Are Dogs and Chickens OK together?

[chickens 17]

Hi
I have a dog and i am trying to convince my parents to get me chickens but they think that our dog is going to be a big problem. Are chickens and dogs OK together? I really need to know.

Really hope someone can help because i really want chickens

.

thank you

 

[Coop de Grille]

Totally depends on the dog. I have one dog that will stop at nothing to try to eat my chickens. She circles the chicken run like a shark looking for pray. She is Border Collie mix and I guess it's in her nature to want to stalk them.

Then I have a 90 lb Pit Bull mixed dog that loves being in with the chickens. He becomes very submissive when in the run and will let the chickens peck at him, hop on him etc. They are both good dogs and have been raised together, and we had both of them when we first got our day old chicks. The chicks have grown up with the dog and have no fear of HIM, but the other one comes near the run and my rooster goes into freak out mode.

I also have a cat that they never had an issue with. The cat has always sat and watched them from a day old, never a move to harm them. She always came out to the coop with me and loved to sit in their nest boxes. Last week the cat came in as usual and one of my hens went nuts on her when she hopped into the nest box. Chased her out of the coop and all around the run. Now when my cat even walks by the outside of the run, one of the hens will put her head down and charge at the fence. They are 3.5 months old and I guess they are getting ready to lay, and don't want the cat near their nest boxes.

 

[gickelvolk]

Trained and monitored until you can ensure them to be protected by your dog.........

Maturity and personality will tell you which dogs are alright with your flock..... Most importantly, your dog must respect you and recognize that your flock is part of its "pack".

 

[Aeropennchick]

I agree with the last comment - my lab thinks she's the flock protector, and I am not nervous to leave her alone with the chicks, but my coon hound wants to chase and pin them down for a good lick - which can easily hurt them. My lab will join in the chase, despite how well behaved she is otherwise.



We are using a spray bottle with diluted apple cider vinegar and our remote shock collar to train the coon hound. We set up the coop outside of the invisible fence, so although the chickens can free range in the dog's area, they can get away if they want to. We do not have plans to let them all interact unsupervised at this time.

 

[ChickensRDinos]

I firmly believe that any breed of dog can be trained to be around birds. It does not depend on the dog it depends on the PEOPLE. These are domesticated and highly trainable animals but it takes time, patience and a lot of consistency and some dogs are going to take a lot more of it then others. It means working with your dog every single day if necessary without fail to get the behavior correct and to give them the skills they need to react appropriately to new situations that may arrise.

 

[centrarchid]

Having a dogs that are trustworthy requires work and time. Once realized you can have poultry benefitting from free-range that would not be possible otherwise.

 

[islandgirl82]

@EllenWolfe , My current dog, a newfoundland and every dog I've had prior to him were trained to sit and wait until I say "Okay"...including with their own food. My dog is also trained not to take treats/food from strangers unless I say "Okay". He will sit and stare at me if someone else offers him something, waiting for my command (my previous dog, a great dane/bull masstiff/rottie mix wouldn't take food from strangers at all...even with my "okay"). He doesn't bother with chicken droppings at all and won't touch their food either.

Have your pup sit and stay until you have placed his food down and had the chance to stand up and take a step back. Don't allow him to rush at it and push you aside to get it (speaking from getting shoved over by multiple 160-180lbs dogs prior to training). If he gets up before you've said "okay" then give him quick "aht-aht" and have him sit back down and stay until YOU say. Do this with every feeding. "Leave it" is another important command. This should apply to everything you don't want him to have. Put him on a leash and when he goes for the chicken poop or scraps, give the leash a little jerk, simultaneously tell him to "leave it" and then redirect his attention to something he can have.

I would also recommend not just putting the scraps out there until the chickens are actually around to eat them, like a treat right before they go to roost when they're getting closer to the coop for the night anyway. Food being left out is too much of a temptation for the vast majority of dogs and unless it's during a training session, he should be kept away from the scraps entirely.

 

[Rock Home Isle]

When I trained both my dogs, I used a check-cord.

Work with one dog at a time. Hook the check-cord to the collar and give the dog a nice amount of slack. Let a couple chickens out.

If the dog ignores the chickens, awesome!!!!

If the dog goes after the chickens, tell the dog "no" and set the cord. The sudden shocking jerk on the cord will serve two things. It will give you great control of the dog, protecting your chickens & it will reinforce the "no" command.

After a couple times, the dogs will understand to leave the chickens alone.

When the dogs ignore the chickens, AWESOME!!!!!

 

[centrarchid]

I am going to have to start selling puppies too.

 

[nanaluvsgps]

It all depends on the dog. My neigbours dog just totally ignors the chickens (allthough they have grown up together) where as my dog can't get any where near our chooks with out killing them.