Doggone Dog!

When I got home from work today, I went through the typical questions that I go through with Tricia each day to see how her day went:

• How was your day?  Tell me all about it.
• Who did you talk to?
• Did we get any good mail?
• How are the girls? (Daisy, Rosie and Maggie)

On that last question, she answered, "The (cow) girls are just fine, but we had quite an eventful afternoon with the hens!"

She went on to tell me that she looked out of the french doors to the pasture and saw the hens running for dear life.  When she went outside, she observed the neighbor's little red dog in our fenced in pasture chasing our chickens.  There were feathers flying everywhere.  She was able to chase the dog and he hopped up and was able to wiggle through one of the bigger holes in the hog wire. 


Hogwire - holes are big enough to let a small dog get through

She surveyed the area and couldn't find any injured or dead chickens this time, but the poor girls were so nervous, they probably won't lay for a few days.  I found chickens hiding everywhere - in the barn, in the burn pile, under the chicken tractors...  A chaotic, frazzled barnyard indeed. 

Someone lost some feathers



Someone else did, too.

This dog (or the neighbor's other little dog) was responsible for the death of 18 of our hens last year.  That is a bunch of dead chickens!  The average hen lays 265 eggs per year.  The dog, therefore, was responsible for the loss of 4,770 eggs.  That is 397.5 dozen eggs or $1,192.50 in lost sales!  Oh, my!


Feathers blanketing the pasture

To combat this and alleviate the carnage, I had purchased and put up 150 feet of 2X4 welded wire up against the existing hogwire that encircles the pasture and secured it with tie wire.  I put this up, however, just on the fencing facing the neighbor's property and about 50 feet on either side.  At a cost of about $30 for 50 feet of fence, I couldn't really afford to do more.  This worked for several months.  Now it appears the dog figured out that if he would walk 50 feet down, there is only hog wire and being a small dog, he can shimmy through and chase our chickens.  Now I can't afford to NOT put up more fence (Ding Dangit!)   

Feathers everywhere you look

There is a saying "Good fences make good neighbors."  Trouble is, I have a good fence and I try to be a good neighbor.  Now I have to spend extra money to put more fence up to keep the neighbor's dogs off of my property.  A box of 500 Winchester .22 Long Rifle Rimfire Ammo is $24.99.  If my math is right, that works up to a nickel a bullet.  That solution is a lot cheaper than buying fence and then installing it, but killing your neighbor's dog is expensive in ways not defined financially, I would assume.  (Think Hatfields and McCoys)

So last night as I worked on the chores, Tricia and Russ went to the hardware store and purchased an additional 100 feet of fence.  They returned and by the light of our trusty DeWalt lantern, me, Russ, and Benjamin installed the fence, in the dark, in the mud. 

 

Moon Lightin'

You've probably read, Old Yeller, Shiloh, and Where the Red Fern grows and have fond thoughts of dogs.  I like dogs as much as the next guy, but last night, I'll confess I was thinking unkind thoughts about my neighbor's carnivorous canines.  Hopefully, our efforts will deter the chicken-killer(s) and there can be peace once again in the barnyard.


Good Fences Make Good Neighbors!