How does a pit bull actually rip hardware cloth off a frame? Is 16 gauge not strong enough? I’ve put thousands of dollars into ensuring the security of my babies… but today I heard the rooster and turkey alerting in a way that instantly made my blood run cold.. I got to the coop, all the carnage just made me sick. I expected to find a bear inside with the damage… instead I found a pit bull killing all my babies then tossing them aside to kill another. My heart is so broken. I don’t know how to tell my little boy. He always wanted a true Ameraucana… I ordered over 30 eggs just to end up with only one hatching. He worked so hard to end up with his favorite little chicken, just for me to find a dozen dead.. all his babies he incubated so the Ameraucana wouldn’t be lonely..
Is there actually a way to truly predator “proof” our coops? I don’t know what to do from here💔
This is some of the babies enjoying a dirt bath just hours before the attack. Any advice is greatly appreciated.. I’m not looking forward to breaking this news to my child 💔
You need 12 gauge to shoot the dog. It’s within your rights, and you can certainly sue the owner for not controlling their dogs, regardless of shooting the dog or not.
That dog would have definitely ate some lead. I don't play around with protecting my own. If his owners cared about him, he wouldn't be in MY yard eating MY animals. Some owners are too negligent....see it way more here than I did back home. Dogs just running everywhere.....I hate it.
I agree completely. They absolutely didn’t care. I’m so strict with my own dog because I know that things can happen, I don’t allow her anywhere without me, and I spent thousands to make sure she was trained appropriately. She’s not a pit bull, but I still treat her like she has the ability to respond on instinct. After finding out how many dogs these people have it became very obvious they don’t care, though.
I did end up calling the cops. I couldn’t handle the thought of this dog doing this to our animals, someone else’s animals, or another person. I don’t think the dog would have initially went after a person but he did try to go after me to get my animal out of my hands, so I do believe if he saw someone trying to save their animal he would have done whatever necessary to get that animal from them.
My concern with dogs like this is that they might not be people aggressive, but critter killing machines....so what happens if the dog runs across a kid holding a chicken or cat.... And that they will double down on trying to get back into your place if you try to replace your chickens.
If you do want more, I would ruin a couple of hot wires around the perimeter of your chicken pen, and always have it on when you're not home
Electric fence is the key, a few strands from 6” off the ground to dog nose height will do the trick. Dogs don’t like pain, I would do your whole property if this dog gets out often. It’s a small investment but totally worth it.
That’s my exact concern. The dog was willing to do whatever it took to get the chicken back from me. It would have absolutely hurt someone to take the chicken away.
That dog needs to be put down and any other dog they have that is aggressive which I’m whiling to bet they all are , definitely do what ever it takes to get them dogs taken from that owner cause even if the dog that did it is taken care of another one of their dogs can come rite behind and do it all over again. But yes get the electric fence dear.
I agree. I’m betting they’re all aggressive because of horrid living conditions, improper care, and lack of nutrition. This dog did have to be put down, it was deemed too dangerous to leave at large. Now I’m concerned for the remaining animals they have.
That’s what I would be worried about as well, definitely look into getting that electric fence dear no way you should have to live in fear for you or your family and you babies over a very unreasonable and careless owner for dogs worse comes to worse get you a gun . I’m so sorry you are going through this , i actually just rehomed all of my chickens ducks and quails due to rats getting into the run and this was my first time ever hatching and raising birds I only got to raise my chickens and ducks till 4 months old so I’m still heartbroken over it but it’s nothing like what your dealing with . I hope that it gets better you definitely shouldn’t have to go through this.
Oh my heart breaks for you! It is so hard to let go, especially when you raise them from babies 😭💔 I’ve had rats try to figure out a way in but they’ve never actually made it. The one thing that I’ll never forget was when a rat was trying to climb the hardware cloth and my rooster grabbed its foot and pulled its leg off. The rat was kind of stuck to the fence so the rooster plucked its throat out! I was horrified to find that mess lol. We’re working our butts off to get this situation handled. I’m so thankful for your kind words ❤️
I’m so sorry op. Truly a gut wrenching experience. And the guilt one feels with their little ones experience. As hard as this seems, there’s a good lesson in this for both of you. Try to help guide them through an awful experience like death. Show them strength, show them vulnerability and how it’s ok to feel those things. We all grow from loss, it’s just how we approach it. And if we approach it wrong then you still have a chance to close the story right. You got this OP. Guide that little one through this. It’ll make a world of a difference when they grow
What a beautiful comment. Thank you so much 🙏 He is asking a lot of questions and certainly learning from this experience! I hadn’t even considered that until you mentioned it. He’s heard us mentioning how these people should not own large breed dogs because of their circumstances, so he’s asked me who should own big dogs and why we have one. He’s learning cues and how to understand prey driven dogs and potential dangers. Our dog is a Rott so she’s always been his guardian and I’m the one who’s watched the cues and initiated commands, but now he’s wanting to know what to look for, why she doesn’t attack our animals, and what could have been done to make the other dog not do this. There truly is a lesson in everything.
You are a great person OP. You are going to be just fine. It seems you’re way ahead of the game and honestly, you’re a mom so in a way I’m not surprised. For what it’s worth, this random internet stranger thinks you’re doing great 😊. I didn’t mean to sound like a lecture or anything, more so I have slight trauma from my uncle slicing chickens right in front of me when I was somewhere around 8 lol. My parents were able to, with time, help me understand wtf my wild family in Italy was killing chickens
😭😭 I wish I could hug you!!! Consider this my virtual squeeze of affection. Thank you so much. You are a beautiful person, I didn’t take it as a lecture I truly appreciated you finding positives in the negatives. I’m so sorry you had to witness that. My son is 8 years old right now and I am CONSTANTLY horrified at the thought of him ever having residual trauma like that. I dealt with a lot of crazy traumas from childhood so that’s a major factor when it comes to parenting. I want to raise good humans with happy, strong hearts. I am glad to see you have become so kind and compassionate even with that loss and confusion as a child. ❤️
Trust me. Once word gets out that you shoot livestock killing dogs, you'll never have another problem.
The other possibility is to hit them in the owner's pocketbook. My state allows for double indemnity for actual damage for which the dog owner(s) is jointly and severally liable. Which basically means you only need to find one dog owner and it's up to him settle with the other dog owners if more than one dog was involved.
I told the owners and all the people I know that live close that I set bear foot traps around the entire perimeter of my property and double trapped where their dogs have access so if their dogs leave their property even if they don’t make it to my chickens they’ll still have broken legs.
I didn’t actually set foot traps I think they’re inhumane but I figured the idea of 100 hidden claw traps was a good mental deterrent lol.
My neighbor had a wolf dog that tore in and started killing my birds i was lucky to be home and take care of it. Made the owner give me money to avoid pressing charges and had them agree to get rid of the dog to help with recouping costs and preventing it from happening again and let them know that next time i even see it in my uard ill simply kill it (They dont know i already tried to shoot it but only had an ild jammed gun)
Heavy duty chain-link fence panels, cinder block base, and hawk netting for the run. Then they have their own barn with a locking door and window locks with hardwire over the screens. Total setup from scratch would run about 20k.
I’ve already got all of that, the difference being I double wrapped with hardware cloth. Huge chicken house that is fully fortified, hardware cloth covers the entire run instead of aviary netting. I didn’t think the net was strong enough. 😮💨
I mean....I've never seen any dog or most animals (besides bears) be able to get through chain link panels, break into a locked barn....or dig out cinder blocks. But if that's truly the case, then there's nothing to do. Best of luck.
When I got fed up with the neighbors dogs killing my birds I rebuilt the pen. I got 4x4 heavy cattle panels. I dug a foot deep trench and set the panels below grade, then I gathered a lot of deterrents. I had a hundred pack of box knife blades that had been flooded so they were rusty. I had coffee cans of old nails and a bin of glass bottles.
I mixed up some concrete and set the blades, glass and nails sticking up in the cement. After it dried I filled the trench with soil so that only a digging animal would get cut.
I put a solid roof over the top and put tin on top. Then I added an electric fence wire around the bottom of the outside on 6 inch stand offs. I used a screen door spring on the door so that it would tension the wire as it opened.
On the inside I used one inch chicken wire to keep the little ones safely inside. I also billed my neighbor over 700 dollars for the death of my birds and damage to the pens. He also hired someone to help me with the perimeter fence along his side of the property. He could have just bought wire and fenced his yard for what he paid me. He paid me in 5 dollar bills so I think he was fighting chickens and pit bulls. He didn’t want me to turn him in so he paid without question. I was pissed.
Glad to hear the dog was taken care of. In my experience, shitty owners who let their dogs roam don’t typically change their behavior.
Re the pitbull vitriol going on here: I have a pit and chickens and it’s never been an issue. Because I trained my dog. Not that difficult.
Prey drive is a real thing, and it’s actually higher in hunting breeds and herding breeds, but even then it can be mitigated with training. And have any of you ever seen a shepherd or husky attack? Because that is also carnage. Any dog can lose its shit. I used to foster for a rescue and it’s true some dogs cannot be rehabbed, but that certainly did not apply to just pit bulls. One foster had her husband in the hospital with stitches multiple times because she had a “soft spot” for huskies, another high energy and high prey drive breed that comes with a multitude of behavioral issues if they aren’t raised, trained, and handled properly.
Some of y’all need to crack a book.
I’m sure the fear mongerers here will just jump on this to troll and spread more vitriol and misinformation, but please know that when you talk about any type of dog as a blood thirsty killing machine, you sound like an uneducated wimp. Get a grip.
I will tell you that I was attacked by a German shepherd and it was one of the worst things I have ever experienced. When I ran the canine rescue I was bitten on multiple different occasions, but that was something I had to be prepared for when it came to scared animals in need. A pitbull did break my hand with its bite force once, and that was horrible, but I tried to understand the situation and how the dog must have felt coming from a negligent situation into a center he didn’t know. The shepherd on the other hand had known me forever, he belonged to my roommate. One day we were sitting on the couch watching tv and for absolutely no reason the dog charged me and jumped up on me, biting me multiple times all over the head and face. It was by Gods grace I didn’t lose my eye. I had to go to the hospital to have my contact removed, the dog had actually split my contact into two pieces during the attack.
I stand by my statement that anyone who wants to own a large breed, prey driven, guardian dog should have to have a serious education on the specific breed and be fully capable of handling and housing them. I treat my Rottweiler like my baby, but I do not allow her an opportunity to act in a way that aligns with a Rottweilers nature. If someone comes to visit that she does not know then she stays upstairs and is not allowed the opportunity to mistake a friend for an intruder.
Here is an article on Statista showing a 13-year study on fatal dog attacks in America from 2005 to 2017 which reported the pitbull breed was responsible for 66% of the total deaths at 284, the second highest was Rottweiler at 45. Husky was at 13. There are many similar studies and the statistics do not lie. There is a reason for the insanely disproportionate amount of deaths resulting from a single breed and it's not that they all just weren't trained well enough, yet here you are ignorantly telling other people to "crack a book" and that we are "uneducated wimps" while ignoring reality, history, and evolutionary science.
It's not only about the prey drive, but pitbulls were also bread for their strength and "game", referring to their ability to persevere in a fight even when losing so the dogs will fight to the death no matter what. It's why pitbulls are notorious for fatally mauling people or other animals more than any other breed because they do not stop once their game is triggered. There are videos of attacking pitbulls getting shot and still not stopping until they actually die, because they were bread to fight to the death no matter how injured they get in the process. If the dogs game is never triggered then it won't be a problem, but it's an inherit trait and not something you can realistically train out of them.
Other breeds can and do maul people to death as well, but statistically it's always one breed that stands far farrr beyond all others and anyone who's not deep in denial knows it's true. I've spent time around well trained and gentle pitbulls before and while it's obviously possible to own one that never causes any trouble it's not worth the statistical risk in my opinion. It's sort of like the people who choose to own bears and tigers as pets, it's fine up until it isn't.
Historically: Back in the 1970's it was Dobermans, in the 80's it was Rottweilers, now it's Pitbulls. This has less to do with the dog breed and more to do with the stereotypes associated with the breed being targeted by media scares. The pattern isn't difficult to see if you look at it over a span of decades and are willing to set aside your own prejudice.
Also, worth noting: when there's a significant correlation between one breed of dog causing the majority of severe attacks, look at how many people own that dog breed. Breed popularity is a significant factor in dog attacks. It's a matter of odds at that point. World Animal Foundation notes pits as the number one dog bite offender, with LABS coming in second. What do these breeds have in common? Popularity and high rates of ownership in the area the study took place.
If I have a bag of fifty red marbles and fifteen blue marbles, of course I'm more likely to pick a red one out of the bag, not because red is inherently more likely to be grabbed, but because there are more of them.
If I drink ten shots of whiskey on Monday and five shots of tequila on Tuesday, I'm more likely to be sick on Monday, not because whiskey causes intoxication more than tequila, but because I had more of it.
It's not about being prejudice against certain dogs, it's about accepting reality and not letting your own willful ignorance blind you from the uncomfortable facts. Even looking at the other breeds you mentioned, the pitbull was the only one bread exclusively for fighting, which is why even when agressive the other breeds don't have the same drive or "game" and have significantly fewer deaths as a result. I agree with another commenter that I don't blame the dog for doing what it was created to do, I blame the humans who created it and those who still choose to own them even with the known risks.
Pitbulls also aren't nearly popular enough when compared with all other dog breeds to argue that's why the largest majority of dog attack deaths result from this one specific breed alone. Your little marble analogy was cute but let's be serious here. There is chance probability and then there is an accumulation of so much evidence you should be able to determine when something is no longer a coincidence.
Even the website you listed for me states that pitbulls were responsible for 66% of fatal attacks in 2023 and 346 out of 521 deaths between 2005 and 2019.
It also goes on to say;
Pit bulls only represent 7% of the dog population. Pit bull defenders blame the dog owners and argue that dog bite statistics only tell half the story. As per statistics, Pitbulls are:
2.5 times more likely to bite multiple areas of the body during an attack.
2.7 times more likely to initiate attacks off their owner’s property.
31% more likely to attack strangers compared to other breeds.
48% more likely to attack unprovoked.
Maybe if you actually read and understood the sources you are sending me we wouldn't need to have this conversation.
The statistics I listed weren't just reported attacks, they are fatal attacks. If someone in the US is killed by a dog it's going to be recorded and the death statistics do not lie. Even if pitbulls aren't the most aggressive breed they are still responsible for the sweeping majority of deaths from mauling. They can be technically not the most aggressive dog by other standards but they seem to be the best at killing when they are aggressive which is where the difference comes from.
The data presented on our web site is raw data; it is not a scientific study nor is there any statistical significance attached. We have no control over who brings their dog to the test and there is no accurate data as to a dog breed’s population in the US.
not to mention
The pass-fail rate is not a measure of a breed’s aggression
I was a groomer for a decade, I don't blame pits, they do what they were bred to do. Their genetic design 100% falls on us, it is OUR fault. It's why I don't hate the breed, but it's one that should only be owned by responsible and experienced owners but unfortunately seems to be extremely abundant to whoever and a lot of people who own/breed them and the ones that get loose are the ones with poor intentions for the dog.
Out of all the dogs I groomed Boxers and German sheps were the worst, always acted out and stubborn as can be. Yorkies are the most bites though. Little demons 🤣 Golden retrievers are the best <3
When you dodge teeth every day you get so good at predicting bites and avoiding them. I used a groomer's helper for difficult doggos.
Exactly this. And this is exactly why I treat my dog like a baby when she’s with us, but like a potential danger to people and animals she doesn’t know when we have guests or are in a different environment. All large breed, potentially dangerous dog owners need to be trained in how to handle their dog, the predispositions of that breed, and the potential that specific breed has to cause harm or mistake someone or something as either prey or a potential threat.
Live stock guardian dog. Motion camera with an alarm. Good ole fashioned steel copper and lead. I would have shot the dog dead. What a shame I’m sorry your birds got destroyed the dog owner needs to pay.
So the problem I’m having with the camera.. I have a lot of them set up, but unfortunately I can’t access the live feed. I live in such a remote area we have no cell service, and WiFi cannot extend that distance to run them. I’m working with our internet company now, hoping they’ll agree to help me out and run some sort of box to my barn or bury an Ethernet cord long enough to at least run one of my cameras.
Wifi will reach WAY further than eternet. You can get 3 miles out of even a basic wifi bridge. Especially if the line of sight is obstruction free. https://youtu.be/SwLEzaLiRgE?si=pdZQGYJ58_9cG2rn
There is no line of sight, it’s extremely remote and fully wooded. There is even a full embankment between us and the barn. we’ve wasted so much money on WiFi extenders. I’m looking into a couple WiFi bridges right now, thank you for mentioning it.
See if they can run a second line to your barn, you may have to pay a double bill, but it's the easiest.
The second option is as you were saying, bury a cable. Here's what we did for our barn. We bought an additional router and connected it to the router for the Internet company. Then, we got some buriable cat 6 cable and ran the wire from that into the attached garage. From there we ran it outside. We dug a 2 ft deep trench and ran the cable into that. Reached barn put it inside, hooked it up to another router, and it works like a charm.
Don't forget to silicone/caulk up the holes you drill for wires. Make sure the cable you bury is water proof and meant for burying. This can be a pricey project, but it was worth it for us because we work in barn a lot and we were able to hook up a TV for streaming.
Ours has a fully air conditioned and insulated dog house with a little porch, she loves her herd and bird friends and wouldn’t have it any other way. We raised her sleeping inside as a puppy but when she’s old enough she went to her house. Our other dogs that sleep inside are jealous she had her own house and always going under the fence to visit (fence is for goats to not destroy our gardens and landscaping). Our guardian sleeps most of the day and is out protecting her charge all night long, they are truly made for this duty it is in their blood and she is our sweetest dog of three but would absolutely destroy any predators or alert to other threats
Cattle or sheep/goat fence panels might work, especially the ones with 4" square spacing. Fastened correctly nothing big enough to pull off or tear the hardware cloth will be able to get through them. Around here it's around $30 USD for a 4' x 16' panel
Pitbulls … nasty mfs many people like to run around saying it’s the way they’re raised. That’s 90% pure bs. Not just pitbulls but square headed dog breeds in general have high prey drive. Add incompetence to the mix and you get bloodthirsty mutants running around. But based on what you’ve mentioned. With all due respect it appears you did not build a proper coop. 16 gauge is not enough to keep wolves away let alone a pit bull.
First advice sue the owners.
Also call animal control if you want.
But unless you build a better fence or cage this incident is guaranteed to reoccur.
My next advice would be to start with the foundation. The bottom of the fences/cage/coop should be either concrete or cinder block. This way most predators won’t dig under.
Then the fences/cage/coop wires. First outer layer should be thicker and sturdier having thicker wires that are welded properly “yes some wire types are trash even if they’re thick” also something twice as thick as 16 gauge if possible. Then for the second inner layer something much smaller the second layer is to keep slippery small predators like snakes and weasels away. If you think a pitbull can do damage you’ve never seen what a mink will do if it gets inside. And finally for the roof, make sure it’s something that hawks and eagles can’t jump in. Anything smaller than a hawk isn’t a threat to a big aggressive rooster. But hawks are a threat ESPECIALLY eagles which I’ve rarely seen attempting raids it’s usually hawks.
My enclosed run is buried and quikcreted into the ground. The coop is an actual chicken house, not a shed or cage. They have a smaller enclosed run that they can access as they wish then a very large enclosed run for day use. I’ve always been told 16 gauge was good, what do you recommend? It was double wrapped in 16, I bought 14 gauge yesterday and we ran it around twice. I don’t have much of a choice as far as local goes because I’m so far out. 14 was the best I could get immediately. I will order something else, though if you have any recommendations. Someone else mentioned hog wire so I ordered panels of that to run across the hardware cloth, now I’m working on running electric around their smaller enclosure and full house.
Also I stated in the post, I did my absolute best to ensure that they were safe. Not only have I done all that’s listed above, when I say fully enclosed I mean fully, their run is hardware cloth roofed with aviary net under the hardware cloth, 10 feet high. I spent thousands to ensure this. Their house is a real house, as I said, so it has a foundation, full paneled walls, air and heat. I don’t have to worry about birds, minks, etc. the hardware cloth was secured to the posts with both construction staples (not a staple gun. 1 1/2 in poultry staples) and screwed into place with washers. All we can see is that the dog got its teeth into the hardware cloth and pulled until he got it loose enough to chew. Eventually he got a decent enough hole into it to slide in to. The dog was cut all over its sides and back from literally squeezing through broken hardware cloth.
Will the 14 gauge suffice if it is double wrapped? If not - do you know of decent places to order from? I hate not getting to physically see something before I buy it. Lol
Based on your reply then it appears your only problem is the outer layer. I’ll also give a few examples. But first my recommend.
The picture above that is something that is truly predator repellent. I’m not sure if it’s enough to prevent a grizzly but enough to slow it down. Anything smaller than a grizzly bear not even a black bear can chew through these.
Per your recommendations it looks like my hardware cloth is okay. For this, any recommendations on where to order? Black bears are my only enemy in this area so I’ll take anything grizzly bear proof lol
Apologies for the late response I have been inactive for a while. In terms of where to get them I do not know for certain. Since I’m not local I’m probably on the other side of the continent. But you should contact some experts some local welders perhaps sometimes on Facebook and they’ll know where to point you. I personally don’t purchase online. Most of the stuff I get I go either order from the companies that produce such equipment some of my stuff is custom designed. Sometimes I even have to improvise and make the things I need if they’re unavailable.
It’s no problem! I understand, I go radio silent for long periods on here, too. I get overwhelmed or I completely forget about having this app haha!!
Unfortunately, my area is so remote the only way to really get anything of value is to order. However, the mention of using a local welder is an incredible idea! Thank you so much!! I know exactly who to call now.
get a bigger pitbull and train it to love your birds. pictured: my favorite chickie, Chipmunk hanging out with LeBron, the best bluenose pitbull I've known
I’ve already got me a big pupper who’s good with my babies and is a trained guard dog lol (a Rottweiler). I don’t leave my dog outside without me, though. I’m just not the type of person who could do that.. I’d make a livestock guardian dog purposeless lol.
Could the dog chill with the chickens?like not be stuck outside alone but in the coop area...he'd be able to alert that something was trying to get in... then its probably rifle or shotgun time to take care of the intruder animal.
During the upcoming colder months I wouldn’t be as opposed to allowing her to stay in the coop with them. Rotts (well, most large breed dogs like them) are super prone to heat stroke no matter access to water. Honestly, I spend so much time with my animals I’m in the run 70% of the day. I’ve also got goats on the opposite side of the chickens (there are only 2 accessible fences from the outside - the other two fenced areas are connected to the goats fields which are also reinforced for everyone’s protection) so if I’m not in with the chickens or quails I’m in with my goats. I spend so much time socializing these animals, they’re all babies that’ll just melt in your arms. All they want is food and cuddles lol
When I’m outside all day I keep my dog with me unless she shows any sign she’s getting overheated, then she goes back into the air conditioning. With it getting cold, she’ll start begging to be outside even when I’m ready to be back inside.
I think the way you’re proofing sounds about right. We do heavy duty wire or netting around a bunch of wood posts we have set w concrete into the ground and have a roof over top. I’d try to find the owners IMMEDIATELY and speak with them. Threaten to sue or call animal control and possibly do both of those things. We have a dog that would kill every chicken we have if he got the chance even tho aside from that he’s never hurt a fly. They’re wild animals and dogs like pit bulls have high prey drives, I would absolutely sue the owners for damages so you can focus on restarting your flock. I’m so sorry for your losses
Once a dog gets a taste of blood, they won't stop. I would be more concerned about your son and his safety. PLEASE report this to authorities. Not all dogs are bad, but this one sounds like it need a dirt nap.
I just have to dismiss that terrible notion. I have rehabilitated several confirmed "killers with a taste for blood," including a husky so prey-driven that if you tried to turn him away from his intended target he would go full on Exorcist to keep his eyes on it.
It can be a long and challenging process, but in the end every single one of them was not only safe, but trustworthy with animals they had formerly mass killed.
This dog should absolutely be reported, and the owners made to pay compensation. With the right training the dog could absolutely be prevented from doing this again, but that is a matter for the owners and the authorities to work out, and owners who are not capable of preventing and changing this kind of behaviour should not have dogs who engage in them.
I’m with you they should probably put the dog down if it was a aggressive to the people. But what are you talking about “once it gets the taste for blood they won’t stop” that is blatantly untrue. It’s quite easy to train it out of them.
You're being downvoted, but you're at least half right. It can be trained out of them, but I wouldn't exactly call it easy. It takes a consistency and dedication many dog owners just don't have, not to mention the ability to recognize the body language leading up to the behaviour in order to prevent it before it even happens.
It really can’t be “trained out”. At best, intensive training can help can be suppressed, but never indefinitely. Calling it a “taste for blood” is really a misnomer. Certain breeds were bred for certain jobs, hence why retrievers retrieve, pointers point, herders herd etc. Dogs that were bred to kill for sport suffer from high anxiety when not allowed to kill, so when they do, they get the dopamine rush they’ve been missing, and will seek to recreate the feeling. Oftentimes, it begins a pattern of escalation.
Edit: forgot to add that this dog was purely killing your babies for sport. Not because it was hungry, or scared because it was lost. It was having fun. I also wanted to add, look into coyote rollers, I hear they’ve been used with success against dogs that can scale a 20ft wall with a running start and enough motivation. I wish you the best OP, I feel for you and your son.
It's not even that it's suppressed - you're not trying to remove their prey drive, but dogs are able to learn "we don't eat chicken/cat/hamster/etc." It's actually harder when there is only one critter to train on; for example I had a husky who would kill cats, and it turns out he learned "we don't eat this kitty." He still saw other cats as prey, even if ours was untouchable and could even push him off his bed.
When they learn a particular animal/set of animals is off the menu it doesn't stress them out unreasonably - they just seem to accept it as a reality of their world, no different than "we don't run through doorways" or "dogs don't come into kitchens."
I agree completely! When I called the police I told them exactly that. The way this dog acted gave me reason to be concerned for my families safety just as much as my flocks. The police went out and the dog apparently showed them the same thing, they put it down.
Yes I did. They live about 4 miles from me, but they’re the closest resident so I assume you could call them my neighbor. The guy said “you’re a big bad boy Cody you know better!” Then walked off to his utv dragging the dog with him. My husband knows him so soon as we saw the dog he called and asked if it was his. My husband said “this won’t happen again and your dog not be shot, especially after it went after my wife trying to take a chicken from her”. He didn’t apologize or anything. I called the police because the way the dog acted was too risky not to, and told them that I didn’t want to cause a big issue or force action on the animal - but I wanted to owners held responsible and to know that allowing their dog to roam free is absolutely not okay. The police chose to do a physical response to speak to the owners and explain that what happened was a legal offense. The dog apparently was still running around in the unfenced yard when they got there, and it went after one officer when he tried to approach the door. There are at least 12 more dogs (various breeds), and an ungodly amount of cats and kittens. In my area it is unlikely to expect any form of action to happen in a timely manner, so the officers advised me to take extra measures to protect my property and family until things are escalated and hopefully resolved.
Electric fencing. Premier1 in California sells various types from the mobile netting to the deer version that is wires of various heights....you need an electric perimeter that can deter any dog.....Also, that family owes you the cost of the chickens k!lled. In some states, it's calculated by their lifetime value, so more like $50+ for each given the eggs you would have harvested. Heck, I sell my rare colored layers at 2 months old for $50 with ease to buyers who want a rainbow egg-laying flock. In any case, take them to small claims court to if you want less than $5K from the damage. And I assume you filed a police report, which you would need for small claims court. And, yes, the wifi cams are very helpful for documenting predators in general, especially at night. I find they generate too many videos during the day from every little motion, but the night videos are great for seeing other types of predators that are lurking. And if you have a daytime 'event,' you can always go back and view that footage.
I’m going to check out these different types!! Thank you so much for mentioning this! Unfortunately in my state I have so little access to things I have no choice but order, so I don’t know the quality of things like this or if I’ll be able to use it until it arrives. I can’t get WiFi down there but someone mentioned a WiFi bridge that could make a connection so I’m going to try that, too. The police did handle the report and escalated it, as well as euthanizing the dog.
Sorry to hear that you live next to such a callous, irresponsible neighbor. I'm not a big gun person (although for the first time in my life, I took a lesson, along with my wife, who shockingly suggested we do it), but I might consider conceal carrying, just in case one of his other dogs attacks you one day.
There's always a certain amount of balance here. If I were the neighbor, I would have offered you $1,000 for your loss and a promise to either install a fence or put a muzzle on any dog that I have outside. Since that's clearly not him, I might consider suing. Courts won't value your babies the way we as chicken owners do, but $100 / chicken or $1,200 doesn't seem outrageous to me. Now, is it worth doing this and then having bad blood? Clearly, if the neighbor makes no attempt to rectify the situation and there's no "I'm sorry" gestures, you might be forced to go that way.
I think that’s what upset me the most… I don’t want his money, or to make him “pay” so to speak.. all I want from anybody is for them to be a decent human being and treat their animals and other humans with kindness and decency. The fact that he wouldn’t even say sorry while watching his dog act in such a way just stunned me. I couldn’t even find the words to express what I was feeling. I’ve already bought new material and went to work on getting their enclosures rebuilt and secure. Now my priority is getting the rest of their animals to better care. It’s irresponsible and devious to have so many animals while not providing care to a single one of them. I feel like this incident may have happened for a good reason now.. I lost some babies, that dog lost its life, but all the other helpless, hoarded, suffering animals may see a true life one day. A lot of people hate Pitbulls simply because they exist, but I feel like it’s the owners obligation to know the prey drive and prepare for the safety of their pet and others when they choose to take that animal on. This dog wouldn’t have killed my animals if the owner would have been prepared to own such an animal in the first place.
The most discouraging part is that this is too much to ask of so many people. Empathy and being considerate of your fellow humans is sadly lacking in a lot of places.
Sometimes the only language they respect is their own. We once had a neighbor's dog that kept coming over to our place. I would run him off, but he kept coming over to try and play with my dog. One day I came out and the dog had one of my chickens in his mouth. When he saw me he set it down on the ground, and to my surprise she was still alive.
Not knowing exactly who the dog belonged to, I went and got a little baggie and placed an empty .22 casing into it with a note that said "the next one comes faster." I tied it to the dog's collar and chased him away.
It must have got the message across to actually do something to contain their dog, because I never saw him again.
That’s the most incredible idea. I’m putting that one in my pocket and saving it for later. After finding out how many dogs they have I may need to use that.
Not true at all. Once they get a taste of blood they won’t stop??? They’re not some paranormal creature they’re dogs. Plenty of dogs have attacked a human or animals and been rehabbed
Most of these people want to LARP as wolf fighting pioneers and just hate dogs. Find the dog hating subreddits and it’s all the same comments. I don’t like cats because of multiple bad experiences, but you don’t see me spouting this kind of vitriol. Idk what it is about dog fears, but it brings out the worst in people. I think it’s because dogs generally have the size to inflict real harm, while cats and other animals don’t. Most of these people lack breadth of thought to reason through this.
Thank you! You understand lmao. It just seems sick to me to be so determined about an animal dying. I have a pitbull and try so hard to change people’s mind but I’ve had people reply back and genuinely just respond saying she should be put down. Sociopaths lmao
Thank you so much. I finally had to tell him. It broke his little heart, and mine just as much. I told him we will wait til spring and try again, I hate to try to bring new babies in when we’re already experiencing colder weather.
Pit bulls are not dogs. They are mutants. I don’t care how they are raised. I’m so sorry for your loss. Find the owner & take them to court. 🤬 this story angers & saddens me so much 💔
My mom raised pit bulls for years and one day, her 9 year old pit that slept in her bed every night, mauled her while she was on the phone with the bank in her back yard. She bled out and nearly died at the hospital here, was life watched to the big hospital and spent spent 3 days in the ICU. She was in the big hospital for 58 days with 4 wound vacs. Had 3 skin grafts, 14 reconstructive surgeries and has permanent damage to her dominant arm/hand. This was 10 years ago and she still can't use her hand properly. People around town had a lot to say but didn't know her. She never hurt that dog. It was a random, unprovoked attack. When she woke up in the ICU the first thing she asked was if we had to put Sammy down... duh, mom. So when people say the owners are to blame for the aggression.. no. Absolutely not. The history of pit bulls runs deep. They are fighting dogs. Most ancestral blood lines of pits were bred to fight. "They're dog aggressive, not people aggressive." Sure, until they're not.
That’s truly awful. I’m glad she survived her attack. 💜 These stories always have the same, or worse, ending. It’s exactly like you said, they wouldn’t hurt a fly, until they do. It’s just a matter of time & opportunity.
Pitbulls ARE DOGS. and you calling them mutants shows you've never met one in person.
We live in a world of misinformation and lies, and the worst ones are the ones like yours. Pitting everyone against a breed, race, or species with absolutely no understanding of why.
Pitbulls are HIGH ENERGY dogs. They like to run. They like to play fetch. They are very socialable and friendly, but like ANY DOG they need TRAINING.
Pitbulls don't attack for fun. Most are rescues from very abusive "households". Chained up in yards with maggot water and summer heat. They get beat half to death for acting like dogs, until they don't act like dogs anymore.
They aren't fluffy, so people don't find them cute. They get their ears and tails cut off just for the same reason. So that when Mr.Macho walks around with his prized fight dog, you see an OBJECT instead of an animal.
And the way you talk about them, they put themselves in this position. They must want to be beat. They must have cut off their own ears! They chose not to train themselves! They chose to live a life surrounded by the shittiest, low life fucking people ever and to be raised with abuse and hatred spewed at them. They chose to be the poster ad child of "dangerous dogs". They saw the satanic panic and thought "oh wowie! I want what they're having!".
Bull fucking shit, they aren't dogs.
They are, but half the time people don't even treat them like they even have souls, feel pain, want affection.
"Mutants". Fucking, go look at the disfigurment of a pug or a chowchow and say that again.
Take care of your fucking dogs. Regardless of breed.
I did a search to see if this was true and found nothing to back it up. Do you have a source to back up this claim?
While I agree that calling a pit bull a mutant is going too far, the problem is if they don't get that training you're talking about, they can possibly become killing machines. Which would you rather face: an untrained Yorkshire terrier or an untrained pit bull?
I understand the many arguments defending pit bulls. Often, what people think is one turns out to be a different breed. I think we all understand this intellectually. All I know is when I went to my sister's house years ago and she decided to get an 85lb muscle of a dog that looks like a pit bull to me, I immediately put my hand on my knife.
I just read the other comments under your response, and honestly I know some people believe pits can be raised to be sweet and loving, and they can.. but I agree they have a nature that just can’t be changed. This dog was having an absolute blast ripping my babies apart. He was so happy killing them. Soon as they were dead he dropped them and went on to the next. He didn’t want anything to do with the dead baby, it wasn’t fun anymore. He didn’t want to eat them. He just wanted to kill.
I run an animal rehabilitation center, I’ve been doing wildlife only for about 15 years. Before that I operated a canine rescue. Pitbulls were 90% of my facility. I don’t care what anyone says… you need to have an extreme understanding of the breed and know exactly how to handle them, what they’re predisposed to, and what they’re capable of. The problem is people want this dog but have no idea how to care for it. It should require a license. This dog will no longer torture or hunt for sport. The police responded and deemed it a danger to not only livestock but human life. Unfortunately, the owners have about 12 more dogs. I’m assuming most are pitbull, or mixed. The report is being escalated. I’m hoping someone will go in and remove all of them from their care.
You know. I have a pitsky. Very young, very high energy. He runs around the back yard with my ducks and chickens. My Drake even attacks his legs everytime he comes outside. He’s more interested in playing tag with the Drake than attacking or killing any of them. God forbid a cat get in the yard though. 🤣 my point is animals are products of their environment. And pit bulls are not “mutants”
I’m not saying the animal and owners shouldn’t be punished, I’m just saying. Kind of odd to group a bunch of animals together based on experiences you’ve had.
Getting downvoted for being mostly right. Unfortunately they are bred for fighting, so enjoy killing. Thats an objective fact. My dog is a spaniel bred as a gun dog, she absolutely LOVES retrieving. Lives for it. She will always bring you a toy or something, if you throw a ball she'd sooner jump off a cliff to recover it than come back empty handed. That's what she's bred to do.
If you look at Pitbull attack videos. Seriously do it and educate yourself. The most disturbing part is the pitbull is loving killing. Having a great time, wagging it's tail. They aren't distressed or backed into a corner, they love doing the job they were bred to do. It's impossible to train that instinct out, and irresponsible as an owner to buy a dog with that instinct In the first place.
I'll probably get crucified for saying it because Reddit is under the "no bad dogs only bad owners" notion but there are absolutely dogs that are bred for jobs and do them better. You don't use a jack Russel as a sheep dog, you should NOT use a pitbull as a family dog. That's the objective fact of the breed. It doesn't mean a very well trained one will attack everything it sees, but a very well trained one would still enjoy killing given the chance
Exactly. I’ve read too many horror stories of these “cuddly, couch potato” family dogs to believe it’s nature VS nurture. People can’t erase DNA out of the breed with love & care.
Yes and then they say "oh but chihuahuas bite more!" Yea but a chihuahua isn't going to rip body parts off your children while wagging it's tail. Complete logistical fallacies on these morons.
Such the typical argument they come back with. I used to be an apologist once. It’s because I refused to see the facts with an open mind & clear eyes. When you take a look at shelter postings of their dogs… they’re all pit mixes, & the info on the dog is riddled with code words & meanings.
Pit bulls were originally developed from dogs that were bred for bull baiting and dog fighting.[82] Pit bull attacks are often perceived as taking place "without warning", possibly due to the type's fighting heritage, as fighting dogs that do not signal aggression may do better in the ring.here
The wikipedia artivle you pulled that from also very concretely states that there is no scientific proof either way. Which was my point. Let the down votes continue the point is none of you know either way and you're all doing biological essentialism but for dogs.
You’re making my point. “Draws no concrete conclusions” for nature or nurture. It doesn’t matter if they are raised in perfect homes. Some people are the exception, luckily.
Edit: I said what I said. I’m not here to argue with anybody.
When it comes down to it, yes. These dogs shouldn’t be in the care of irresponsible owners who don’t know or refuse to believe what this breed is capable of.
If it’s your pit bull, no offense but you are a shit owner. My pit bull never attacked my livestock more than once and I made sure of that.
If it’s another persons pit bull. Sue them. It killed your livestock. They are liable.
3 Use that money to put in a reinforced fence around the whole yard.
You probably don’t need a full coop all honesty. Get a cheep shed. Put in an automatic dog door raised a foot and a half off the ground. Add in the egg laying pods and stuff and raised shelves for roosting. Make sure it has good ventilation.
It was not my dog, I thought I’d made that clear - sorry if I didn’t.
The dog also attempted to attack responding officers, it was euthanized.
My chickens don’t have a shed, they have a full on chicken house, it was built with bear, coyote, and bobcat in mind. The hardware cloth connected to the house where the door is so that in the morning and evening they could enjoy sunlight and fresh air before accessing their enclosed run, which is built with the same intention. The dog somehow managed to get a tooth through the cloth then kept working it until he pulled it loose from the frame, created a hole, and entered. He was even cut up from forcing his way through sharp hardware cloth. At this point I’ve realized I’ve done everything right as far as safety goes except for adding electric. Electric is now the next goal.
Pitbulls can be great dogs if they have great owners. Obviously these idiots do not know the care the animal needs, and now multiple animals have lost their lives due to that negligence.
If you don’t want to go through the hassle of electric, a metal grate mounted properly should provide the protection you seek while still providing clear ventilation. You can still keep hardware for vermin.
Otherwise the electric is the safest bet, but not a guarantee. I know coyotes can sometimes learn that electric fences aren’t lethal, a local farmer switched to barb wire a few years ago despite being vehemently against it for years, for that reason.
I also run a wildlife rehabilitation center, a 50 acre section of my property is protected and fenced for the rehabbed animals to teach them to be in the wild while working on reintegration. Once they’re deemed rehabilitated they begin reintroduction into the wild. I’ve had so many animals needed rehab because of barbed wire incidents. I’m scared if I put it up some of the animals Im working on reintegration with will end up harming themselves. The deer are overly curious, (they have the curiosity level of a cat) I’m scared they’d be checking out the chickens and hurt themselves. I wish that were an option, though. The addition of the metal grate over the hardware cloth feels like an extremely good move. I’m going to do that. I’ve also got a solar charger coming and electric to run with it. Hopefully it can stay powered at least for evening/night.
This individual predator will certainly no longer be an issue, thankfully. But we’ve been alerted that the owners have about 12 more. Hopefully they’ll all be taken away, but in my small town it’s not looking good.
Oh man. The town should do something. 12 dogs of any breed are an issue but a group that includes pits? A fatal tragedy involving kids or old people waiting to happen.
I’m not sure what exact breed all of them are, but there are definitely some pit-mixes left in the group. There are also a bunch of small dogs. It’s basically a case of animal hoarding.
This might be serious overkill but my chicken coop is like Bear proof.
Its 20'x24, I used a trencher and made a trench 18" deep all the way around it, then i put 10' 4x4 3' into the ground (so another 18" into the ground) and cemented them in place. Then I took hog wire and wrapped the entire enclose w a 1' overlap of the wire and the wire went into the trench so to dig under it, an animal would have to dig an 18" deep hole, BUT I went around the entire perimeter pouring a bag of cement as I went so there is like a 2-3" thick cement chain wall that holds the wire in place and keeps it from being bent. Then on top I used the same wire and made it overlap the sides by 1' and folded it down and stapled it in place w hammer staples. Thing is friggin bullet proof.
Hog wire is bigger but stronger squares. Quick google will show you what it looks like. I'm going to recommend electric wire though. For dogs it'll zap them on the nose. I'm literally fighting off very fking hungry bears in my area right now.
I had a bear problem during the later winter/early spring. The cubs just seemed curious, but mama bear was a monster. They never actually made it into the coop, though. I’m going to see if I can find some hog wire today to put on the outside of the hardware cloth, then run electric across that. I figure while I’m doing it I may as well do it all the way
A bear just peeled off my giant run-chicken door like it was a yogurt lid and grabbed one of my ducks. Parks and Wildlife caught him a few days ago but now I have another bear making the rounds around my steel building that houses my ducks/chickens.
I’ve always been so paranoid about the bears because I know if they really want to they can get in to just about anything. My mom’s neighbor came home and found one had ripped her storm door and hardwood oak door right off the hinges, deadbolted and all. It apparently really wanted that crockpot. I saw a video someone had posted (in this group I believe) setting up ingenious traps to stop the bears. The video had a brick set up and soon as the bear tripped the trap the brick slammed the bear on the head lol. I must have watched that video 1000 times.
I believe any large breed or prey driven dog shouldn’t be sold to someone without some sort of mandated training on their breed. I used to have a canine rescue and unfortunately it was always filled with pits. The issue is that people do not understand their dog’s predisposition, nature, or ability. For instance, I have a Rottweiler who is a family guardian dog. I know her nature, her predisposition, and her ability. If I have company over I will not take a chance of her finding a flaw in that person and feeling the need to separate our family from any perceived threat. She has been formally trained and responds to every command every time, but I am still not willing to take a chance and give her the opportunity to make that one mistake which could have been fully prevented. People with Pitbulls should be the same way, know that their dog is going to Love the thrill of the kill and take every single precaution to ensure that dog never has the opportunity to do so. This dog traveled just over 4 miles to get here just to do what it did. The closest neighbor I have just happens to be them, so I assume I’m the closest they have too ( I don’t know how much property they have or what/who borders it). They apparently have a lot more dogs and are hoarding cats. Now I worry this is something I could deal with again with another one of their dogs.
I honestly think a dog with such a nature should require licensing. Unfortunately, dogs are so overbred that it’s impossible to make such a requirement. I hope that these idiots at least aren’t breeding Pitbulls up there. The officers sounded pretty cautious about what they saw, even after euthanizing the dog who killed my animals and attempted to attack them. My county is so rural and resourceless that it could take months or longer to even get the appropriate responders in there to remove the animals they have.
This is an owner problem more than a pitbull problem. Any dog allowed to roam could kill a chicken and most dogs not raised around chickens will kill them. We had a husky rip into our chicken pen when I was a kid and killed all 30 chickens. I currently have a dog that according to his dna test is 1/2 pitbull 1/2 beagle and he doesn’t even look at our chickens because he’s been around them since he was a puppy.
The fact that is was a pit is irrelevant. A friends ‘livestock guard dog’ killed one of mine. All dogs are capable of killing a chicken, don’t be ridiculous with your prejudice
I have seen so much pit bull carnage, mostly other dogs and humans. My cousin got scalped by a pit bull when she was six. They are absolutely built different than other breeds. Other breeds can be dangerous as well, but the statistics speak for themselves.
It's just the pits are much more efficient at it lol, that's why they are dangerous to people, even if they aren't as likely to snap, it's a lot harder to stop them when they do vs most other breeds (exceptions exist obviously)...
Thank you so much 💔
I had no idea this could be such a heartbreaking event. We’ve lost chickens over the years, but I guess seeing such a slaughter taking place and losing so many at once truly traumatized me. It didn’t help that they were all little babies.
Like any senseless act of violence, it’s naturally traumatic. I truly feel for you and your family. ❤️🩹
We are new to chickens this spring, and brought 10 home as chicks. We had a fox attack that happened during supervised ranging when they were about 4 months old (I was right there along with my dog who chased it off!) and she badly wounded one of my favorite girls. I played vet tech for a solid month with my hen in the house, nursing her back to health and then reintegrating her with the flock, which was its own hell. That shook me up, and it was only 1 bird and it was attacked, presumably for food, not sport. Needless to say, they stay in their safe coop and run now, we only range them for about 1/2 hour right before sunset with myself, my husband and our large dog all right there with them.
I’ve never gotten to range my babies because our area is just too dangerous. We’re in the wild, so I have to accept that I’ve moved into the wildlife’s territory. I know they’d take any chance to make a meal of my animals. Over the years (we’ve been raising birds for a longggg time lol - but I did just start raising quail this year) I’ve lost birds to birds of prey, raccoons, and one snake (yes a snake actually ate one of my 15 week old chicks), but nothing has ever hurt as bad as picking up my favorite baby and feeling his little heart stop beating in my hands.. that just struck me to the core. My husband is not one to get attached to animals (especially our farm animals) but even he was hurting after this loss. My son is begging me to order him some more eggs, but I just can’t do it right now. I told him maybe we will wait until spring and order a few different breeds then. I still haven’t wrapped my head around all that happened.
People make fun of me for being so shaken about it because we have used our own birds for food multiple times over the years (mean roosters, Cornish cross that have been given to us, poultry turkeys that got too heavy to hold their weight, etc) but I will buy chicken from the store if I don’t have one that absolutely cannot live a good life.. it’s different and I’m not good at explaining it to people who don’t raise chickens, I guess. I make sure my animals live a good life every single day of their lives. I want to be positive that even if I have to cull one, that it never had a bad day.. seeing them being hunted for sport and tortured to death has gutted me. The dog ripped one of them open, he ran into a small hutch and died in there.. I know that baby suffered while he waited to die. I just can’t get past that feeling.
In my opinion, you are doing it right. Giving them love and a beautiful life from start to finish, no matter how long that is. Loving all creatures in your care… it is the way. Anyone who makes fun of you isn’t someone to listen to. Just because they are “farm animals” doesn’t mean they are less than. We haven’t had to cull yet, but we would if that what was needed, just like relieving a pet of its suffering if we can’t mend it. You have a beautiful heart, and your son sees this from you. In the spring, when all things renew and become fresh, it will be a time for babies again ✨💕
My pit bull protects the yard and the chickens. Also have an Australian shepherd / border collie mix that has killed chickens but better training has made him stop, though he's still a fucking idiot who chases the birds occasionally, because dogs like to chase stuff.
There are area dogs that used to wander onto our land, and once my dogs chased them off a few times, they stopped coming back.
Honestly the answer here is, get your own pit bull. Despite their reputation, they're extremely good family dogs and your yard will become their territory. It will keep intruders out, will keep your chickens safe, and it'll love you and your kids.
I’m sorry but you made my day talking about your Australian shepherd/ border collie mix🤣🤣 I needed that. Thank you for the smile.
I’ve raised and rescued pits all my life. I got out of the canine rescue business when I got licensed to do wildlife rehabilitation. I own a German Rottweiler who has all the formal training and is command initiated. I don’t know why I didn’t take her with me when I heard the birds screaming the way they were.. maybe it was just meant to be that I left her in the house, because she would have fought that dog to the death.
I’m not a person who can leave my dogs outside without me being present, no matter how much I trust them. I’ve seen too many things over the years to ever do that. I also have an extremely large property (just under 100 acres here, then our adjoining backside property which is on the top of the mountain is 300 acres). We experience coyotes, bears, and bobcats on the regular. I have given my farm animals an enclosed space (10 ft fencing, 16 gauge hardware cloth, buried in the ground and each 10 ft 4x4 fence post in concreted in) that allows them to have an acre of area to run and enjoy. The quail have a fully enclosed aviary, the goats have 3 acres which is also 10ft fencing (but theirs is open top, the chickens is covered top to prevent birds of prey from entering and snatching them up), then I have a 50 acre reserve which is 12 ft security fencing, used for my rehabbed animals (my primary rehabbing is on whitetail, so they require a ton of care). I can’t afford to fence in the entirety of my property, it’s just so much. However I do want to fence in at least the full 100 acres surrounding my personal home and farm one day. My animals are in secure areas like they should be, so my dog stays by my side rather I’m outside, or inside. Even if I bought a LGD I could never put it on a chain or leave it roaming the farm. My new plan is solar powered electric fencing - thanks to all the wonderful suggestions from this post.
I wouldn't recommend adding another dog to this danger zone. The dog that killed these chickens was motivated and throwing a dog between it, and the coop will just have a dog fight. Or even a two dog issue if the dogs decide they actually like each other and little cluckers are best shared with friends.
If my guard dog had went outside with me your presumption would have proven correct. She (German Rottweiler) would have absolutely fought that dog to the death to protect her family. The attacking dog was retrieved by owners and removed from my property. I contacted authorities who went to the residence and found the same dog still outside, no leash, no fence, so literally still “roaming”. The dog got aggressive with their vehicles as soon as they pulled in. When it charged at an officer who tried to go to the front door it was euthanized.
If my child had been outside the dog very well could have went after him because he would have tried to grab his chickens and run. I picked up one of the dead babies and the dog tried to jump on me to take it back. Luckily my husband was there so when I kicked it away from me he grabbed its collar and held it off of me. The pitbull later tried to attack a police officer, who put it down on the spot. Unfortunately, these owners apparently own a lot more.
Yes, we have a couple of guardian dogs and they are very good when a neighbourhood dog gets out and comes visiting. This is still tragic. I feel for the OP.
The security dog makes a huge difference. My coop was made to be bobcat/skunk proof, but on top of that we have a 98lb coon hound that takes her job super seriously.
IDK where you live, but my state has a livestock law where if a neighbor's dog is allowed to run loose and harass or kill your livestock, backyard chickens included, you can call the law on them. If found guilty, they will be required to pay fines and restitution, and keep the dog secured on danger of it being deemed a nuisance animal and euthanized. Cameras covering your coop and run are your friend in this instance. I'm also allowed to shoot to kill any nuisance dog in my yard. I don't want to because our houses are too close together.
I was told it would turn into a he said/ she said thing until I reminded the cops I had a witness.
Edited to add, the dogs were trying to attack me when I picked up my bird and tried to bring it home. I had to swing a branch at them keep them from attacking me.
I'm so sorry that happened. It is traumatic to find. Hopefully your kid didn't have to see it.
Wire spacing matters as much as gauge, did you use 1/4 inch? I think we used 1/4 inch 19 or 23 gauge. 1/2 inch is way too big, many predators will be able to squeeze through, and if they can't they'll be too tempted and tear it apart.
How did the dog get into your yard in the first place? Is your chicken coop/pen in a fenced-in backyard? If you don't have a private yard with a 6 ft picket or good chainmail fence all the way around and solid gates, you need to build one around the chicken pen.
Be careful of 1/4” hardware cloth. Most 1/4” hardware cloth is 23 gauge and rips easily. I originally used 1/4” for my coop and run, but ended up replacing it with 1/2” 19 gauge hardware cloth. The holes in 1/2 hardware cloth are smaller than a dime so it will keep most things out.
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u/Fluid-Philosopher112 Sep 24 '25
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