My hens have been attacked.

[Peglo]

I live on a quiet dead end road with only 3 houses past ours. We have neighbours next to us separated by old buildings and bushes.

the neighbours have 2 little dogs. They open the door, let them out and leave them to it. They frequently run around our property and on several occasions I have chased the little bastwerds home after catching them chasing and pulling tail feathers out of my cockerel.

tonight when driving up to my stables (where a hash of my chickens live) I saw feathers everywhere along the verge. I assumed one of my chickens had been hit on the road and something had pulled it to bits. I went into the stables where OH had already checked the hens and 2 of them has had all their tail feathers pulled out. They seemed ok but looked terrible. The feathers went all the way from the road up to our back garden

We do get plenty of walkers with dogs past the house as a coastal walk is down the end of our road and other neighbours do have dogs too although no one else has ever let their dogs run around our garden.

I'm fairly sure it is the direct neighbours horrible little dogs that’s done it. They were chasing one of my cats yesterday. But I have zero proof as I wasn’t home.

they are good neighbours generally and haven’t had any run ins with them. We have way too many cockerels and they never complain, and don’t complain if they venture over to their property. But the hens that’s been attacked don’t go that far up and the worst feathers are down the road away from neighbours house.

so what what you do? Just speak to them even though it possibly wasn’t their dogs? Put up a sign outside the house saying keep dogs on lead and hope they see it? do nothing?
They maybe don’t know their dogs are chasing the birds but my worry is things escalate and one of my hens gets killed.

they should have feathers like the black hen at the back.

 

[AmyMay]

Keep your hens in a safe enclosed area?

 

[FestiveG]

Should your poultry not be inside currently?

 

[poiuytrewq]

I’m half torn with this one. I understand it’s incredibly annoying and upsetting. My farriers dog once got one of ours and I was pretty P’d off.
The neighbours dogs shouldn’t be getting into your land regardless of hens or anything else.
However hens are still supposed to be in lock down so I just don’t think you’d get very far with complaining too loudly.

 

[Pearlsacarolsinger]

You should all keep your animals at home. And yes, if you are in UK your poultry should be inside.

 

[Peglo]

Should your poultry not be inside currently?

we’re up in Scotland. Think our restrictions were lifted and as far as I’ve checked we haven’t been told to lock in again. (North isles actually so no natural predators for poultry hence being free range)

 

[rowan]

Due to avian influenza, all hens should be housed so no wild birds can get in with them to stop the disease from spreading.

 

[HappyHollyDays]

Should your poultry not be inside currently?

The rules don’t apply in Scotland so the OP is within her rights to allow her birds to be outside.

 

[Peglo]

we’re up in Scotland. Think our restrictions were lifted and as far as I’ve checked we haven’t been told to lock in again. (North isles actually so no natural predators for poultry hence being free range)

replying to my own post. Maybe I read it wrong. Everyone I know had let theirs out so I did check but I maybe misunderstood the meaning.


This means strict biosecurity measures for all bird keepers (including those who keep pet birds) to help prevent the spread of avian influenza from wild birds or any other source. All poultry gatherings are banned.

The AIPZ does not currently include a requirement to house birds in Scotland. However, this is being kept under constant review. You should always check as different arrangements may apply in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.

 

[Clodagh]

I think your hens being attacked is a separate thing to the two dogs being out of control. Mine are locked down but one got out, next doors cat killed her the same day. I still blame the cat even though the hen should not have been out.
So I’d say something about the dog’s trespassing and persecuting your animals.

 

[HappyHollyDays]

Peglo I would be annoyed with the dogs but it’s a bit of give and take so if you can talk to the owners and come to a compromise it might be the best thing. A large electrified enclosure which can be moved around would keep the chickens safe but the neighbours also need to take some responsibility for their animals.

 

[Clodagh]

Sorry. Missed the Scotland bit. I’d be bloody livid.

 

[Burnttoast]

My neighbour's border got through their fence and took out three of my girls (I had to dispatch one of my favourites, it was pretty awful tbh as I really like the chooks). At least I knew (she rang me to apologise but since I'd been taking her dogs back and asking her to fix the fence for months I was less than impressed. The fence was then fixed at least). I would talk to the neighbour on the basis that it's the most likely possibility but I'd also put up an electric fence or put your birds in a run because it's no fun finding corpses scattered all over the place.

 

[Peglo]

Peglo I would be annoyed with the dogs but it’s a bit of give and take so if you can talk to the owners and come to a compromise it might be the best thing. A large electrified enclosure which can be moved around would keep the chickens safe but the neighbours also need to take some responsibility for their animals.

I certainly don’t want to accuse them of anything and they are generally good neighbours and they might not know what their dogs are doing. (If it was theirs) But I’d also feel bad for my hens who are used to having space to roam and scratch in our paddock or bushes. (Nothing wrong with enclosures for hens but other than lock ins mine are used to being free and escaping the chicken bullies)

 

[Mrs. Jingle]

I think to be honest there isn't a lot you can do and I certainly think it would be unwise to take your neighbours to task over it. If your chooks also wander on to their property it's a case of 6 of one and half a dozen of the other surely? You can't demand they keep their dogs contained on their property if you don't contain your pets on yours?

 

[Pearlsacarolsinger]

Sorry. Missed the Scotland bit. I’d be bloody livid.

But the neighbours put up with the cockerils wandering all over the place. Perhaps if everyone kept their own animals at home, there wouldn't be a problem.

 

[Clodagh]

But the neighbours put up with the cockerils wandering all over the place. Perhaps if everyone kept their own animals at home, there wouldn't be a problem.

My neighbours cockerels wander on the lane, as do his dogs. They are no bother to me. I do agree though they need keeping off the neighbours land.

 

[Peglo]

I think to be honest there isn't a lot you can do and I certainly think it would be unwise to take your neighbours to task over it. If your chooks also wander on to their property it's a case of 6 of one and half a dozen of the other surely? You can't demand they keep their dogs contained on their property if you don't contain your pets on yours?

i understand your point and would agree if the dogs were just pottering around our garden but they are attacking my pets, which my hens aren’t doing to theirs. I’ve not seen my hens over there for a year or 2, ever since they started attacking the cockerel which was on my property at the time. (I was home and watched it from the kitchen.) I would call the chickens back when I spotted them there. And if the dogs chased them off their property that would be acceptable to me. Now I think of it they used to let them out with a lab who was kept on a lead and ever since the lab has gone the small dogs just get left to their own devices with no one keeping an eye on them and that’s when the chicken chasing started.

the dogs run all over the road and have seen them in the field opposite our houses which now has sheep in it. Usually has cattle through the summer. I don’t think the small dogs would attack people walking along the road or large animals in the field and I certainly hope they won’t but my hens seem to be entertainment to them.

ETA I only mentioned my hens being over there years ago to show they are good neighbours, although inattentive to their dogs whereabouts.

EETA I agree @Mrs. Jingle I don’t want to take them to task. As I say I can’t prove it was their dogs. And maybe if they see all the feathers they might consider their dog’s whereabouts. I just wasn’t sure if I should mention anything. Appreciate all the replies.

 

[FestiveG]

Our neighbours hens used to come onto our land, which was not a big problem, until they got into the vegetable patch and destroyed the lot!

 

[maya2008]

I would fence the hens in. Seems like neither you nor the neighbours have a fence. Someone needs to put one up, to prevent further incidents.

 

[ester]

I wouldnt' expect any free roaming animals to not have interactions with other animals.

The local cats like to terrorise my guinea pigs in their garden as they are 'entertainment to them'. . . and obviously I don't let them free roam even in the garden as somoene would likely eat them.

 

[twiggy2]

You should all keep your animals at home. And yes, if you are in UK your poultry should be inside.

Its not UK wide, it has not been applied in Scotland

 

[PurBee]

I live in an area where all the properties have many acres and none of it all-animal-proof.

The ’rules’ folk generally follow are for large stock, i.e cow farmer, horse owners, pigs, sheep and goats - they are fenced in.

Dogs/cats and other smaller creatures are relatively ‘free-range‘ UNTIL that animal becomes problematic to other fenced or free-range animals.

Because of the free-ranging of animals going on other properties, its very often the case that the owner of the ‘roamer’ has no idea what it gets up to.
So it’s up to the ‘witness’ to approach owner saying “your dog chases/attacks my cats/chickens/dogs” (sometimes it is sheep/cows/horses being attacked too)
The owner then is responsible for keeping an eye on attacking/chasing/terrorising animal when it is let out, now they have been made aware it does terrorise.

It is a system that sounds as if it could never work - on paper - but it does surprise me how well it seems to work. Most animals that have exposure to various animals, like on a smallholding, tend to be the easiest as free-range. It’s the households that just have one type of animal, like just dogs or just cats, and they get no exposure training to cats/chickens/sheep/cows, those cats/dogs then can become troublesome to smaller creatures theyre not familiar with.

The system works well here because farmers have guns! If youve been told your dog chases and attacks their animals, youve had fair warning, if it happens again your animal is on their land terrorising their animals they WILL shoot it. It has happened during my tenure here.

It is ridiculous that 4 nearby households have to dogfence THEIR multiple acres perimeter costing thousands, because 1 household has an terrorising dog, that breaches its own property perimeter to attack other households animals.

My neighbour had visitors with dogs, whom they let roam outside this strange-to-them valley, while humans went inside to natter. The 2 dogs proceeded to continually bark for the entire visit…no kidding, i thought surely theyd shut up due to a dry mouth at SOME point, but no! Barking their heads off, like dogs in a fight, and then running around my fields chasing the deer and my cats, and the horses. Running like bullets, everywhere they could barking and chasing anything that moved.

My OH and i went super-nova at that incident, due to the carnage of chaos these dogs caused to our animals, to which they were oblivious inside the house having a natter…evidently the dogs bark constantly at home too, so they tune them out presumably?!

If i take my soft-as-sh*t, large dog who‘s fine with various animals anywhere new, she’s tethered to me.
Here at home, animals are moved to various fields, there‘s been new cats and dogs move here roaming, she’s very good with them all, they become play-pals.
If any nearby farm has loose chickens that she was chasing, i wouldn’t know - and would want to be told, so i could keep her closer to free-range on just the farm, than free-range of the valley.
She doesnt go that far though, as she’s a home guard instinct breed.

I’d have a word Peglo….you dont need to go nuclear at them as your chickens survived, this time. If they have dogs breaching their property to terrorise any other people’s kept animals, its up to them to fence in their garden for dog to be loose in, or go out with the dog for eyesight exercise. It’s not a safe free-ranger valley animal.

Similar rules may apply in the wilds of scotland to the wild west of ireland

 

[Peglo]

I wouldnt' expect any free roaming animals to not have interactions with other animals.

The local cats like to terrorise my guinea pigs in their garden as they are 'entertainment to them'. . . and obviously I don't let them free roam even in the garden as somoene would likely eat them.

but should dogs be free roaming? I understand their cats roaming and it was actually their territory before we moved in so don’t worry about them coming over but I thought dogs had to be under control at all times?

@PurBee thank you. This is much what I thought. I certainly don’t want to upset the neighbours and I have no intentions of doing anything until I calm myself (which thankfully I already have compared to when I came home)
I don’t think they do realise what the dogs are up to and I wouldn’t mind them being over here if they just pottered about. If anything I could mention casually about seeing them chasing a hen without any accusations.

 

[FestiveG]

No dogs should not be free roaming, neither should domestic fowl, or any other stock.

 

[blitznbobs]

Do you have no foxes where you live?

 

[stangs]

Could you put a trail cam or two in an area that you know the hens frequent, so you have evidence should something like this happen again?

 

[ester]

but should dogs be free roaming? I understand their cats roaming and it was actually their territory before we moved in so don’t worry about them coming over but I thought dogs had to be under control at all times?

@PurBee thank you. This is much what I thought. I certainly don’t want to upset the neighbours and I have no intentions of doing anything until I calm myself (which thankfully I already have compared to when I came home)
I don’t think they do realise what the dogs are up to and I wouldn’t mind them being over here if they just pottered about. If anything I could mention casually about seeing them chasing a hen without any accusations.

I was more pointing out that your chickens are free roaming, not the dogs!

 

[Peglo]

Do you have no foxes where you live?

no we are extremely lucky up here. No foxes, badgers or any natural predators for hens. We did get a stoat invasion on the island but with every house around us with cats and a few feral’s about we never see any around here, although the chooks get locked in at nights incase.

@ester sorry I misunderstood.

 

[poiuytrewq]

This maybe totally out of the question but Is there a boundary that could have a line of chicken or stock wire put up? Or even something like the mini electric fencing game keepers use?
Thus keeping the terriers their side and chickens yours?