Bird Dogs?

Any breed of dog can be trained to leave the chickens alone. Some are easy to train, some are more work. But they can be trained.

There is a Welsh Springer and an English Springer with my birds, and these are dogs who have been in the field and worked the gun.

Gundogs had better not, by golly, kill birds. If they pick up a wing shot bird, they are supposed to deliver it to hand still alive. They are supposed to have a soft mouth and never crush or puncture a bird. They find and they retrieve. They are not supposed to kill.

I think it really depends on the dog, the specific breed, and/or how they were raised. I love "bird dogs" (i.e. the Sporting breeds). I have a 12 year old Pointer, a 5 year old Golden Retriever, and just lost my 10 year old Lab last summer. None of them have ever bothered my ducks or chickens. However, my Pointer will turn and watch the indoor birds (parrot species) when they fly or flap their wings. I would never trust him with them alone.

My brother-in-law raises German Shorthaired Pointers. They do have a soft mouth and will retrieve live birds when they're "working," but they will kill chickens, ducks, peafowl, etc when they are left to their own devices in the yard. They know the difference between hunting/training and being on their own time.

I have a beagle, Dixie, and I was very worried that she would regard the chickens as lunch. When I introduced them, she got a bit too close sniffing one and got lightly pecked on the nose. She immediately retreated and now guards them jealously. In fact, she took a snake bite in defense of "her" chickens.

However, that's only with the full grown hens. I just got 4 new chicks, about 8 weeks old, so they're not tiny things,but she salivates and gets a little TOO interested in them, so I won't let her near them until they are full sized.

The other evening I went out back to let my dog inside and she was sitting a bit mournfully at the back door. I thought she would have been in the doghouse. SHe came in and I called my hens...and they came stepping daintily out of the doghouse! They had commandeered it and Dixie was too softhearted to chase them out.

We have four labs at our place; three of them hunt. we have to watch the younger ones around the birds, but they learn. Occassionally I lose a bird in this learning process, but dogs are smart and figure out the difference between MY ducks and ducks out in the field. I have more problems with the dogs eating the pellets I leave out for the birds!
I haven't had a loss for a long time now.

OK, I read the rest of this thread now. You care about your roosters and saw to it they had the best human prospects you had available for a good home.
That a rooster dies suddenly and another was culled because it was mean (at this farm) tell you the dog there is not killing them. You coached a boy who seems to like your roosters on how to take good care of them. It is possible that yours could turn mean when getting involved with the hens at this farm but you told the boy how to help avoid that.
You have done all you can other than actually visit. This might not be a good idea.
Maybe one final email telling them you 'hope all is well with the roosters, feel free to contact me if they are not working out or you have any questions. Take care'.
Don't expect an answer as they have not in the past, but then let it go. Too many emails to them will seem strange.

The roosters they had grew up with the dogs, so it makes sense they would not have killed them. My roosters were strangers to the dogs. It is strange birds that often get killed by dogs, not ones the dogs are used to. That is the reason for my concern, the fact that these adult roosters were new to the dogs.

I sent them only one e-mail, and they did not answer it. I don't think the wife checks her e-mails, or maybe the husband didn't give me her correct e-mail address. I suspect she never saw it. Though, since they didn't respond to the snail mail letter, either, it does make me wonder how caring these people are. If someone had given me two fine roosters and I could tell they were concerned about them, which anyone could have easily sensed, I would have taken the time to reassure them all was well with them, whether via a short e-mail or a phone call. I'm sure I put my e-mail address in the snail mail letter. It seems strange to me that they wouldn't bother to do so, especially since it is a pastor and his family.

Maybe they are overly socialized and have no time for people outside their church, perhaps sucked dry by a needy congregation? That could be the case, I suppose.

No problems with my Springer Spaniel or my girlfriend's German Shepherd. However her daughter has a golden retriever who has never harmed one of their chickens and a mutt who's taken out several and is looking for an opportunity to do it again.

So for the most part I'd treat all dogs the same rather than worrying about whether or not they were a "bird" dog or not.

me too

Good to know. I'm now more worried about foxes.