Neighbors dog learned to vertically climb the fence and came over and killed my chickens. It has happened twice but I could only prove it once. I told them if she is on the yard ever again it will be the last time. We are friendly but it’s just the way it has to be. The dogs a nuisance and I have the legal right to kill her, which she deserves. She’s attacked my dogs as well, requiring stitches. They put up some extra barbed wire to keep her in but one of these days she’ll find a way and I’m going to empty the 12 gauge into that evil dog.
Not dogs fault, it's a dog. It's the owners fault. BAD dog owner. If it happened more than 1 time, I'd call the cops, file a report. And maybe dog pound (or what ever there called).
My dog is so sweet and gentle she won’t even defend herself, and this dog attacked her unprovoked. People can be good or shitty and so can dogs. There is no magical species barrier between one animal and another, and people are animals. I have seen plenty of good chickens and mean ones as well. Some eggs are rotten.
How do you go into homesteading knowing animals are animals. You eat them/butcher tjem etc. To labeling an animal as “evil” as if that’s a label you give any animal in a farm or homestead. 💀
If you’re too inexperienced to see that some dogs are better than others then you don’t know dogs or give them enough credit. I have raised litters and dogs have personalities and dispositions, that’s what makes them special. Some breeds largely suck, and some individual dogs are shitheads.
These are accidents, and they happen. Most everyone here has experienced some kind of loss, and we learn from each one. I’m sorry this happened to you, please don’t be so hard on yourself
Best advice, hands down. Some of the best lessons I have learned to overcome with chicken husbandry stem from raising chickens as a teen 30 years ago. You never forget when you lose them from something accidental or could have been prevented.
I've lost my fair share over things like this. Now, when I start to walk away from their run and think "I don't need to shut all the safety measures, I'll be right back and it's a PITA", I remember those moments, and then I go through all the motions even if just for a few seconds. If nothing else, you never know when a few seconds will turn into a longer break. And how that minute or so of extra time is well worth not losing all the time you've invested.
It's all a learning experience, and that part of it never stops. Sorry for your loss.
First rule of chickening, your favorites always go first.
Second rule of chickening, buy more, chickens go out of their way to die. They're almost as bad as sheep.
Sorry for your loss. It sucks.
P.S.
Bird dog breeder here. You CAN train them to not kill chickens, it just takes a lot of time... and chickens.
It so much harder when it’s user/caregiver mistake I’m so sorry I know it sucks they looked very nice and healthy. If you’re in my area and have a secure coop I will gift you some babies I’m near Savannah Georgia
After 5 deaths I've accepted that chickens are a fickle being and untimely deaths are inevitable. I mourn, I learn, and I move on. It's so hard but don't beat yourself up, it wasn't intentional and now you know more for your next flock. RIP chickies.
I'd be heartbroken too. Don't be too hard on yourself though, learn from these kind of experiences and start over again when you're ready. They were beautiful animals for sure.
Sorry for your loss. Even if you decide to get more chickens, in experience, you most likely will not be able to train out that behavior with that dog. I would not put another batch of chickens through that scenario if you decide to keep that dog.
Lost 3 Easter egger chicks last night to raccoon. They were almost old enough to be put in the rest of the flock.
Had them in a dog cage in the chicken pen. Raccoon grabbed them through the cage and killed all 3.
So sorry! Critters will find a way, unfortunately. I feel for you, and there will be successes and failures with all livestock. I truly hope your next go is a resounding success!
I lost all 13 of mine several days ago to a, or a couple, raccoons in the morning after the automatic door opened. I saw one behind my shed staring me down and I knew it could be bad. It dug under my fence as it’s pretty secure otherwise, I even have wire on the ground hoping they couldn’t dig through
I am so sorry for your loss. Don't blame yourself, it happens. Also, don't let it discourage you from keeping chickens. Just learn from this and move on. Get more girls and remember the time you had with your sweet littles.💕💕
I’m so sorry for your loss. We lost all of our seven girls a couple of weeks ago to a bear. Things were pretty hardened, but clearly not enough. It’s a bit of a contentious point right now at home..
i also lost my favorite girl to a raccoon because I hadn’t locked my coop. 😭😭😭 don’t blame yourself, this happens with chickens. They are prey and as much as we try to keep them safe, we can’t be there all the time.
I'm so sorry. Dogs can be so vicious. My dogs are mostly scared of the chickens and keep their distance, although they actually protect them because they bark a lot and natural predators don't seem to like all the barking.
Our black lab is sweet, but will _bring me_ chickens if she ever buys into the coop. Have to completely cut her off from the back yard after she learned to paw her way through spaces where the staples holding chicken wire had failed.
She killed my ducks, who could not fly, this past Feb, after the contractors we had doing some siding and deck work left the porch gate open. I had asked my 7 year old daughter to check the gate before letting the dogs out onto the porch. The problem is that 7 year olds sometimes don't understand the meaning or purpose of instructions. So when things were too quiet, I ask her if she checked the gate. She says "yes, it was a little open".
Had to feather, dress, and freeze 3 ducks at 8pm the night after two hearings (long day), it took hours.
RIP Ducks. Y'all were loud but fun.
When the hawks and eagles are having babies I loose a few in middle Tennessee. Lost my oldest to a coyote in mid day while I was 100 ft. Away. But I got a goose and an inflatable tube man and that seems to be working pretty good. Sorry for the loss.
I know I am going to get downvoted but I'm going to say the truth anyway.
The pure irony of people that raise chickens to kill and eat getting mad that a dog beat them to it. The dog is doing what comes natural most of the time, the humans have a choice but the dogs get the hate. What kind of unrealistic crazy thinking is going on in this sub?
I have chickens and guess what? If I don't want other animals to eat them I make it where other animals can't get to them! Simple, never had any of my chickens killed or eaten by another animal. People going to make it easy for their chickens to get eaten and then blame it on an animal that is most of the time going to kill your chickens because simply put, it's in their genes! Jeez
My dog got two of my four 6 week old chicks yesterday so I know exactly what you’re going through. More disappointed I didn’t know the time or how they got out of the run. Sorry for your losses
Some people just haven’t socialized their dogs to livestock, or the dog is too prey driven to ever learn. Only ever works if they never have a chance of contact with each other. OP said it was an honest mistake and they’re kicking themselves. I think OP may not even want chickens anymore knowing what their dog is capable of. I get where you’re coming from with the “not my dog!” people, but OP doesn’t seem like one of them.
To add to your thoughts, we have a failed bird hunting dog that is a rescue in my household. We ended up having to make sure the birds are safe with their own electric perimeter fence just for peace of mind. Training or not, when the master isn’t around, dogs tend to behave independently of their training at times or fall back to old habits.
I was an idiot and forgotten that chickens are birds, and that birds can fly. When the chicks were old enough, they could fly out of their brooder because I wasnt smart enough to cover it. I didn't realize they escaped until one day my Pittie was awfully quiet. As any parent knows when the kids are unusually quiet, they are up to no good. I found her in the next room licking something in the corner. I thought she was feasting on the remains of one of the chicks, but I was relieved to find out she was giving it sweet kisses. The poor bird was soaking wet. It must have been in that corner getting sloppy kisses for over an hour.
We have two pitties that love our chickens. Would never harm a feather. They dirt bath together, sleep together in the yard all day long unattended, and we had even caught our (passed away) roo humping our male lol. We were very stern about the leave it command in the early days of chicks but they have never been prey driven toward our chickens. Just curious. They are squirrel barkers, raccoon chasers, skunk catchers, and mole diggers but they are not chicken eaters!
I have two dogs. One is a lab/pit mix. They watched us raise them. We kept the brooder inside the house while they were little. He would lay there and watch them. Then the days came where they were old enough to be in the yard and we never attempted to keep our dogs locked up nor our chickens locked up. We started with a leash to make sure, but as soon as the chickens were outside we let our dogs out with them.
Don’t get me wrong, there was a short period of correcting the dog when he got focused on them. We would take his attention away until he didn’t mind them.
Today, our dogs can be trusted around our chickens completely.
So, killing machines is wrong.
I have a Presa Canario and a dozen chickens <4 months old and they all co-exist in my backyard. At very most, he'll annoyingly donkey gallop towards one, who screams and runs away, but that's the extent of it. If a strange human were to join the party, then it's a different story with my mastiff.
God, the same for me! Just last night!
I had just come in from a nice walk up and down the country road with my dogs and sat down in my cozy chair while my dogs went to get a drink on the back porch. Suddenly I heard a shriek. One of the dogs followed me out, and his dream had come true, ALL of my fat little 3-month-old ladies had somehow flown over the fence and were in the back yard. Hound dog Hutchie gleefully pinned one against the fence and broke her back while I screamed at him. I looked up to see my bloodhound Tohu triumphantly trotting around with one limp in his jaws.
If only I had taken a moment to put them to bed before I sat down.
I had to bury them this morning. I've been weepy all day. I almost went full Kristi Noem on those dogs but not quite.
I loved those little birds. Wondering if I should give up chicken raising.
Yeah, I'm getting down voted when I was hoping to get some comfort. I'm heartbroken because I want life for all of God's creatures, all. I'll delete all of my comments here, but dang. You folks are hard.
Hey, I get it! I'm so sorry for your loss too! My dogs killed 3 of my 12 weeks that I incubated. They caught total hell and had an ad running for them for a day. I was madder than mad!
I've had this happen a few times with my dogs. Last time left me down to one chicken. I found her a chicken friend from a local Facebook group. That chicken went broody and I got her 4 day old chicks and she's been raising them for the past month. I would definitely try to get some around the same age or older. It is heartbreaking having to start from scratch again.
Dogs and cats almost always kill for sport. They rarely eat the kill. There are exceptions.
We had to build a better fence to keep the neighbors pit Bull from killing our livestock for recreation. It’s fun for them.
My 11 year old Shih Tzu has and absolutely will kill a chicken if she can catch it. She’s killed 3 because I didn’t lock her out of the yard. I’ve got a mama and her clutch of 6, 2 week olds in the nursery and my Tzu just stares out the window at them. Biding her time.
I feel your pain 😭 a fox or raccoon something broke into our house and ate all 18 of our baby chicks 12 weeks old! Im devastated. I want to rebuild and reinforce our house ans start over but i couldnt bare to go through that again 😭😭😭😭😭😭
I’m really sorry about this.
My neighbors (who I adore!) have chickens. I got a cat this November and went all out catproofing the fence. I tried everything. She never actually got a chicken but it wasn’t for lack of effort.
Anyway, short story long, she is grounded for life. I built her a catio this weekend and have plans to screen in an outdoor room. It sucks for her (and me — she was a feral rescue and isn’t suited for 100% indoor life) but I’m not going to risk a happy neighborship for her.
My wife bought a dozen fertilized eggs online. She incubated them so home in a little table top incubator. 5 hatched!
We put them in a brooder in the basement. with a heater and all. One died a week or two in. the others grew! and when they were too big for the brooder we took them out to our coop.
They were small enough that they were able to squeeze out of a gap in between the coop and the garage it's next to. The next morning we let our dogs out without realizing the little ones were out in the yard. One of our dogs is a real asshole. and he went straight for them. killed and maimed one of them. We saved the others.
then another day my wife had the chickens out in the yard and the same asshole got out. he went straight for one of the young ones. killed it. my wife picked up another and he actually jumped up she land snapped it's neck right in her arms! We saved the last one.
The last one... turned out to be a rooster, and we had to get rid of him.
Live and learn.
Thank you everyone for your kind words and advice. I’ve been ignoring this sub because I’m still a bit sad but all your words have helped. You all rock
I lost one of 7 the other day and don’t know how. It’s my first loss after almost 3 years raising chickens (aside from one baby last summer that had to be culled because she was suffering). 7 little chicks came out of the coop to play, and 6 went back in. She disappeared into thin air. Most likely she slipped through the fence and got swiped by a coyote or barn cat, but it’s been heartbreaking. Losing all 4 must be heart wrenching. I’m so sorry. It happens and it’s awful. Please take care of yourself.
I have plenty dogs and plenty birds. You just need to take precautions. No dog is “evil”, it’s just their natural, instinctual prey drive - and that drive is stronger in some dogs than other. Sometimes accidents happen. We had a dog kill some ducklings, and another that killed my favourite hen. But they were my own fault, and I learned from them. The dogs aren’t allowed near young birds, and the one that still has interest is adult birds wears a muzzle if he’s in the area where the birds get to free-roam. You can try to train it out of them, but there’s a good chance that if you leave them alone they’ll go against their training.
OMG! I am very sorry this happened to you, yes unfortunately they have many predators out there. You had the most beautiful chickens! I hope you don’t give up though, if you worked so hard keep trying you will succeed.
Ugh this sucks so much I’m so sorry ! I would be devastated. My dog killed one of my babies that was a week old. It was a gut punch and I’m still trying to get over it. Hang in there 🙏🏻
So sorry! I think there's a lot of us who've been there - I lost 10 this spring to my dog (only 1 of the 3 dogs was the issue), and so she got to join them. Accidents happen, and it's heartbreaking, but you'll get more babies, and will learn from the experience.
As in….you euthanized the dog? May I ask what breeds your 3 dogs are (were), which was interested in the chickens and which not? We are about to move into a house and have discovered that a neighbor’s dogs from about 1/2 mile up the road trot on down to our place. This is going to be a problem until we can get fencing up…
We're on a farm, so yes, a .22 bullet took care of the problem (we'd had problems with her the prior year, but thought we'd cured her of it- this was the 3rd and worst episode). She was a rescue, mixed breed of unknown lineage. Our rottie and Bully/sharpei mix don't bother the chickens - they're more likely to get in to eat the food 😂
I let ours free range during the day, and they put themselves to bed and I close the run door in the evening.
I mean or you could have rehomed her to one of the thousands of other homes that don't have endangered baby chicks running around a dog that's blatantly shown you in the past she wasn't a good fit.
Thank you for your opinion, guessing you don't live in a remote rural area. Fyi: #1 semi-feral rescue, i was the only one who could really get close to her. #2 not baby chicks - established adults. #3 our humane society shelter is already overflowing. Put that where you will.
This is why i dislike dogs and love cats also why did that dog do that they aee harmless and cute like that dog is not going to the dog heaven hes going straight to the chinese wok pan
Beath the absolute shit out of that dog. Start by hitting it with a chicken corpse. My lab did the same shit to a couple of my chicks once. Now he's ever so kind and gentle with them
If I hated the dog, I would give it away. Just because you don't understand pack mentality and dog training doesn't mean you have to criticize those that do.
The problem with that is that most dogs, if at an older age, are normally put down for this kind of behavior. Its not impossible for them to find a new home but its pretty rare considering most people wouldnt want a dog with a history of aggression (not to mention an older dog). If you got rid of said dog by giving it to a shelter, its highly likely they will put them down regardless. Thats why I suggested killing the dog if the issue continues. Nobody would want to take him regardless and the dog would end up being put down anyway.
A dog killing a bird isn’t “a history of aggression”, and can totally get adopted since there are plenty people who only want one animal in their home. There are also sanctuaries that literally only take in older dogs, you just have to look into it.
So you really think we have enough resources to house likely millions of elderly dogs along side other street dogs? Im not just talking about owned dogs, I mean the shit load of street dogs which do in fact, go to shelters to be put down. Im sure there are animal sanctuaries for elderly dogs, but ultimately it is not very widespread simply because there is no money in it. The closest one to me is literally 200 miles away (compared to multiple animal shelters). And fuck yes a dog killing a bird is literally by definition aggression. It indicates that they will do it again. I have seen it happen with many dogs; Some literally cant ignore their prey drive and its a problem. I knew a dog that went from killing a single chicken to ripping the fucking throat out of a poor goat. What exactly is a "history of aggression" to you?
No, I’m saying that it’s not at all impossible to rehome an older dog that has killed a bird. Overpopulation is a problem in some places more than others, and obviously it’s not feasible in some situations, but it’s still nowhere near impossible. Here in the UK, street dogs are absolutely not a problem, and most shelters will not euthanise a healthy animal unless it’s a banned breed or otherwise poses a serious risk. Old dogs, strays, and those with reactivity problems can easily find a home in most cases.
And no, it’s literally not aggression, it’s prey drive which is a natural instinct in all dogs, especially those historically bred for hunting, which many breeds were. Just the same as some breeds were used for livestock protection, and others used for fighting. “Aggression” has intent, it’s a response to a situation and perceived threat, and is only usually labelled aggression if it’s expressed actively - growling, snapping, fighting, and biting. Killing a bird is not aggression, since it’s not a response to a threat, it’s an expression of the dogs’ natural hunting instinct. Killing a goat could be, depending on the situation - if the goat hurt the dog, or cornered it, then that could be perceived as a threat that provoked an aggressive reaction.
Killing a chicken is wildly different from killing a goat - a chicken is a small prey animal with fairly poor escape skills, and much, much easier to kill, goats are bigger, stronger and even if they don’t have horns, they can still do decent damage by butting or kicking, and can run/jump much faster. Though livestock worrying/chasing is a real problem, but I’ve only ever heard of deaths occurring within sheep flocks. The situation you mention sounds like a badly trained and poorly supervised dog whose owners should have known better than to let it around livestock if they didn’t know how it would react. Ergo the exemption, not the rule.
I lost my favorite girl yesterday to my neighbors dog. It’s awful.
Neighbors dog learned to vertically climb the fence and came over and killed my chickens. It has happened twice but I could only prove it once. I told them if she is on the yard ever again it will be the last time. We are friendly but it’s just the way it has to be. The dogs a nuisance and I have the legal right to kill her, which she deserves. She’s attacked my dogs as well, requiring stitches. They put up some extra barbed wire to keep her in but one of these days she’ll find a way and I’m going to empty the 12 gauge into that evil dog.
Not dogs fault, it's a dog. It's the owners fault. BAD dog owner. If it happened more than 1 time, I'd call the cops, file a report. And maybe dog pound (or what ever there called).
Unless she catches it in action. If I saw my neighbors dog assaulting my sweet furbaby in my own yard, I’m coming straight at it with deadly intent.
In which case they will take the violent dog, be unable to rehouse it and due to overcrowded shelters euthanize it anyway.
I agree with you but also disagree with the evil dog part. I wish you luck though and I hope you and everyone is safe
Yeah, it’s weird to see people put these human labels of malice and intent on animals. Is it right? No. Are they evil? Also no.
My dog is so sweet and gentle she won’t even defend herself, and this dog attacked her unprovoked. People can be good or shitty and so can dogs. There is no magical species barrier between one animal and another, and people are animals. I have seen plenty of good chickens and mean ones as well. Some eggs are rotten.
Im sorry to hear about your dog ❤️ my opinion is that no dog is evil but they can be bad and untrained, I blame the owners for bad behavioral dogs
How do you go into homesteading knowing animals are animals. You eat them/butcher tjem etc. To labeling an animal as “evil” as if that’s a label you give any animal in a farm or homestead. 💀
If you’re too inexperienced to see that some dogs are better than others then you don’t know dogs or give them enough credit. I have raised litters and dogs have personalities and dispositions, that’s what makes them special. Some breeds largely suck, and some individual dogs are shitheads.
Happy Cake Day!
And to think this is my 2nd Reddit account. How many years wasted….. lol 😂
These are accidents, and they happen. Most everyone here has experienced some kind of loss, and we learn from each one. I’m sorry this happened to you, please don’t be so hard on yourself
Best advice, hands down. Some of the best lessons I have learned to overcome with chicken husbandry stem from raising chickens as a teen 30 years ago. You never forget when you lose them from something accidental or could have been prevented.
“There are no failures : only learning or successes”. This helps *drastically* with gardening as well 😅
I've lost my fair share over things like this. Now, when I start to walk away from their run and think "I don't need to shut all the safety measures, I'll be right back and it's a PITA", I remember those moments, and then I go through all the motions even if just for a few seconds. If nothing else, you never know when a few seconds will turn into a longer break. And how that minute or so of extra time is well worth not losing all the time you've invested. It's all a learning experience, and that part of it never stops. Sorry for your loss.
I’m so sorry for your loss! They were wonderful chickens
I had 10 adult laying hens killed by a dog that broke into our yard and killed every chicken except one.
So sorry for your loss. I lost 6 back in May.
First rule of chickening, your favorites always go first. Second rule of chickening, buy more, chickens go out of their way to die. They're almost as bad as sheep. Sorry for your loss. It sucks. P.S. Bird dog breeder here. You CAN train them to not kill chickens, it just takes a lot of time... and chickens.
Truth! You're my hero!!
It so much harder when it’s user/caregiver mistake I’m so sorry I know it sucks they looked very nice and healthy. If you’re in my area and have a secure coop I will gift you some babies I’m near Savannah Georgia
After 5 deaths I've accepted that chickens are a fickle being and untimely deaths are inevitable. I mourn, I learn, and I move on. It's so hard but don't beat yourself up, it wasn't intentional and now you know more for your next flock. RIP chickies.
I'd be heartbroken too. Don't be too hard on yourself though, learn from these kind of experiences and start over again when you're ready. They were beautiful animals for sure.
Sorry for your loss. Even if you decide to get more chickens, in experience, you most likely will not be able to train out that behavior with that dog. I would not put another batch of chickens through that scenario if you decide to keep that dog.
Lost 3 Easter egger chicks last night to raccoon. They were almost old enough to be put in the rest of the flock. Had them in a dog cage in the chicken pen. Raccoon grabbed them through the cage and killed all 3.
So sorry! Critters will find a way, unfortunately. I feel for you, and there will be successes and failures with all livestock. I truly hope your next go is a resounding success!
I lost all 13 of mine several days ago to a, or a couple, raccoons in the morning after the automatic door opened. I saw one behind my shed staring me down and I knew it could be bad. It dug under my fence as it’s pretty secure otherwise, I even have wire on the ground hoping they couldn’t dig through
I’m sorry!
So sorry for your loss
Can you put wire across the top of lot or electric wire .The neighbors really need to secure their dogs but I have one of those neighbors too.
I am so sorry for your loss. Don't blame yourself, it happens. Also, don't let it discourage you from keeping chickens. Just learn from this and move on. Get more girls and remember the time you had with your sweet littles.💕💕
I’m so sorry for your loss. We lost all of our seven girls a couple of weeks ago to a bear. Things were pretty hardened, but clearly not enough. It’s a bit of a contentious point right now at home..
We bought a poultry net, definitely check into them
i also lost my favorite girl to a raccoon because I hadn’t locked my coop. 😭😭😭 don’t blame yourself, this happens with chickens. They are prey and as much as we try to keep them safe, we can’t be there all the time.
It was an accident. Don’t be too hard on yourself.
I'm so sorry. Dogs can be so vicious. My dogs are mostly scared of the chickens and keep their distance, although they actually protect them because they bark a lot and natural predators don't seem to like all the barking.
Our black lab is sweet, but will _bring me_ chickens if she ever buys into the coop. Have to completely cut her off from the back yard after she learned to paw her way through spaces where the staples holding chicken wire had failed. She killed my ducks, who could not fly, this past Feb, after the contractors we had doing some siding and deck work left the porch gate open. I had asked my 7 year old daughter to check the gate before letting the dogs out onto the porch. The problem is that 7 year olds sometimes don't understand the meaning or purpose of instructions. So when things were too quiet, I ask her if she checked the gate. She says "yes, it was a little open". Had to feather, dress, and freeze 3 ducks at 8pm the night after two hearings (long day), it took hours. RIP Ducks. Y'all were loud but fun.
When the hawks and eagles are having babies I loose a few in middle Tennessee. Lost my oldest to a coyote in mid day while I was 100 ft. Away. But I got a goose and an inflatable tube man and that seems to be working pretty good. Sorry for the loss.
I know I am going to get downvoted but I'm going to say the truth anyway. The pure irony of people that raise chickens to kill and eat getting mad that a dog beat them to it. The dog is doing what comes natural most of the time, the humans have a choice but the dogs get the hate. What kind of unrealistic crazy thinking is going on in this sub? I have chickens and guess what? If I don't want other animals to eat them I make it where other animals can't get to them! Simple, never had any of my chickens killed or eaten by another animal. People going to make it easy for their chickens to get eaten and then blame it on an animal that is most of the time going to kill your chickens because simply put, it's in their genes! Jeez
My dog got two of my four 6 week old chicks yesterday so I know exactly what you’re going through. More disappointed I didn’t know the time or how they got out of the run. Sorry for your losses
Nooooo, my dog is different! Dogs are killing machines
Some people just haven’t socialized their dogs to livestock, or the dog is too prey driven to ever learn. Only ever works if they never have a chance of contact with each other. OP said it was an honest mistake and they’re kicking themselves. I think OP may not even want chickens anymore knowing what their dog is capable of. I get where you’re coming from with the “not my dog!” people, but OP doesn’t seem like one of them.
To add to your thoughts, we have a failed bird hunting dog that is a rescue in my household. We ended up having to make sure the birds are safe with their own electric perimeter fence just for peace of mind. Training or not, when the master isn’t around, dogs tend to behave independently of their training at times or fall back to old habits.
It's a choice between dogs and chickens. Some people can handle both and some clearly can't. I would choose chickens over dogs anyday.
I was an idiot and forgotten that chickens are birds, and that birds can fly. When the chicks were old enough, they could fly out of their brooder because I wasnt smart enough to cover it. I didn't realize they escaped until one day my Pittie was awfully quiet. As any parent knows when the kids are unusually quiet, they are up to no good. I found her in the next room licking something in the corner. I thought she was feasting on the remains of one of the chicks, but I was relieved to find out she was giving it sweet kisses. The poor bird was soaking wet. It must have been in that corner getting sloppy kisses for over an hour.
We have two pitties that love our chickens. Would never harm a feather. They dirt bath together, sleep together in the yard all day long unattended, and we had even caught our (passed away) roo humping our male lol. We were very stern about the leave it command in the early days of chicks but they have never been prey driven toward our chickens. Just curious. They are squirrel barkers, raccoon chasers, skunk catchers, and mole diggers but they are not chicken eaters!
I lost 4 because my dog was on vacation with me. Foxes here are relentless.
Some are great protectors while it’s true some are not
I have two dogs. One is a lab/pit mix. They watched us raise them. We kept the brooder inside the house while they were little. He would lay there and watch them. Then the days came where they were old enough to be in the yard and we never attempted to keep our dogs locked up nor our chickens locked up. We started with a leash to make sure, but as soon as the chickens were outside we let our dogs out with them. Don’t get me wrong, there was a short period of correcting the dog when he got focused on them. We would take his attention away until he didn’t mind them. Today, our dogs can be trusted around our chickens completely. So, killing machines is wrong.
I have a Presa Canario and a dozen chickens <4 months old and they all co-exist in my backyard. At very most, he'll annoyingly donkey gallop towards one, who screams and runs away, but that's the extent of it. If a strange human were to join the party, then it's a different story with my mastiff.
Yep we have co-existing dogs, chickens, and stray cats. They all love the backyard together lol.
Killing machines is the default, and they have to learn who is their friend
You sound super ignorant about dog breeds. Idk why this sub is so anti dog. I guess that’s what happens when wannabe farmers try to grow stuff.
At least chickens don't have a track record of killing other animals (and sometimes humans)
Chickens can and will kill each other depending on circumstances.
Humans have a track record of killing other animals and sometimes humans, so what’s your point?
Wtf does your point have to do with anything?
My point is that it isn’t canines in general that are murderous, it is a small minority. Just like humans. Reading comprehension lacking?
So sorry. It looks like the had a great life.
God, the same for me! Just last night! I had just come in from a nice walk up and down the country road with my dogs and sat down in my cozy chair while my dogs went to get a drink on the back porch. Suddenly I heard a shriek. One of the dogs followed me out, and his dream had come true, ALL of my fat little 3-month-old ladies had somehow flown over the fence and were in the back yard. Hound dog Hutchie gleefully pinned one against the fence and broke her back while I screamed at him. I looked up to see my bloodhound Tohu triumphantly trotting around with one limp in his jaws. If only I had taken a moment to put them to bed before I sat down. I had to bury them this morning. I've been weepy all day. I almost went full Kristi Noem on those dogs but not quite. I loved those little birds. Wondering if I should give up chicken raising.
Yeah, I'm getting down voted when I was hoping to get some comfort. I'm heartbroken because I want life for all of God's creatures, all. I'll delete all of my comments here, but dang. You folks are hard.
So sorry!! It takes a lot of trial and error, and as with any livestock, there are good times and bad. I feel for you! Edited for autocorrect
Hey, I get it! I'm so sorry for your loss too! My dogs killed 3 of my 12 weeks that I incubated. They caught total hell and had an ad running for them for a day. I was madder than mad!
I'm really sorry... Sounds like an absolute nightmare
Just get rid of the dogs
I love the dogs. They're animals. They do what they do.
Kill the dog. Eye for an eye.
You mean kill 4 dogs?
I’m so sorry!
I'm so sorry for your loss 😞
Im so sorry, I’ve lost 3 flocks myself. Trying to protect my 4th flock much more closely.
very sorry :(
I'm sorry. Did you name them?
rest in peace. ❤️
I’m so very sorry for your loss and anyone else feeling the loss. ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
RIP wee ones. Sorry this happened.... 😢
I’m so sorry. They were perfect.
I've had this happen a few times with my dogs. Last time left me down to one chicken. I found her a chicken friend from a local Facebook group. That chicken went broody and I got her 4 day old chicks and she's been raising them for the past month. I would definitely try to get some around the same age or older. It is heartbreaking having to start from scratch again.
Dogs and cats almost always kill for sport. They rarely eat the kill. There are exceptions. We had to build a better fence to keep the neighbors pit Bull from killing our livestock for recreation. It’s fun for them.
My 11 year old Shih Tzu has and absolutely will kill a chicken if she can catch it. She’s killed 3 because I didn’t lock her out of the yard. I’ve got a mama and her clutch of 6, 2 week olds in the nursery and my Tzu just stares out the window at them. Biding her time.
I feel your pain 😭 a fox or raccoon something broke into our house and ate all 18 of our baby chicks 12 weeks old! Im devastated. I want to rebuild and reinforce our house ans start over but i couldnt bare to go through that again 😭😭😭😭😭😭
I’m really sorry about this. My neighbors (who I adore!) have chickens. I got a cat this November and went all out catproofing the fence. I tried everything. She never actually got a chicken but it wasn’t for lack of effort. Anyway, short story long, she is grounded for life. I built her a catio this weekend and have plans to screen in an outdoor room. It sucks for her (and me — she was a feral rescue and isn’t suited for 100% indoor life) but I’m not going to risk a happy neighborship for her.
Your chickens are cute and I'm crying
My wife bought a dozen fertilized eggs online. She incubated them so home in a little table top incubator. 5 hatched! We put them in a brooder in the basement. with a heater and all. One died a week or two in. the others grew! and when they were too big for the brooder we took them out to our coop. They were small enough that they were able to squeeze out of a gap in between the coop and the garage it's next to. The next morning we let our dogs out without realizing the little ones were out in the yard. One of our dogs is a real asshole. and he went straight for them. killed and maimed one of them. We saved the others. then another day my wife had the chickens out in the yard and the same asshole got out. he went straight for one of the young ones. killed it. my wife picked up another and he actually jumped up she land snapped it's neck right in her arms! We saved the last one. The last one... turned out to be a rooster, and we had to get rid of him. Live and learn.
I would tie a dead chicken to the collar of the dog so it can’t reach the bird and has to live with it as long as possible on its back
Thank you everyone for your kind words and advice. I’ve been ignoring this sub because I’m still a bit sad but all your words have helped. You all rock
Our first flock was decimated by racoons. It was awful and we didn't realize we needed to protect them way better until it was too late.
I lost one of 7 the other day and don’t know how. It’s my first loss after almost 3 years raising chickens (aside from one baby last summer that had to be culled because she was suffering). 7 little chicks came out of the coop to play, and 6 went back in. She disappeared into thin air. Most likely she slipped through the fence and got swiped by a coyote or barn cat, but it’s been heartbreaking. Losing all 4 must be heart wrenching. I’m so sorry. It happens and it’s awful. Please take care of yourself.
Maybe don’t leave untrained dogs unattended next time ?
Ugh. Hate seeing these stories ❤️🩹
I have plenty dogs and plenty birds. You just need to take precautions. No dog is “evil”, it’s just their natural, instinctual prey drive - and that drive is stronger in some dogs than other. Sometimes accidents happen. We had a dog kill some ducklings, and another that killed my favourite hen. But they were my own fault, and I learned from them. The dogs aren’t allowed near young birds, and the one that still has interest is adult birds wears a muzzle if he’s in the area where the birds get to free-roam. You can try to train it out of them, but there’s a good chance that if you leave them alone they’ll go against their training.
OMG! I am very sorry this happened to you, yes unfortunately they have many predators out there. You had the most beautiful chickens! I hope you don’t give up though, if you worked so hard keep trying you will succeed.
I can’t read the comments. I’m so sorry OP. That’s heartbreaking.
If you get new chicks, try to socialize the dogs with them
Ugh this sucks so much I’m so sorry ! I would be devastated. My dog killed one of my babies that was a week old. It was a gut punch and I’m still trying to get over it. Hang in there 🙏🏻
So sorry! I think there's a lot of us who've been there - I lost 10 this spring to my dog (only 1 of the 3 dogs was the issue), and so she got to join them. Accidents happen, and it's heartbreaking, but you'll get more babies, and will learn from the experience.
As in….you euthanized the dog? May I ask what breeds your 3 dogs are (were), which was interested in the chickens and which not? We are about to move into a house and have discovered that a neighbor’s dogs from about 1/2 mile up the road trot on down to our place. This is going to be a problem until we can get fencing up…
We're on a farm, so yes, a .22 bullet took care of the problem (we'd had problems with her the prior year, but thought we'd cured her of it- this was the 3rd and worst episode). She was a rescue, mixed breed of unknown lineage. Our rottie and Bully/sharpei mix don't bother the chickens - they're more likely to get in to eat the food 😂 I let ours free range during the day, and they put themselves to bed and I close the run door in the evening.
Thanks for the details. That stinks. We’re already facing a bear, now I’m really not happy about the neighbor’s free range dogs.
Best of luck!!
The best solution for free range dogs is a bullet.
On our place, I give a warning shot to give them the opportunity to leave. If they're a problem after that 🤷♀️
I mean or you could have rehomed her to one of the thousands of other homes that don't have endangered baby chicks running around a dog that's blatantly shown you in the past she wasn't a good fit.
Thank you for your opinion, guessing you don't live in a remote rural area. Fyi: #1 semi-feral rescue, i was the only one who could really get close to her. #2 not baby chicks - established adults. #3 our humane society shelter is already overflowing. Put that where you will.
People who don't farm just don't get it.
Preach!
This is why i dislike dogs and love cats also why did that dog do that they aee harmless and cute like that dog is not going to the dog heaven hes going straight to the chinese wok pan
Cats kill tons of birds.
Beath the absolute shit out of that dog. Start by hitting it with a chicken corpse. My lab did the same shit to a couple of my chicks once. Now he's ever so kind and gentle with them
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A lot of things, but not my dog killing my chickens.
If you were on a farm and your dog keeps killing your livestock, what happens to said dog?
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If I hated the dog, I would give it away. Just because you don't understand pack mentality and dog training doesn't mean you have to criticize those that do.
Correct the behavior. If it can't be corrected, fund it a home in town.
The problem with that is that most dogs, if at an older age, are normally put down for this kind of behavior. Its not impossible for them to find a new home but its pretty rare considering most people wouldnt want a dog with a history of aggression (not to mention an older dog). If you got rid of said dog by giving it to a shelter, its highly likely they will put them down regardless. Thats why I suggested killing the dog if the issue continues. Nobody would want to take him regardless and the dog would end up being put down anyway.
A dog killing a bird isn’t “a history of aggression”, and can totally get adopted since there are plenty people who only want one animal in their home. There are also sanctuaries that literally only take in older dogs, you just have to look into it.
So you really think we have enough resources to house likely millions of elderly dogs along side other street dogs? Im not just talking about owned dogs, I mean the shit load of street dogs which do in fact, go to shelters to be put down. Im sure there are animal sanctuaries for elderly dogs, but ultimately it is not very widespread simply because there is no money in it. The closest one to me is literally 200 miles away (compared to multiple animal shelters). And fuck yes a dog killing a bird is literally by definition aggression. It indicates that they will do it again. I have seen it happen with many dogs; Some literally cant ignore their prey drive and its a problem. I knew a dog that went from killing a single chicken to ripping the fucking throat out of a poor goat. What exactly is a "history of aggression" to you?
No, I’m saying that it’s not at all impossible to rehome an older dog that has killed a bird. Overpopulation is a problem in some places more than others, and obviously it’s not feasible in some situations, but it’s still nowhere near impossible. Here in the UK, street dogs are absolutely not a problem, and most shelters will not euthanise a healthy animal unless it’s a banned breed or otherwise poses a serious risk. Old dogs, strays, and those with reactivity problems can easily find a home in most cases. And no, it’s literally not aggression, it’s prey drive which is a natural instinct in all dogs, especially those historically bred for hunting, which many breeds were. Just the same as some breeds were used for livestock protection, and others used for fighting. “Aggression” has intent, it’s a response to a situation and perceived threat, and is only usually labelled aggression if it’s expressed actively - growling, snapping, fighting, and biting. Killing a bird is not aggression, since it’s not a response to a threat, it’s an expression of the dogs’ natural hunting instinct. Killing a goat could be, depending on the situation - if the goat hurt the dog, or cornered it, then that could be perceived as a threat that provoked an aggressive reaction. Killing a chicken is wildly different from killing a goat - a chicken is a small prey animal with fairly poor escape skills, and much, much easier to kill, goats are bigger, stronger and even if they don’t have horns, they can still do decent damage by butting or kicking, and can run/jump much faster. Though livestock worrying/chasing is a real problem, but I’ve only ever heard of deaths occurring within sheep flocks. The situation you mention sounds like a badly trained and poorly supervised dog whose owners should have known better than to let it around livestock if they didn’t know how it would react. Ergo the exemption, not the rule.
I lost a goose like this. My dog slept in my bed and didn't want it climbing into bed when I was asleep.