may be missing the forest for the trees here. While I agree that a dog who kills livestock is a liability and needs to be dealt with, what about the chickens? If a dog can get to them, so can a fox, coyote, weasel, raccoon, etc. Free-ranging without electric fence is asking for trouble, IMO. I know it's a pain, but look into either a secure tractor or electric. Dogs are destructive, but at least you know where they live, wild predators are just as vicious and difficult to locate and trap etc. It can be very stressful to start your electric fencing project after the first predator attack, racing against an unknown critter coming pack for more of your birds any minute. I would take this as an omen and beef up security.

Good points.
We have packs of coyotes that range around where I live.
Sometimes I've heard them literally across the highway from me (creepy!) .
Next door neighbor's Shitzu disappeared one night.
It's a dog eat dog world.

The issue is that in most cases the animals on that list are nocturnal so penning the chickens up at night and free ranging them during the day mitigates the problem significantly.

We are very concerned about our neighbors dogs killing our chickens, we are just moving in and wont have chickens out for at least two months but still . . . If we are unable to free-range our chickens they no longer will work for what we have in mind and we will have to switch to another source of eggs (or give up on eggs).

Charles Kleff wrote:The issue is that in most cases the animals on that list are nocturnal so penning the chickens up at night and free ranging them during the day mitigates the problem significantly.

Mitigates but unfortunately doesn't eliminate. I have come outside on a sunny spring afternoon to find a weasel attacking one of my chickens in the middle of the yard. I have also had coyotes come after our sheep in the daytime. My sister lost 20 free ranging chickens, one by one, as a fox picked them off while they were out during the day ( a neighbour was watching the farm at the time) I really believe that if you don't want losses due to predators, the chickens need some sort of secure area. Electric fence provides security and free-range benefits, and is not as daunting as it seems.

A good guard dog is worth his weight in gold. My best, a dog who died recently, would attack any animal that came into the yard - sadly, even other dogs. The HUGE scary dog I have now won't attack them, but will chase them off. Getting the dogs to not sleep near the front door, but to patrol the yard on all sides is what I'd like. I have a few rabbits I'd like them to scare off. And an armadillo. But, it is partly my fault for letting the dogs sleep inside at night - out of the cold. I need to build some dogs houses and add a heating pad, I guess.

well the people who own the dog were talked to and I haven't seen the dog since then, but if I do see it again i will certainly make sure it remembers not to come back.

Here's what I do to deal with stray dogs. If I know who's it is I will scare the dog off my property and then speak to the owner. If the dog returns and the owner isn't supervising (chasing their runaway dog) or if it's a stray I've never seen or is acting aggressive, I lore them in with food, leash them, then take them to an animal shelter in the next state. Honestly it's not that hard to train your dog. My yard is not fenced and both of my dogs never leave it. One will even bark at the people across the street but he always stays in my yard. Also when he was young he ate one of my smaller chickens so I took the time to train him and now he loves the birds and runs to protect them when they give an alert call. Any unwanted behavior from a dog (escaping a fenced area, aggression, running away) is a failure on the owners part. Which is why I don't just shoot them like I do foxes. It's not the dog's fault that their owner hasn't trained them, doesn't stimulate them enough, or doesn't spend enough time with them.

A few good stings with a paint ball gun would send the dog home and show the owner that someone's not too happy with him hanging around. Soft Air guns work too, but there's something about a bright pink blast of paint across the ass of a dog that sends a message like no other.

A good rifle and a shovel will solve a lot of problems.

Sometimes a fire is better than a shovel, especially when it comes to things like cows or horses that are hard to bury.