My dog just killed my chicken :(

[jasmer]

We have a german shorthaired pointer/blue heeler mix that herds our chickens and protects them, but I'm fully convinced if I were to leave him alone with them long enough they would be dead. We've done probably all we ever can on getting him to not harass them while we're watching, but as soon as he thinks we can't see him he'll start playing hard, chasing them, mouthing at their tails, until we yell at him and make him go lay down.

Dachshunds were originally bred as hunting dogs, their size and shape was for going after burrowing animals like badgers, foxes, and rabbits. This really hasn't been bred out of them, so I can definitely see them going after chickens. There may be little to nothing you can do about it. Our dog requires constant supervision with the chickens because when he thinks our backs are turned he does go after them. Nobody's been hurt yet, but it's probably only a matter of time. I used to own huskies, and they were cat killers. They also killed birds and squirrels. I cured one of them of it, the other bit down onto my cat's head while I was holding him one day and tried to take him from me.

 

[Fentressfarmer]

Thanks for input, on another thread another person put a dead chicken on a hot wire so every time the dogs touch the chicken they get a shock, I might try that and see how it works. If I try it I will let yall know how it works!

 

[jasmer]

What a fantastic idea

 

[insanity]

I wish everyone luck with retraining chicken killers but I've never seen one rehabilitated.I have two dogs now a mastiff and an Australian Shepard both raised and trained the same. The mastiff has proven herself around small prey and even does security patrols.Twice she took on a stray in defense of my flock.The aussie is another story, she would and has attacked my birds,it would have been fatal if not for the mastiff stepping in. She is NEVER allowed near my birds,it's not her fault it's her breeding I'm sure but it doesn't change things. I can't re-home her because that is just putting my problem on someone else, so she lives in lock-down (in the yard or on a lead 24/7).I hope it never comes to it but if she were to ever get into someone else's animals there is only one excepted cure in my neck of the woods.When choosing to keep a problem animal don't forget the financial issues, replacing the neighbors animals can get real costly plus tension over hurt feeling never helps a community.

 

[chickengeorgeto]

In German the word Dachshund means "badger dog," meaning a dog that hunts and kills badgers in the badger's den. If you have ever had a run in with a badger you will be impressed with this dog.

Dachshunds do this daring do by slithering down the badger's hole, (hence the short legs and long slim body) When the dog and badger come face to face the pooch grabs a mouth full of snarling, biting, badger and the dog backs out of the badger's den, bringing the reluctant badger with him. It goes without saying that the dachshund must do a fair amount of digging just to get his jaws on a badger. Good luck teaching your dog to violate his basic nature.

A very,very HOT electric fence is the only thing that I am aware of that will convince a dog to leave chickens alone. A very, very, HOT fence is one that will almost knock you down. If it won't almost knock you off your feet... it 'ain't' hot enough. But once a dog has one encounter with that fence, it is my experience that you can take the fence down and the dog won't cross the line were the fence use to be. I don't know long dogs remember that lesson so keep the fence up, cleared around, and turned on to discourage all predators.

 

[Fancychooklady]

I have a German shepherd and a ridgeback both killed chickens when I first started out. Got a piece of black Polly pipe and whacked the both of them every time they looked at my chickens. We put electric fencing up, they got bitten by it a few times, that was 3 years ago , they now let the chicks eat from their dog bowls. Everybody respects my chickens, that was till this morning when 2 dogs from over a mile away came into my yard and killed my chicks. My dogs were walking amongst the carnage not really sure what to do. But they did raise the alarm, and our losses could have been much worse, so they get treats tonight. They love scrambled egg lol

 

[missnu01]

Take a fair number of treats or toys or whatever gets your dogs attention and put him on a leash and take him into the coop or run, wherever the chickens are, and call to him. Every time he focuses on you and not the chickens he gets a treat. Do this everyday when you go to the chickens, and he will start to associate the chickens with good treats when left alone...Make sure he is around the chickens but on a leash until you are absolutely confident that he is no longer interested in eating them. Tying a chicken around his neck won't do anything but make him smell gross --- which seems to me would be doggie heaven. I think it is safer to have a dog that is trained to leave the birds alone, than one that is locked away from them, because if by chance the penned dog gets out, there go the chickens. A trained dog is trained all the time, as long as you keep working on it. Regardless of breed or nature. You can train away bad behavior and input good. Dachshunds do love to dig, so maybe make him a digging area with some toys that you buried. Praise him for digging and finding in that specific spot only.

 

[aztec11867]

Well after a year of training to no avail we made the decision to put the old fellow down. It was not an easy decision but you do what you must do. So far the other 3 show no interest in getting in the chicken coop. I hope it stays that way.

 

[RedneckGurl]

HELP...I have two dogs, Callie - a Dutch Shepherd and Hercules - a Jack Russell/Corgie mix, that are outdoor dogs during the day (they sleep inside at night) and are incarcerated inside our large fenced backyard behind a 5' chainlink fence.

My plan is to put my chicken coop and run about 30-40 feet away from the backyard fence in our very large side yard. My concern is allowing the chickens to free range and them accidentally flying into the backyard. I know for certain the JR/Corgie would kill them in an instant. He's already been responsible for wiping out an entire clutch of baby bunnies (that was horrific), an adult rabbit, and a large rat that very unwisely came into the backyard. I feel pretty certain that the shepherd would join him in the carnage. My question is this -- how likely is it the chickens will fly over the 5' fence and into the backyard if they are provided with a full acre of unfenced land to roam? Will the dogs running up and down the fence and barking naturally serve as a deterrant to the chickens to stay away?

I have no idea about chicken behavior or level of intelligence since my only experience with them was the flock my grandmother had when I was much younger. She lived on 70+ acres with a barnyard and they seemed to stay right around their coop in that barnyard...but that was 35 years ago so my memory is perhaps faulty. I do plan to enclose a large run for my birds with welded wire on the sides and top but I also like the idea of allowing them to roam free a bit each day and I want them to perform a bit of pest control (supervised) in my garden plot which is 50' x 50'. Should I worry that they will get inside the fence with my dogs?

 

[Fentressfarmer]

More than likely you will get a couple in the yard every now and again. My chickens will forget about the dogs and fly in every so often and it usually ends in a bad way. In my experience if you have one dog that kills they will teach the other one how to also. Best of luck. Do you have netwire or chain link fence? As long as they can't fit through a hole in the fence into the yard I find it doesn't happen as often.