Fifteen brand new baby chicks arived yesterday. (turkeys to come next week) I never knew something so tiny could be so scary. Last year's chicks ended up getting me slapped with a PPO and a $14,000 lawyer bill. Thoes were EXPENSIVE chickens. I have no idea what will happen this year, hopefully there won't be any loose dogs in the neighborhood. We'll see.....
Starting over: courageous or insane?
Good Luck!
You bad thing, you!
There must be something one can do to discourage stray dogs...don't know what, short of a bigger dog.
Stray dogs are easier than neighbor's dogs. Welcome back to the world of chicken - insanity.
I told a lady in email today to put me on her waiting list for an expensive pair of silkies for this fall. WHAT WAS I THINKING ? ?
I definitely know the feeling. Now I feel totally obligated to keep my word, but I probably shouldn't have done that.
I still have three rooster pens to build, a van to fix, housework.. and painting.. and.. and.. and...
but thank God I have something positive to do. I really enjoy the chickens, I really do. They are so peaceful and fun.
I had a neighborhood dog kill 5 of my son's 4-H chickens, The owner had a large vet bill and from the hole DH put in him and the owner finally bought a stake and chain to keep him on his proptery. Luckily here we have a right to protect our livestock. No one ever wants to hurt another animal but it was the dogs 2nd visit to my pen. I second the insanity!
What was $14000 for ?
Heavinscent has the right idea for loose & running dogs.
They are fair game here, too. Not sure if it's legal, but ???
They can be shot on site if they are chasing deer.
Im guessing you had to get Personal Protection Order... If thats the case things must have gotten pretty ugly :(
Good luck with your new brood. Things will go better this time around, it just has to.
I sure can relate Jyl.. I have a problem neighbor's dog that even tore through a rabbit hutch!
I hope you can keep your babiez safe and really enjoy them this time. That is one expensive egg! Best of luck to you.
Thanks everybody.
No she hit ME with the PPO after her dogs killed my chickens and she got a ticket for loose dogs. Amoung the things she claimed was that I instagated a terrorist attack on her through Dave's Garden. All I did is post that a neighbor's dogs killed my chickens and some of the other members said I should Shoot, Shovel and Shut up. I had to hire a lawyer when she tried to say that I broke the PPO. It cost me 14 grand and even though she admitted everything but the post on Dave's was a lie, the PPO was upheld by the court. It has been a nightmare. The only positive note is that she put in invisable fencing to keep her freeking dogs home.
There is no such thing as freedom of speech or justice in this country.
I would sue her for the price of the chickens, ($15,000.00) that her dogs killed!
sad, so sad. Sorry you had to endure that. Hope this time around all will go well and her dogs will stay put....on her property.
Jyl, congratulations! That plucky spirit will conquer all sorts of things! I hope your recent trials are now a thing of the past? Anyway, I'm glad to see you putting your toe - and both feet - back in the water again!
This message was edited Apr 30, 2010 10:34 PM
Great!
The human spirit is an amazing thing. The more you try to beat it down the more resiliant and stronger it becomes. She thought she was destroying me, instead she was building something that she will never want to mess with again. After 8 months, I have come to realise that though I whish I had never been required to live through it, I have learned some astonishing and valuable things. First, I learned that if you have enough money, you can buy anything you want including police, lawyers and judges. It tkes a LOT of money. More than we had. Next you learn who your real friends are and who will require a supponena to show up in court. (the real friends don't) If a friend can't stand unfailingly behind you, get rid of him, he is no friend. I learned just how corupt a system can become. I experienced just how low something can drag a family down to. I finialy relaised that justice was just a pretty word, it meant nothing, nor did truth or honor or honesty. They were all dashed in front of me.
So what was left? A few very good friends, a family bond that could not be shaken. I finally found my way firmly into Buddhism and left what was not pertinant behind. I leanrned to depend upon myself and no one else. I learned to make my own way and stay way from amyone else.
The saddest lesson I have lerned is to cut people like her from my life imediately and not look back. Let them live their own life,ill find them there, sooner or later, it catches up.
Namaste
::applause::
Brava, Jyl!
How did the lady find out about your Dave's posting? Is she a cyber stalker too? Anyway, Im glad you have such an upbeat attitude! Good luck with your new babies!
Something to think about.... Those electric dog fences are only as good as the batteries that go in the shock collar. We had another dog in our pen this winter luckily it was only after for the scraps I had just put in the pen. The owner forgot to change the batteries.
All the best to you Jyl. I hope you can spend time with your babiez and enjoying your chickens in every aspect.
Zz that is a beautiful chick. What kind is it?
And what are you trying to teach it to eat?
It is very easy for someone who is determined to track us back to Dave's Garden. Aparently she googled me and in all the information that came up was a link to dave's, she was then able to bring up everything I had ever written on the site. She may still be watching, but I no longer care.
That's the spirit!
Right! Just enjoy your new poultry!
HEY jylgaskin.. Just peeping in here, am a few days behind... WHOOO HOOOO for you and glad you are back...
Chickens again, how lovely. I'm very happy for you!
DH installed turbo wire to keep neighbor's free range dogs, coyotes, feral hogs, and cattle (phew, did I get all the varmits listed!?!) out of my veg garden, roses, and away from my chicken coop. A bit expensive but boy does is work! The other night I listened to a neighbor's dog yelp and cry all the way home (quite a distance)! That sounds mean, but he didn't belong on my property and he must have been up to no good if he was over by the chicken coop at 2:00 AM. He was either trying to get at the peacocks or chickens or disrupt my dogs in the kennels. Our dogs have even decided they like it even though they can't sneak out of their yard (rarely happend but occassionally), other dogs can't get in. Their territory is now clearly defined. They seem much more relaxed. The best part for me, something I never would have thought of, is that I no longer have to drive over to my neighbors with my truck bed full of dogs to return them to their owners. I got a couple of invites to dinner or church doing that (also a couple of nasty looks), but now I can visit if and when I want to. I guess it is a little passive aggressive, but my chickens don't think of it that way at all ;~)!
One strand would probably do it if you were thinking about it.
One strand of hot wire at about 14'' keeps all our dogs in and others' out. Across the driveway it is about 4" high, you can drive over it and the dogs don't dare jump over - except one smart one.
I already have 4 foot fencing all the way around. I don't think the aditional electric inside that would do much good.
I did check into the portable electric poultry netting, but the cost is prohibitive right now. My son is getting married this fall and every cent we have left is going there.
No, the hot wire would have to offset on the outside which is probably not your land.
Wouldn't it still be part of the fence if it were offset on the outside of the fence? This is just an academic question, porkpal, as you don't want to do the turbo wire, but I was just wondering.
Oh, and congrats, jylgaskin, as well on your son getting married!
I think it might not be legal to overhang the neighbors' properties with a part of your fence.