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On Friday my other half yelled at me when he looked out of the upstairs window and saw a Jack Russell attack our Brahma. I rushed out and yelled and the dog ran off towards the hedge at the bottom of the garden leaving a traumatised hyperventilating hen lots of feathers and another hen missing. She stood between my legs for ages while I stroked her and checked for injuires and when I went to see about the others she hid her head behind a plant pot - I presume thinking if I can't see you you can't see me.
I went to a neighbour behind and he took me round his garden and his neighbour's garden to see if we could spot the missing hen and seeing lots of footprints in the grass said the gardening service must has been doing his neighbour's garden. I came home and reported the attack to the Police and was promised a visit that night. The neighbour came round and said his wife had reminded him that one of the gardeners brings her Jack Russell to work and it had bitten him a few years ago. She denied it was her dog when he went round. I emailed the gardening service and told them what had happened and that I had reported the attack to the Police. No response.
Three hours later the missing hen returned and I told the neighbour she was back and that I had been in touch with the Police. He did not want to be involved with the Police.
The Police came round and I said I had heard that one of the gardening service people takes a dog to work and that none of the neighbours have a dog. He keeps chickens and was about to suggest I increased my security when I suggested that without dogs living nearby it was clearly the case that a gardener did not have her dog under control.
He called me yesterday and said he had interviewed 2 of the 4 gardeners who work for the service and they said it wasn't them. He came round today while I was working and said he had found the culprit and she a bit tearful saying she loves animals. She denied working near me on Friday and said that she thought her dog had gone off to do its business (clearly no problem if her dog poos in another garden as long as it isn't where she was working). She denied hearing the huge noise my hens kept up for some time. I find it odd that she denies working in a garden near me but admits it was her dog and says she will keep it on a lead in future.
The question is do I keep the hens in all morning next Friday or trust she will keep the dog on a lead especially now it knows about the hens.
Unfortunately the copper keeps bantams and has his whole garden fenced in and clearly thought I should do the same. We have walls on 2 sides of the garden and a hedge at the bottom and the only time we have had fox problems in all the years of hen keeping has been in the dead of night, so without neighbours with dogs, I don't want to fence the hedge further than it is already. He also has a Jack Russell so was probably more sympathetic towards the dog owner than I would have liked.
I went to a neighbour behind and he took me round his garden and his neighbour's garden to see if we could spot the missing hen and seeing lots of footprints in the grass said the gardening service must has been doing his neighbour's garden. I came home and reported the attack to the Police and was promised a visit that night. The neighbour came round and said his wife had reminded him that one of the gardeners brings her Jack Russell to work and it had bitten him a few years ago. She denied it was her dog when he went round. I emailed the gardening service and told them what had happened and that I had reported the attack to the Police. No response.
Three hours later the missing hen returned and I told the neighbour she was back and that I had been in touch with the Police. He did not want to be involved with the Police.
The Police came round and I said I had heard that one of the gardening service people takes a dog to work and that none of the neighbours have a dog. He keeps chickens and was about to suggest I increased my security when I suggested that without dogs living nearby it was clearly the case that a gardener did not have her dog under control.
He called me yesterday and said he had interviewed 2 of the 4 gardeners who work for the service and they said it wasn't them. He came round today while I was working and said he had found the culprit and she a bit tearful saying she loves animals. She denied working near me on Friday and said that she thought her dog had gone off to do its business (clearly no problem if her dog poos in another garden as long as it isn't where she was working). She denied hearing the huge noise my hens kept up for some time. I find it odd that she denies working in a garden near me but admits it was her dog and says she will keep it on a lead in future.
The question is do I keep the hens in all morning next Friday or trust she will keep the dog on a lead especially now it knows about the hens.
Unfortunately the copper keeps bantams and has his whole garden fenced in and clearly thought I should do the same. We have walls on 2 sides of the garden and a hedge at the bottom and the only time we have had fox problems in all the years of hen keeping has been in the dead of night, so without neighbours with dogs, I don't want to fence the hedge further than it is already. He also has a Jack Russell so was probably more sympathetic towards the dog owner than I would have liked.
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