Best Chicken Guard dog

[nylanaz]

My neighbor has one, he barks nonstop all night. In my research I have read they tend to bark alot. I am a groomer and have experience with them for a couple hours at a time ,and had no issues. Does yours bark a lot. I would love to have one, but the neighbor has me wondering if this breed is best for my farm.

 

[bruceha2000]

My neighbor has one, he barks nonstop all night. In my research I have read they tend to bark alot. I am a groomer and have experience with them for a couple hours at a time ,and had no issues. Does yours bark a lot. I would love to have one, but the neighbor has me wondering if this breed is best for my farm.

Does your neighbor's GP have a job or is it just a housepet? My understanding is that if they are trained as Livestock Guardian Dogs and have a job, they will bark at what they perceive to be danger to warn it off. If no danger, they shouldn't be barking. At night their job is to walk the perimeter checking for intruders.

Working LGDs generally lay so calmly while watching their charges you likely don't even know they are there when everything is fine.

 

[Ren2014]

Great Pyrenees use their bark to warn off predators. Their bark says I am big... do not even come over here. Since predators tend to roam mostly at night, the dogs are barking at night. The only fault I have seen with G Pyrs is their tendency to roam. They can climb fences. Even with their big size, they can jump fences. Our first G Pyr was the perfect dog. She did her job and she stayed home. Three G Pyrs that we adopted through rescue at around 5 mos. of age would not stay home. They all did their job when they were here but two are no longer with us and the 3rd is MIA as I write this. Recently we adopted an Akbash/G. Pyr. that is 12 weeks old. I am hoping with the age and mix this one will stay home

 

[bruceha2000]

Yeah, I had heard that GPs roam, as do Anatolians. I've also heard that Maremmas as less likely to roam. But I'm sure that all varies by the individual dog. What are the odds that your rescued ones were there BECAUSE they wouldn't stay home?

 

[Ren2014]

Yeah, I had heard that GPs roam, as do Anatolians. I've also heard that Maremmas as less likely to roam. But I'm sure that all varies by the individual dog. What are the odds that your rescued ones were there BECAUSE they wouldn't stay home?

The odds are very favorable. I used to volunteer for a G Pyr group and you would not believe the number of dogs that came it because of this. I'm reeeeaaalllly hoping that since this Akbash X is so young that we won't have a problem

We live on 113+ acres so there is plenty of space to roam. Our girl that is currently MIA/AWOL actually goes up to the town store and school, she's even been the greater at our Post Office. We usually pick her up when we come through after work. I once read an article "what do you call a Pyr off leash?" A Dis-apyr.

 

[blue tick]

As unlikely as it sounds, the best chicken guard dog we've ever had was a beautiful blue tick hound. She took on all comers, be they four footed, two footed or even on the wing. She could run straight through her own birds, to take on a predatory bird; and did. Unfortunately, we lost her to something unrelated. But, I will not hesitate to get another. She would bring eggs up to the house, completely unharmed and not even damp...but we discouraged that and she figured it out. We just introduced her to the chickens, then the chicks and she understood that they were 'ours'. It was simple.

 

[MargaretAnneHK]

Well, I don't know if this is typical but my female Neapolitan Mastiff is protective of baby chicks. I did my test hatch and she was certain they were HERS to watch over!! Then when I boxed them up to take them to my aunts, she was extremely upset....
She is a great guard anyway and now I know she has the makings of a good chicken guard as well.

 

[pammys chix]

i have a red fox problem, don't like the idea of killing it and my shitzu/terrier is not scary enough I have 2 acres no fences and a small flock of about 40 chickens and was wondering what breed of dog would be a good Gaurdian for them

 

[centrarchid]

Since my last posting in this thread I have had time to do some vetting of an English Shepherd that works alongside a German Pointer. I am also familiar with LGD's. The English Shepherd does the barking bit like many LGD's. Inclination to roam is manageable. He can dominate a Coyote one on one and has backup. He patrols well, has a steeper learning curve than any LGD which is in part reflected in his biddable nature. Mine covers 6 acres well.

 

[thewatsonfarm]

We have had German Shepherd mix dogs who have been fantastically gentle with our hens, but our male dog (who we just recently lost after 14 years), had an instinct to protect them. We didn't do any special training. But we exposed the dogs to the chicks regularly when they were in the brooder. (Our female tolerates them, but she's been pecked a few times and is a bit afraid of the hens.)

From the first time our girls were old enough to go outside, he tried to herd them. He didn't do so well at herding, so Boris stood guard over them and watched them, and watched for threats.

I'd get shepherds again in a heartbeat.