Can a dog and chickens safely coexist in a small backyard?

[Frank Hengels]

My Border Collie is a working dog. We got chickens when he was Five. They were chicks when we got them and the brooder was in my work shop where he slept. His job was to herd cattle. When I put the chicks out the first time he decided he had to watch over them. He would keep them in a area about 20 feet. As they grew they became attached they would pester him and they made a game of it. Great fun to watch.

 

[Timmy59]

Yes, BUT it'll take monitoring and some correction.. Some will come by it naturally but most will need training / discipline.. The terrier group is a go to ground gammy type so most will need a good bit of work.. I'm most fond of the mastiff group and several are not gamey.. We had 2 Boerboels that were a dream and never bothered any of our livestock.. I have dog / chicken pics but this is what I could find handy..

 

[DSill]

Maybe a Shitzu or or other very small non-hunting type? Dogs chase and chickens run, so it‘s a rare dog that will ignore a chicken. That said, my neighbor has a young, huge Bernese Mountain Dog who completely ignores the chickens. Maybe because the ducks chased him! I’d never let my dog and chickens near without a fence between. She’s just too interested.

 

[Timmy59]

I found one of our male..Old and gray but was always good..

 

[Cheery]

It depends on the dog but in general, the answer is no.
Most dogs have too strong of a prey drive to have the discipline to not chase those fluffy squeeze toys.
Sometimes cats are no better.

I had cattle dogs who were great with the chickens.
never touched them. They’d even sneak into the chicken run to steel food scraps but didn’t look at the chickens.
However, these 4 dogs were raised with chickens and scolded as pups if they ever got the slightest bit excited about a fluttering chicken.
They also had a lot of good exercise running several miles off lead every day, and they were very well trained and obedient.
So the breeds to choose from are working dogs. Especially sheep or cattle dogs. Border Collies are a bit too obsessed with rounding up your chickens do not a recommended breed. Maremas are bred to guard livestock so you might find one that needs a home. Any dog left in a yard with chickens but not enough exercise will take out it’s frustration on the chickens.

 

[JacquesLeblanc]

As other have said, it depends on the dog. I think a small dog would be a better bet than a large one. My mom's pugs visit my house and are pretty good with the chickens. But definitely avoid labs, retrievers, and other hunting dogs.

My mother's small Havanese dog who didn't seem to have a prey drive attacked and killed a pet chicken!

 

[Karen K]

No way would I adopt a beagle to be with my chickens. But then also, I like a quieter dog, and beagles do tend to bark quite a bit. We do have cats with our chickens and have no problem. One of our cats actually got pecked on the nose when the chickens were only about 3 weeks old, and gave them wide-berth for quite some time. Our 5 chickens free range during the day, and we've never had a problem with our two male cats. However, we did get a larger breed of chicken. We have 3 light brahmas and 2 blue australorps. The brahmas are bigger than the cats.
The neighbor dogs, a boxer dog and a senior golden lab, at first got excited when we got chickens. Their kennel is right next to the area where we have our chicken coop. But the dogs have free reign of their own back yard. Now they pretty much ignore the chickens altogether. They just get excited when they see us and come up for petting.
When I was growing up our dachshund killed the neighbor's rooster. My dad tied the dead rooster around her neck for a day. She never killed another chicken.
Whatever you decide, regarding a dog, find a different breed than a beagle.

 

[Tonyroo]

Dogs and chickens don't mix well. It's even a big heartache when you know you shouldn't do it but do it anyway just to find your flock all dead.

 

[Nikiliz]

So my dilemma is this. I really want to adopt a dog, but I own three pet chickens I am very attached to. I worry that no matter how careful I am, any dog I adopt is going to eventually get loose and eat my chickens. Do you think dog and chicken can coexist in a small backyard? I'd love to hear about other peoples experiences and opinions.

Here's some background on our situation. Our yard is a small, fenced lot (less than .25 acres). My chickens have a good size run, but frequently free-range the backyard when I am around to watch them. The dog I am looking to adopt is a 2 year old beagle. My husband (also very attached to the chickens) tells me to adopt a cat instead, just to be safe. I like cats but I LOVE dogs. Can a dog be trained to tolerate chickens?

I have an ex racing greyhound who is 9 and I introduced her to my 2 girls about 3 years ago
Chooks were here a few weeks before I had fences fixed for the dog and only took a short time to teach her they were friends not food
Now the girls walk all over her (literally)

 

[JoCoKS]

So my dilemma is this. I really want to adopt a dog, but I own three pet chickens I am very attached to. I worry that no matter how careful I am, any dog I adopt is going to eventually get loose and eat my chickens. Do you think dog and chicken can coexist in a small backyard? I'd love to hear about other peoples experiences and opinions.

Here's some background on our situation. Our yard is a small, fenced lot (less than .25 acres). My chickens have a good size run, but frequently free-range the backyard when I am around to watch them. The dog I am looking to adopt is a 2 year old beagle. My husband (also very attached to the chickens) tells me to adopt a cat instead, just to be safe. I like cats but I LOVE dogs. Can a dog be trained to tolerate chickens?

Check out the Great Pyrenees dog breed, my big lovable Great Pyrenees would never harm a chicken or a chick. When I let Schatz (my dogs name, German for Treasure with he is) my little flock of chickens just keep doing what they were doing knowing he will never hurt them.