Best Chicken Guard dog

[sarahsedaii]

I have a backyard coop. I have Rhode Island Reds. 2 hens and 1 rooster. I was thinking about getting a dog to protect the chickens because we have a lot of coyotes and foxes here. What would you suggest? I was thinking Pyr, but I was hoping to get something a little smaller and wouldn't eat me out of house and home. Any help is much appreciated!

 

[ChickensRDinos]

I whole heartedly believe it is all about training and much less about breed. Pick a dog that fits your overall lifestyle and that you know you can care for well. Work on great basic training and introduce the birds and the dogs overtime. Work on it everyday - it going to be a process. Make sure your dog is not bored or under exercised - that will make everything more difficult.

You may also want to consider checking out local shelters and visiting the dogs and seeing if any click well if you and your family. They even have puppies if you really want a puppy but sometimes a little bit older dog is more calm from the start.

Here is my pit mix shelter dog, she is one of three rescues I have around my flock.

 

[salunra]

I know you want something smaller, but I can't recommend pyrs enough. My girl is so good with the chickens. And while she is a large furry dog she is a lot less maintanence than I thought. She is quick to learn, doesn't shed nearly as much as one would think, and we go through on 40lb bag of dog food a month. Not to mention she is a super love with my kids.

 

[Hummingbird Hollow]

This is my chicken guardian in the making. He's an Anatolian Shepherd (currently 10 months old, although this photo was taken at about 8 months).





If you do some googling, you'll read that they are an ancient livestock guardian breed from Turkey. They are extremely smart, independent thinkers, which can make them challenging household pets.

If I had been really serious about having him be a full time livestock guardian, I would have had him live out with the chickens pretty much from the time I brought him home. The breeder I purchased him from has her puppies and their mother out with the goats, cattle or poultry at a really early age so they bond with the livestock, not with people. However, my goal was to have him as a family guardian more than a livestock guardian.

Still, from the time he came home, (this photo taken at 10 weeks)

we spent about an hour every day outside while the chickens free-ranged and he learned not to pester them when they were dirt-bathing or "play" with them. Now I put him out on a tether for about an hour or so every day while the chickens free range and he lets them walk all around him and doesn't bother them. He is on alert and will stand up and bark if he sees/hears/smells something that concerns him. The chickens run for cover when they hear him bark. It is my hope that when he is fully mature, around 24 months of age, the tether won't be necessary.

While Anatolian Shepherds are a large breed (males usually between 110 and 150 pounds) once they have finished growing, they don't eat very much for their size (or at least so I've read...right now my puppy eats about 6 cups of premium dog food a day). They can live into their teens and have very low instances of hip displasia or other large-breed bone & joint problems.

I wouldn't recommend one for the casual dog owner, because they are a strong and dominant breed and require consistent, firm, calm leadership, especially if you expect them to be able to go to places where there will be other dogs and lots of activity, but I've met one Anatolian Shepherd who is a service dog and rides on airplanes and even the rides at Disney World, so it can be done.

 

[mstricer]

I just got a pyr also she is 5 months old. I am also leading her around our free ranged chickens and she is doing pretty could, she still tries to chase the broilers, but stops when I say HEY.

 

[Victory Chick]

I have a american bulldog mix. she was 3 or so when I got chicks for the first time. We just showed her the chicks and she saw us pet them. We slowly introduced them to her and now she guards them constantly. She has killed opossums racoons and ran off cats. You could leave her with them all day. She just smells their buts.

 

[Victory Chick]

 

[ccmarie]

You could research English Shepherds. I don't have one myself, but I want to someday. Supposedly they'll protect the flock, herd, kill varmints, babysit, alert you to broken fences, and wash the windows on their days off.... okay, maybe not the last one.

 

[TurtlePowerTrav]

You could research English Shepherds. I don't have one myself, but I want to someday. Supposedly they'll protect the flock, herd, kill varmints, babysit, alert you to broken fences, and wash the windows on their days off.... okay, maybe not the last one.

Depends on what is on the glass to lick off.

 

[Hummingbird Hollow]

I have been considering free range chickens and turkeys and need a LGD. I like the anatolian shepherd but live in Wisconsin. Can the breed handle living outside in my area?

II know that Anatolian Shepherd Dogs are extremely hardy. I'm sure the'd require some type of shelter, but whatever shelter you provide for your livestock could also accomodate your LGD...shelter from rain, snow and wind. It has been my understanding that some folks have created very nice shelters for their ASDs, only to find them creating burrows for themselves in the snow. That said, a list member on the National Anatolian Shepherd Rescue Network, I know that there are regular postings about ASDs who were purchased as livestock guardians who have little or no interest in the job. I don't know if this is due to poor training on the owner's part (just threw the dog in with the livestock and expected it to know what to do) or poor breeding, or just the fact that individual dogs have individual personalities. I'd recommend signing on to the NASRN webpage and ask lots of questions from the people there. They'd probably have not only the answers you are looking for, but perhaps even a great dog for you to adopt.

http://www.nasrn.com/

Here's my dog with his chickens: