Unwelcome visitor
Posted: Tuesday 31 March, 2009
We had an unwelcome visitor today that killed 13 of our hens - 7 Hubbards, 5 Black Rocks and one Light Sussex. Our postman, John, phoned me at work at 12 noon to say that some of our hens were dead. My father-in-law came round, as Dan was in Edinburgh, to help me collect the bodies and round up the survivors.
We know who the culprit is but we can't prove it; the evidence is circumstantial. I have informed the police, who are making enquiries but they won't be able to do anything about it either. The dog concerned is kept at a local yard about 200 yards from our land; we know that this morning it had slipped its chain and gone missing (the owner actually asked my mother-in-law if she had seen it) and it has attacked our hens before. I asked the owners at the time to ensure that he was properly secured but he's been seen running loose since then. He's a Staffie and is just "jaws on legs".
Thank goodness our new lamb and his mum were still shut in as he's no bigger than a hen or he would be dead too. I don't blame the dog and I don't want him destroyed but if his owners don't keep him under control, then what's the choice?
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Comments
Fletch
I know from personal experience how awful this can be, it's like a masacre. There is really not a lot you can do apart from prison style enclosures, a bit of an eyesore to say the least and not very free range.
DominicJ
A badly owned dog is better off dead, if only to save the lives of dogs with good owners.
The next time he gets out he could attack a child, then there will be another camapaign demanding all "dangerous" dogs are killed, and a badly injured child of course.
David
This happened to me a year ago. I caught the dog in the act and involved the police. Owner of dog claimed her dog had chased off the fox that killed the hens. Police gave usual warnings. A week later it was at my sheep and I called the police who witnessed me trying to catch the dog and then witness me shoot it. I still hate what I did to the dog but it was clearly the dog or my stock. Again the dog owner said "my dog doesn't kill". Thankfully the police put her right on that.
Dave
Teresa
Once a chicken killer, always a chicken killer. Maybe you can try an electric wire on the outside of your pens.
Susan
Really sorry about your hens :~(
Comments are now closed for this post.
Carol
Tuesday 31 March, 2009 at 10:10pm
Sorry to hear about the hens missus - do you know how it gets in? Perhaps it's time for high fencing. Good news about the lamb - well done! We're still waiting........................
:0)