Need Good Ol' Chicken Dog

[animalspooker]

I've been looking for a dog to protect the 'free range' flock, but keep getting murderers instead. I've been to the pound twice now, trying to kill two birds with one stone...no pun intended. When I get them at the pound, I usually get young pups. I raise them with the chickens, feed them together and just make sure they're used to the chickens. They always turn on them as soon as they're big enough. Last attempt, I got a mixed breed Great Pyrenees that was doing really well. Last week we had a couple of our ducks wandering around the yard acting funny. Upon inspection they had both been badly hurt. We tried to treat them and clean them but the maggots were too far invested, and the ducks died the second night. It didn't really look like something the dog would've done, but we were still a little leery. Well, this morning when I went out to greet the birds and feed everyone, there was the pup sitting over one of my full grown chickens. She was already dead and the pup was chewing on her. Again, I'm not 100% it was the girl pup, but when are you ever 100% without seeing the act? Anyway, she has to go too now and it's really a shame because she is a really smart and beautiful dog.

The reason for my post is, I NEED A GOOD CHICKEN DOG!!! Does anyone have any recommendations on training a dog for such a job? I know there are breed specifically bred for such jobs, but I really don't have the money to be buying $500+ dogs. Please help!

 

[LilCuscoAcres]

A great pyr is definitely a good way to go for any kind of guarding. But, while you can just raise them with sheep/goats/alpacas/etc, feeding them together and letting them bond with their flock, you can't do that with chickens. They have to be firmly and actively trained to not chase chickens. Work with it, on leash, every day until it'll walk through the flock with you consistently without taking notice of the birds. Teach it all the basic sit/down/come/etc commands on leash around the birds. Then move to off-leash training. Do it first where the dog can see the birds but can't get to them, just in case. Then move among the birds. You will need to constantly supervise throughout puppyhood. It is way easier to train a pyr to not attack birds ever than to try to reverse behavior once it happens the first time.

 

[centrarchid]

Keep the chicken killer you have now and invest more in the training process. Do not allow unsupervised interaction until dog 18 to 24 months old. No breed has been developed for chickens and LGD's such as indicated by poster above are not less problematic.

 

[nzpouter]

These are simple clues to work things out....

1. a kill usually starts from a chase gone too far.
2. puppies have a lot of play/ energy.
3. boredom causes a dog/ pup finding ways to entertain itself.
4. chasing squawking chickens are fun entertainment.


Any of those sound familiar? How did you keep the pup?

 

[UbDucks]

We have a lab who is great with our chickens and ducks. So gentle, interested but not not at all predatory, even with newly hatched chicks. However, in 8 years with numerous predator attacks, I don't think she has done anything to protect those chickens. She might bark at a cat in the yard and chase squirrels, but I don't see her doing anything to keep the chickens safe. Are there gentle dogs who will protect chickens? I rely more on our roosters for warnings.

 

[animalspooker]

All of those signs are present with the new pup. We have a large duck that she chases (the kids told me this yesterday) until the duck gets mad, then it turns squawks and flaps his wings and the pup goes running. My chickens are free range. Does this mean I'm going to have to pen the dog up all day, every day for 2 years???

 

[TalkALittle]

No, you're going need to supervise and actively train the dog until it's about 18-24 months old. Then, if the training was done well and the dog was of the correct temperament to begin with, you can expect reliable behavior during unsupervised interaction.

 

[rfreyn]

My Collie Mix and Husky Mix are great with my chickens, but it took A LOT of work! There were a few casualties in the beginning, but we haven't had any problems with our dogs in 2 years (we've had chickens for 3 years). Our dogs were 5 and 6 yrs old when we got the birds. One likes to spend the majority of the day outside and the other is in and out all day. They keep most predators away.

 

[HeritageGoose13]

No breed has been developed for chickens

This is actually not true. There have been many dogs developed to bond with and protect chickens, but none of these breeds are available in the United States. For the most part these breeds come from Europe and Asia. It would be nice if people would begin importing and breeding them. Some are becoming rare.

 

[centrarchid]

This is actually not true. There have been many dogs developed to bond with and protect chickens, but none of these breeds are available in the United States. For the most part these breeds come from Europe and Asia. It would be nice if people would begin importing and breeding them. Some are becoming rare.

Identify them for us. I have searched and could not find well substantiated reference to any dog breeds so employed. Closest I saw where what appeared to be pariah dogs and a Greek breed called the Alopekis.


I use German Pointers in exactly the same capacity as the Alopekis is considered be used for historically. Biggest difference is my dogs are able to handle Coyotes and often other dogs the Alopekis is too small to handle.