Thank you all for replying!!
So far, the girls are in a pretty secure pen - it is 60X90, attached to the fort Knox coop they have been in since day old chicks, no deaths - except the two due to shipping. They are about three and a half months old now.
The run/ pen is welded wire - 6 ft high, and I have buried poultry netting out about 2 ft and up the welded wire about a foot to prevent digging. I'm going to go ahead and wrap it all in the electric poultry netting too I think - I really like that suggestion alot. For the dog to dig through all that, he would be getting his *** shocked off, and hopefully would stop! At least meanwhile I hope the girls would recognize the danger and get in the coop thru the small pop door there is no way he would ever be able to fit in LOL
I'm home most days anyway, except running errands or days I sub.
As for my breed choice - yes, I researched, I have had both labs and a poodle before and I chose the golden-doodle because it is a mix of both my fave breeds. Such intelligent dogs. I firmly believe that with training he will be fine, and he is still young - 10 months- so hopefully I made a good choice. My poodle "shed" when she was brushed or bathed, and my lab was a mild shedder - The rescue where this boy is coming from said his bed has very little to no hair on it. He is groomed monthly. We aren't allergic, I just don't want pet hair in the house. My girls don't free range unless I'm with them, their pen is certainly large enough.
The new dog will be leashed while we are outside, and we will begin training him to the invisible fence right away (which I'm debating whether or not to include the coop and run in, so he can "protect it" or whether to not include it, so he would have to run thru the invis fence and the electric poultry netting AND dig through and under wire to get to them (and then probably not fit thru the pop door if they are all smart enough to run inside. PHEW that was a mouthful!
Am I delusional?
Am I doing the right things?
And how do I train my new boy to be ok round the girls?
As far as the rot - heres what I think I decided. I'm going to take a dozen eggs with a red bow on top and a note that says, "We would kindly ask you leash or somehow restrict your dog to your property to protect us. We are defenseless and scared." And probably attach the LEASH LAWS for this county. Does that sound stupid?
As for the blind dog red sweater leashed property pooper... she gets one more dirty look from me, and then I get a sign that has a squatting dog that says I DON'T **** ON YOUR PROPERTY, DON'T **** ON MINE... LOL
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