Dog Attack!!

[HayleyB]

Welcome to the vine, shame not under different circumstances, bloody horrible for you

[steve'n'sal]

Update:

The Maran is dead and we have moved the young Fav pair inside. The dog breed in question seem to be as voracious a predator as a fox, if it wants to get in and play with my chickens it will find a way simple as. As for foxes we know they are around but generally strike at night so we lock the chickens in secure sheds, we aren't bordered by fields so a day fox strike would be very rare. The land in question is 50 metres away from the house and the cost of weld meshing all the runs would put us so much into the minuses it isn't worth thinking about!

The question around what the council could do is very much a grey area, however I've done some digging on t'interweb and if it happened again we are legally within our rights to shoot it. We don't want it to come to that as we both love animals, but theres only so many times you can pick up the pieces.

Thanks for the support, theres alot of love on this forum. Peace out.

[rustylady]

Update:

The dog breed in question seem to be as voracious a predator as a fox, if it wants to get in and play with my chickens it will find a way simple as.

The dog is the owners' responsibility. Sue them for the damage caused. They are liable, unlike cat owners as cats are classed as "semi-wild" animals. Doesn't ease your pain, but dog owners need to take responsibility for their pets' behaviour.

[MrsC]

How awful, recommend galvanised wire panels, but, of course cost is an issue. Have you tried an advert on the local freecycle, it may reduce your cost? x

[Nicos]

Talking about suing....don't most pet insurers cover damage to other property/stock etc????
Having got over the shock of your post....I'm really cross for you

CAB maybe a thought??

I'm sorry that the Marans didn't make it(- I really want to get 3 in November)

You don't want to shoot a dog- you'd feel cr@p if you did ( do you actually have a gun??)

Urmmm..where are you??..can you put this on your profile- peeps will be even more supportive once they know!

[its hilly]

So sorry guys..and hi.
Ask around big building sites for second hand security fencing. Seen some new on't web for £17 a panel, but they're rigid, galvanised and around 6ft high and 8ft long. Know that works out dear for a big area but 2nd hand should be much cheaper? At least it would give you a small secure area for when youre not around. And if the dog owners have insurance it covers 3rd party damage, to the pen as well as the chooks, so try to get your mesh replaced as the damage has left it unusable for its purpose!!

[steve'n'sal]

I have updated my profile as well as adding some pics to my profile, check em out!

I will take the pest prevention ideas into consideration. Those security fences look very sturdy and with a charged wire round the top would be like a chicken fort knox. Next year we hope to be breeding Mottled Leghorn, Salmon Favs and Black Silkies putting most effort into the Faverolles.

[tlck9]

As a dog owner, I would absolutely be mortified if my dog had got into some ones garden and killed or even hurt some chickens.

Having had a situation where my dog got away from me when we first moved to our new house, and ran into someones garden after a cat - I was absolutely hysterical!! However the cat got away and the dog well got well and proper telling off and he hasnt done it again

I would be willing to pay for whatever damage the dog had caused and would probably offer to pay for the electric fence as a sort of penalty for the upset/hurt.

However if some person came round threatening me with suing for my dog for killing their chucks I wouldn't be very happy with the attitude! If I had an attitude about it and couldnt give a dam (then I agree), but if they are genuine and are very sorry and willing to put things right then good on them

I think we are too quick to sue nowadays and I wouldnt dream of doing that to someone else (unless it happened again) but then I would warn the owner that it if happened again then I would be within my rights to take action - they would then know that it is down to them to ensure they control the dog and if need be put higher fencing in to keep the dog under control

I live in a rural area that if a dog gets into a farmers field and kills or even worries a sheep they will be shot on sight and I agree as this deters the owners and they will keep their dogs under control.

Sounds like they are responsible owners and want to do everything in their power to put things right...but do warn them about a 2nd time

[OverWyreGrower]

We created a roofed pen for ours - to stop access by our dogs, next doors dogs and foxes.

We've got normal stock fencing/sheep wire round the bottom, and then we've used plastic release pen netting (from here: Solway Feeders )

I've attached some pics of it under construction last year. We've trenched the netting at the bottom, so it's underground, and also tied the netting to the stock fence so it can't be pulled up.

The netting was about £140 (2m high roll), but did the whole pen and roof, and we've got quite a bit left over for repairs/a new pen etc.

There was no way we could have afforded weldmesh type stuff for the whole thing. The release pen nettin was recommended to us by a large local company who raise birds for shoots etc - they have thousands on their sites and use the netting for their pens.

[CoraxAurata]

sorry to hear about your girls,as for the dog all well and good they come forwards,BUT,as I thought that if a dog attacks live stock,they should be reported and the dog concerned delt with,or is it only for farmers,what if it's a young child next time,my understanding is if an animal tasted blood,it could come again,

I'm guessing not a doggie person Lottie .

It may come back for more chickens but chasing chooks doen't make it a child chaser. My big spotty dog has killed numerous rats and whilst I don't beleive any animal should be left alone with children he's as trustworthy as they come - and has been taught the difference between chicken and rat too (after he tried to pluck one of my first birds)!On the other hand my collie bitch is hugely territorial and would happily eat the postie, the coalman and the parcel guy but will fetch the baby ducks back from the feild nose to tail without any risk of grabbing and ignores the chickens... the young dog on the otherhand isn't close to trustworthy with chickens yet (cos they flap and go all directions) ducks are ok (they herd) and children are for belly rubs.

Every dog is different, the problem with Huskies is they are high energy, high intelligence and High prey drive so need to be kept stimulated or will be troublesome......Because they are high maintenance the owner of such a dog should be experienced and keep it under extra control.

As it now knows where the chickens are I would say the owners should definately pay for and be involved in construction of preventative fencing.

Sorry for going off topic my freind lost her favorite (and first) hen to a neighbours terrier last week so feeling a little sensitive, I go to great lengths to keep my dogs under control and cannot understand people who don't. Though accidents can still happen of course, - maybe your husky owners are normally model owners.....

[Eco-Chic]

It's undoubtedly true that some owners are better able to control their dogs than others and some dogs are less trainable than others. I might just as well be invisible if mine decide to chase fleeing squirrel, cat or bird or run to greet someone they love. So I take precautionary measures: Dogs behind shut gate when chooks are out or I'm opening/closing the coop; dogs behind child gate when I open the front door; dogs on leads outside the house and in the car. They are allowed off lead in the Park and Woods away from the street/road entrances.

It takes time to recognise these limitations in oneself and ones animals however

If there is the slightest likelihood that the husky will have another go at the chooks I do think that the owners should agree to contribute or pay for the electric fencing or other equipment to keep THEIR animal from attacking the chickens.

[Nicos]

Dogs certainly can be unpredictable......many years ago.....My OH and I took his Deer Hound for a walk in the park as usual with him off the lead- (as everyone else did with theres)
He'd never strayed far and would do his lazy leaning on one of our legs when we stopped thingy which Deerhounds do and was, as always ,very very obedient.
On one occasion though, he spotted a huge stag- and just set off after it
We yelled and called and yelled some more- and he just ignored us and was catching up with the stag which was leaping through the air. Everyone was standing staring at this magnificent sight when we realised he'd have no problem bringing it down
Suddenly everyone was calling his name and yelling for him to come here- and at the last minute he veered off and came bounding back to us.
I've never felt my heart pounding like that before...can you imagine explaining- and having to pay for - Tatton Park's top Stag

After that he was always on the lead. Just goes to show.

Yup- we learned the hard way- and fortunately the stag was fine


Back to the chooks.....

any update Steve'n'Sal??

[CoraxAurata]

Yep I walk my dogs in sheep free zones where possible so I can allow them off the lead, this mostly means areas belonging to the forestry comission with cattlegrid entrances.... unfortunately deer respect very few barriers and well trained or no the dogs see a deer and they are off I can bellow my heart out with no response (unless I see the deer first) fortunately the deer are big red deer and can easily clear barriers that stop the dogs (or at least slow them enough to start hearing again!

[Eco-Chic]

When mine were pups they took a fancy to some horses tails and chased them across the park. Happily, the mounted policeman and woman had a good SOH

My friend lives in the Caribbean and had a Dalmatian which loved to chase the horses galloping down the beach. One day he grabbed the tail and was airborne behind the cantering horse. Quite a sight and a real pleasure that he came back with his full complement of teeth.

[CoraxAurata]

When mine were pups they took a fancy to some horses tails and chased them across the park. Happily, the mounted policeman and woman had a good SOH

My friend lives in the Caribbean and had a Dalmatian which loved to chase the horses galloping down the beach. One day he grabbed the tail and was airborne behind the cantering horse. Quite a sight and a real pleasure that he came back with his full complement of teeth.

LOL! Police horses are so patient!

Dalmations and horses really go together! We used to live in Lambourn and discovered the hard way that our outherwise well behaved dalmation cross felt that a running horse should have an escort! He wasn't trying to chase the horse just run alongside, fortunately the jockey pulled up and waited for me to get him back or I would have been hiking round the yards to find him! Still myself and your Caribean dwellling freind were both lucky the dogs didn't cause the horse to drop the jockey and bolt...