Dogs that are good with chickens?

[PianoTheSilkie]

I recomend a Border Collie. Though they DO like to herd, all my borders have done great with all the small animals. They are highly intelligent and highly trainable. A bc will ADORE you for taking them running every day. My current one, Jack, has only one problem. Because he is a stud dog, he jumps fences in search of a lovely lady. He is moderately protective and makes sure to tell me about the people he does not trust. One thing to keep in mind about bc's, though, is that they can be weird about people trying to pet them too soon. I have to ask people to not stick their hands out near Jack's face to let him sniff them or else they might get a growl. I have had to do that with all my Border Collies. They are funny that way. I would NOT recommend any type of terrier, pit bull (they are great dogs, just not the best with small animals usually) , Lab (they tend to be nervous, and even when not, they just are not the brightest dogs... same with Golden Retrievers, but those ones will love on a bad guy, not growl haha) , or any type of sighthound. But a border collie, maybe mixed with german shep, Aussie, MAYBE Golden retriever to tone down the hype, that's what I would get.

Try checking this site out: https://furryherders.com/border-collies-and-chickens-are-they-good-with-chickens/

good luck!

Cattle dog/Border Collie fanatic

 

[PianoTheSilkie]

Touche’ I have actually had a husky and wouldn’t have left her alone with chickens if I wanted to come back to them. She thought all things that lived and weren’t me should die or go far far away.

That's literally every Husky I have ever met HAHA

 

[McChooky]

I recomend a Border Collie. Though they DO like to herd, all my borders have done great with all the small animals. They are highly intelligent and highly trainable. A bc will ADORE you for taking them running every day. My current one, Jack, has only one problem. Because he is a stud dog, he jumps fences in search of a lovely lady. He is moderately protective and makes sure to tell me about the people he does not trust. One thing to keep in mind about bc's, though, is that they can be weird about people trying to pet them too soon. I have to ask people to not stick their hands out near Jack's face to let him sniff them or else they might get a growl. I have had to do that with all my Border Collies. They are funny that way. I would NOT recommend any type of terrier, pit bull (they are great dogs, just not the best with small animals usually) , Lab (they tend to be nervous, and even when not, they just are not the brightest dogs... same with Golden Retrievers, but those ones will love on a bad guy, not growl haha) , or any type of sighthound. But a border collie, maybe mixed with german shep, Aussie, MAYBE Golden retriever to tone down the hype, that's what I would get.

Try checking this site out: https://furryherders.com/border-collies-and-chickens-are-they-good-with-chickens/

good luck!

Cattle dog/Border Collie fanatic

My flock had open runs with a couple geese and ducks and were locked up at night in the barn.The Border Collie protected the perimeter and I never lost anything.He was very hyper but we had a big place so he was able to run it off.
I never lost a single one with my Border Collie.

 

[Hatching2024]

We have two Brittany’s, both from excellent hunting lines. One is anxious and eager to please and learned quickly that we didn’t like her messing with the chickens. They basically don’t exist to her, unless one walks right over to her, and then she moves away. The other is a bit more stubborn and will ‘point’ at chickens and follow behind them. That alone is perfectly understandable, considering that’s exactly what his instincts are letting him to do. However, he starts moving faster if the chicken moves away faster and I don’t want him chasing them (or any wild bird). We do a lot of self control exercises with both dogs like waiting to go through a door until you allow them, waiting for a cue to start eating, balancing treats on their nose, making them sit while the chickens are wandering around them. I’ll never be able to trust the stubborn one completely, but I knew it would be a problem I’d have to deal with when we got the dogs.
Labs are a great choice and many lines haven’t been bred for hunting ability, though they are likely to love playing fetch. If you stay away from hunting lines, you can still find intelligent, well tempered lines. Some labs are happy morons, but even those are still trainable.
Bigger dogs are, in my experience, more quiet than little ones and better with kids. My parents have a miniature poodle who is a great lap dog but not great with my kids and barks at EVERYTHING. I swear, you walk into the room and she barks. Larger poodles are probably a good second choice considering what you’re looking for. All dogs are very good at reading body language - both yours and others. If you have developed a close bond with your dog and are out in a dangerous situation, you might be surprised how they behave.
Be sure to make sure any dogs (and their parents) you get from a breeder have been screened for health problems common to the specific breed. Hip dysplasia is a concern for many breeds and parents should have been certified on the condition of their hips. I have a friend who works at a vets office and told me that German Shepherds are really prone to this and has seen a lot of GS puppies born with dislocated hips because breeders aren’t breeding carefully to prevent that. The dogs will have to deal with it for the rest of their life, and if you intend to take a dog running, you want a dog whose parents have sound joints and good feet.

It ultimately depends on the individual dog. My sisters and I all have "aggressive" breeds (huskies, pitbulls and doberman). Our dogs are super friendly and affectionate, we all also have cats and my sister with the huskies has ducks. Her husky gets along and plays with the ducks-, kittens and kids. All of the dogs are kids friendly. My dog is the only one that has dog-aggression, and it is likely due to the fact that she was used as a bait dog in a dog fighting ring. As a responsible owner, I just ensure that she doesn't encounter other dogs, I warn people as necessary, turn around walk another way, etc. Outside of dogs though, she loves all animals. Very playful and affectionate with my cat (who I've had since 4 weeks old). It really just depends on the individual animal.

 

[McChooky]

It ultimately depends on the individual dog. My sisters and I all have "aggressive" breeds (huskies, pitbulls and doberman). Our dogs are super friendly and affectionate, we all also have cats and my sister with the huskies has ducks. Her husky gets along and plays with the ducks-, kittens and kids. All of the dogs are kids friendly. My dog is the only one that has dog-aggression, and it is likely due to the fact that she was used as a bait dog in a dog fighting ring. As a responsible owner, I just ensure that she doesn't encounter other dogs, I warn people as necessary, turn around walk another way, etc. Outside of dogs though, she loves all animals. Very playful and affectionate with my cat (who I've had since 4 weeks old). It really just depends on the individual animal.

As a general rule Huskys shouldn't be trusted alone or unsupervised around chickens and cats.There are exceptions but they're rare.Having owned one I'd say their good qualities outweigh the bad.Mine was the worst watch dog I ever had lol

 

[McChooky]

That's literally every Husky I have ever met HAHA

You just described mine .He did let my animals alone though it took years of training lol

 

[Julyelyrose]

Hi everyone,

I'm looking to adopt a dog who can be left with chickens, as well as a pretty long list of other factors to consider. Does anyone know any breeds that fit these? Also have just been informed by dad that he can't stand drooling haha. I know a lot of these are dependent on the individual dog - I will either be getting a puppy and training it well or adopting an adult dog that seems to fit these characteristics. Still, knowing which breeds fit the general criteria helps narrow things down a LOT.

I live in a small town in the countryside. Low traffic, low crime rates etc. Lots of nice trails nearby and a good dog friendly park down the road.

LOW PREY DRIVE (ESSENTIAL)

I have chickens that have full access to the back garden. I will try to supervise as much as possible and keep seperate where possible, but f I'm going to have this dog for 10+ years, it's bound to get out when I'm not looking at some point. I need to know I can trust the dog around them as well as a cat. It can't just TOLERATE the cat, they have to actually get along decently because I don't want to risk stressing her out. Appropriate measures to ensure they have separate "safe spaces" will be taken. Dog also needs to be trustworthy around young kids.

EXERCISE REQUIREMENTS

Right now, I go running for 30 minutes every day and can squeeze in a decent walk too between family members. We would probably also do a long (2-4 hours) walk once a week. One hour walk a day (+ run) is the absolute maximum for daily requirements. Would probably prefer less but an hour is doable. Also do not want a couch potato dog that we'll have to drag everywhere.

TRAINING

Would LOVE a highly intelligent dog. Must be moderately easy to train - obedience is a must.

BEHAVIOUR (these are preferences, not essential)

- A dog that loves to swim would be amazing. During summer we take weekly beach trips and regularly go paddleboarding.

- Dog will pretty much never be left home alone since my mum works from home.

- Some barking is tolerable but I have a neighbour who loves to complain, so nothing excessive.

- While it is important for the dog to be good with kids and NOT overly aggressive, a moderately protective dog would be good. I am a 5'2 female who runs alone, sometimes at night, and a protective dog would make me feel a lot safer.

So far I've looked at livestock guardian dogs, but they all seem to have huge exercise requirements. Does anyone have personal experience with them?

Also, I hear golden retrievers are great with cats & chickens but also that retrievers have a strong impulse to catch and kill? Same with vizslas and other pointer dogs. My dad LOVES vizslas but I've heard mixed things about their impulses. People seem to either say they're great with chickens, or one of the worst breeds.

Anyway, thanks so much to anyone who has read through this. If any breeds come to mind, or any advice for training, I'm all ears.

Issy x

I have a goldendoodle and she’s awesome with my chickens! Sometimes my dog gets a bit too curious and starts sniffing the chickens butts and my hens will actually turn around peck her nose and she’ll just shake it off and walk away. It’s honestly just a matter of training them. Always stay aware of the pup and the chickens at first and correct any behaviors you see might cause problems (like being too playful or chasing them). This breed is great for a family, they love the water, and don’t shed (if anyone has allergies)!

 

[McChooky]

I have a goldendoodle and she’s awesome with my chickens! Sometimes my dog gets a bit too curious and starts sniffing the chickens butts and my hens will actually turn around peck her nose and she’ll just shake it off and walk away. It’s honestly just a matter of training them. Always stay aware of the pup and the chickens at first and correct any behaviors you see might cause problems (like being too playful or chasing them). This breed is great for a family, they love the water, and doand alert nd sound alerts.It took

It only takes a couple months to build a coop and run and raise a batch of baby chicks but it can take a year or two to train a dog not to kill them and sound alerts. I spent almost 3 years my 2 dogs

 

[Hatching2024]

As a general rule Huskys shouldn't be trusted alone or unsupervised around chickens and cats.There are exceptions but they're rare.Having owned one I'd say their good qualities outweigh the bad.Mine was the worst watch dog I ever had lol

That's funny, my sister's husky (growing up around ducks, chickens and cats) has never gone after the birds or kids or cats. It depends on the dog, and the owners. The problem with general, blanketed policies and rules is they don't account for individualism.

 

[Debbie292d]

It only takes a couple months to build a coop and run and raise a batch of baby chicks but it can take a year or two to train a dog not to kill them and sound alerts. I spent almost 3 years my 2 dogs

I guess we got very lucky as our border collie even breaks them up when they mate lol. When we got the corgi, it was a puppy and having fun with a hen that was broody outside and got nailed good by her. I think that was the last time that happened. Both of them are perfect. I know someday we'll have to get another dog and we may not be so lucky that time.