Introducing the dogs to the baby chicks - bad or good idea?

[sian]

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I saw a great bumper sticker the other day "There's a reason Jack Russells are shaped like footballs"

Thought it was esp funny with the playoffs in progress

 

[SillyChicken]

I'll be in the same boat when my chicks arrive. I have 4 mastiffs that have strong prey drive, one I know would not hesitate to kill the chickens. They're great for getting rid of unwanted critters (skunks are top on one dogs list unfortunatly) and keeping the coyotes at bay. I'll be keeping the chicks in the kennel with the dogs and will be doing controlled visitations with the dogs as well. I use electonic collars for the dog training so I'll be using one to nip any temptation in the nose. The birds won't be free ranged unless I'm out with them.

 

[Prettiest Frog]

If you've already worked with your dog on the 'leave it' command, it's much easier to introduce them to the birds.

I taught my dog 'leave it' by setting a treat on the ground. When he went for it, I would put my foot over it and say leave it, and then when he backed away offer him another treat from my hand and say 'take it'.

I do have to reteach this now and then though, as I have a toddler who works against me by doing things like, oh, taking the entire bag of treats out and munching one himself while feeding the others to the ecstatic dog.

 

[chloemama]

Thank you for posting this. I have the same concerns. I am a first time mama to chickens and I have 2 dogs, a shepherd and boxer. We have a 10 wk old kitten that they are very interested in. In a kind way not a want-to-eat-her way.
My shepherd starts his day by running the perimeter of his yard barking at the trees and sky. He has done this since a pup - he runs to the bird feeder also, but not actually after the birds. After his morning announcement he will sit and even just watch birds eating away.

So...I am going to try the same steps to get them used to the chicks. The coop will be within the dogs allowed area.

C

 

[dwegg]

great topic...I just brought home my two 2 week old chicks and am scared about taking them out and playing with them on the sofa ect as I am worried that my dogs will be quicker than me!

 

[yorick]

I LOVE the "Leave it!" command. We use that on both of our dogs and is actually how we communicate to them when they are out with the chicks and getting "frisky". It has really helped in our training process.

For others reading this, I highly recommend teaching your dog the "Leave it!" command if you are going to eventually introduce chicks to the dogs.


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[Chieftain]

Our Pug Gus is destined to be a chicken herder of historic repute. He's been out with me every day building the coop, and he was checking out the brooder when I was putting it together the other day. He knows something is afoot, but he has absolutely no clue what he's getting himself into...

I fear he may have to learn humility the hard way. I can see him now being chased by at least one angry hen sometime this summer. He's a brave lad, (and fast too) but I fear he does not know his limitations...

 

[Chicken Cluck]

Hopefully the dogs just chase wild birds.

 

[schmije]

Your method sounds really similar to how we handled new chicks with our dogs. That was two years ago, and we free range our birds with our dogs in the yard every day. We've never had any problems with OUR dogs, but I think it totally depends on the nature of each dog. Some dogs cannot be trusted.

The "leave it" command is an excellent tool that can be used to stop the dog from doing practically anything.

We NEVER let any of our cats have access to the chicks until the chickens are bigger than the cats.

 

[yorick]

WEEK 12 UPDATE: Mission Accomplished!

I am now able to trust the dogs with the birds without supervision. The birds free-range for about 8-10 hours during the day. The dogs are indoors most of the time but are let out a few times a day and more on weekends. The last few times, I was able to leave them together in the yard while I went away for sometimes more than an hour. The chickens now don't get bothered by the dogs being around and the dogs have learned to understand that the chickens are now part of the family.

There are a few other steps we took that I think helped establish this peaceful communion:
- My daughter played with the chicks and held them often with the dogs around
- We took our time and stayed consistent (the dogs were around the chickens at least once a day)

Our older dog which displayed the most aggressive drive to prey (she has killed wild birds in the past) showed some aggression the first 5 weeks which eventually subsided. During the last 4 weeks, she would circle the birds but showed some restraint when I was around. As she would pass them, I would praise her and give her a treat if I had one.

I hope this is helpful to some of you. Good luck!

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