So I’m starting a farm and we’ve had our first fallback. One of our chickens got loose and I believe that the neighbors cat ate it. My question is if I catch an animal in the act of attacking my livestock or eating my crops, like for example a deer, can I shoot it or what are my options?
Ask your local Sheriff. Each area has its own laws and there are age old specific laws for livestock and farmers.
Can you shoot a pet? Maybe, but I wouldn’t want to do so for anything with a collar/known owner unless a life was in danger. Do you want to create a neighbor problem? Secure your pen better.
Deer are almost certainly a protected species, your state laws may vary. States do organize special hunts to limit depredation, but you can’t organize your own directly. You may be able to apply for killing a nuisance animal, but there are at least 50 state laws governing this.
I frequent Homesteadingtoday dot com, and this subject comes up multiple times a year. Most states/jurisdictions have laws that state you can shoot an animal that is caught in the act of preying on live stock.
Many people practice S-S-S. {shoot, shovel, shut up}
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If your chicken got into the cat’s yard I really feel there is nothing you can do. If have rats around they’ll eat chickens too. I worked on a farm for a short time and our chickens were disappearing , we walked around the farm and found a rat nest and there was a lot of feathers around it. I bet raccoons would eat chicken , they’ll eat cats . 
You should let the cat owner know , maybe they’ll
help you buy a new chicken . I know in NH farmers shoot first then ask questions
if a pet goes after their livestock . I don’t live in NH.
Grew up in Indiana, where killing nuisance animals that destroy crops and livestock is a positive legal defense against animal cruelty and civil action. One time I went out with my dad after a dog that was killing the neighbor’s sheep, and it turned out the culprit was owned by a different neighbor.
The point is the answer probably varies by state. The People’s Republik of Maryland has a hard time applying the Castle Doctrine, which is the law of the land; I doubt killing livestock predators here is as positive a defense as it was in Indiana.
One of our rescue dogs was involved in a situation like this with a small homestead down the road. The homestead raised show chickens, and our dog would somehow get out of the yard and go down there for a meal.
The homestread owner was told that, since the dog was a predator, the homestead owner had the right to shoot it if he caught the dog anywhere around the homestead.
The dog owners, needless to say, were frantic in finding him a new home. They’d raised him from a puppy, and in between 4 kids and other pets, they didn’t have the wherewithal to pay much attention to him – ergo, he’d get out of the yard. They didn’t want to place him in a shelter, they never heard back from a couple of breed-specific rescues, so they pleaded in a breed community on Facebook. In short, that’s how we ended up adopting him.
But yeah, as others have said, you need to check with your local jurisdiction as to what your rights are as a livestock owner.
Generally if you are running a farm you can kill nuisance animals, and unsecured pets count as nuisance animals if they are running loose attacking your animals. For things like deer, check with your fish and wildlife service. Generally it’s easy to get a permit to hunt nuisance deer or there’s some simple registration you have to do. For a lot of this, LGM’s S-S-S is the way people recommend even when what you’re doing completely legal, because it saves you from dealing with an irate irresponsible neighbor.
You want to check your local laws though, as these sorts of laws vary widely state to state and sometimes even county to county.
I once went to a neighbor’s house to let him know his dog was running loose on my land. His rueful response, “oh, you shot him?”
I hadn’t, but the assumption was clearly that I’d been entitled to.
I will and have shot dogs that are attacking my livestock on my property. One was my neighbor’s dog, who had been repeatedly warned. As far as the OP’s wandering chicken, it’s your own damn fault for not securing your livestock. As far as deer eating your garden plants, there are regular hunting seasons for deer. There are other methods to deter deer from your garden.
nitpicking - The only US deer that is protected is the Key deer, a sub-species of white-tailed deer that lives only in the Florida keys. Most states have defined hunting seasons for deer, but that is not the same as being a protected species.
On one hand, don’t shoot a neighbor’s pet unless you want issues with the neighbor.
On the other, if a dog is tearing up your livestock, shoot it. It isn’t going to change behavior.
I’d just recommend balancing the two and contacting the neighbor about minor issues before blasting away.
Don’t go around shooting cats unless they enjoy attacking your birds and you actively catch them doing it. They’re unlikely to attack anything else and are far more likely taking care of your rodent problem.
The problem is neighbors cats have had two litters of kittens since we moved in 8 months ago and they all roam free.
What is “LGM’s S-S-S”?
Post #4
I raised chickens for many years, and I never saw a cat big enough to take one, so I’m pretty sure you’re mistaken about that.
However, raccoons, coyotes, and loose dogs will decimate a flock overnight.
They’re young chickens who have just gotten their feathers not full size ones. A cat could easily have gotten one. We had to shoo another cat that was stalking a second chick. The chicks were in our yard for a short time getting some foraging experience.
Do you have a Rooster?
They are forbidden in many areas, but that doesn’t stop people from keeping them. They will protect their flock.
You may be in the right, but you also may not want to deal with an irate neighbor or find out you forgot to cross a ‘t’ on a permit.