My dogs ate my chicken!

[Mountain Man Jim]

Yep, I agree. Let the training begin!! Don't let the dogs out with chicken without supervisor and/or a leash. Correct every attempt to move towards a chicken. Etc, Etc.

Jim

 

[jmofaustin]

Ok, this is how I cured my dog from the terrible chicken killing disease....
First I will tell you I got my dog full grown from somebody and she is a hunting breed.
When she arrived at my house, within 2 days she killed 3 of my chickens. I went out and bought a shock collar and put it on her in the house then waited about 3 hours before setting her up

.
We let her go outside with the free ranging chickens, made sure she couldn't see us and when she got within a foot or so, BAM! One shock did the trick, she thought to herself, "I ain't messin' with them chickens no more 'cause they have super powers" and to this day, those chickens are her friends, she protects them now.
To me, one shock was worth not having to beat her with a chicken until she figured it out.

 

[drumstick diva]

If you want dogs and chickens to co-exist, you are going to need family involvement. Whatever you decide to try, everyone has to do the same as you. If the dogs can't be let out (to poo) without attacking chickens, then they MUST never be let out (by anyone) when chickens are loose. Or you need to keep them on a leash, or kept in an solid dog run with no way to escape accidentally.
Something has to give, free range chickens and free ranging dogs will never work for you. One or the other has to stay in a secure run and stay there. Even if you supervised the dogs outside you couldn't be as fast as them. They must be on leash or try the shock collar type deal. Depending on how "driven" they are - one shock might work, or they may need frequent reminders.

 

[farmgirl1995]

I really think we're gonna go with the shock collar idea. That should work purrrrfectly. Thank you muwahaha

 

[chkn]

My dogs ate so many of my chickens, the only thing you can do is keep them separated.

 

[Surehatch]

My German shephards used to do this as well - so I decided to seperate the two

 

[kristim23]

Well, I don't know very much about chickens, but I DO know a lot about dogs. German Shepards are very intelligent, for the most part, so you have that on your side. I see that a few people have recommended shock collars, this is your choice. However, here is a warning. The dog will most likely learn to "understand" the workings of it. He will know when he isn't wearing it, and eventually, he will be able to sense when the battery is low. I know this sounds unbelievable, but I have seen it happen. Also, I think that you would be teaching the dog that approaching the chickens = pain, startle, etc, and that may not be a good idea either.

If you caught your dog chewing on the couch, you would correct it, letting the dog know that the couch is YOURS, not his to chew on. Same thing with the chickens! If I were you, I would spend a lot of time in your yard, with the chickens out and at a safe distance. Dog on leash. When the dog gets used to them, (no staring, drooling, facing them, etc), reward the dog. Every session, get a little closer to the birds. Even with this, though I would not leave dogs alone in the yard while the birds are out, because like I said, you have a smart dog, and he might try something!

Just remember, it is easier to train a dog when he is tired. A long walk will realx the both of you, and make for an easier training session. I trained both my dogs to stay away from stray cats the same way, and it worked wonders!!! Good luck and be patient!!

YOU are the pack leader! The dogs need to know and respect that!

 

[Harleydeby]

You are correct on the time spent with your flock and the dog "together" issue. When I first introduced my dogs to my new pullets, one of the dogs IMMEDIATELY tried to capture one of them. I scolded her strongly, made her sit at my side while holding the chicken in my lap. I'll tell you, she wanted that chicken badly. She drooled, she panted, etc. But after half an hour or so, she quickly realized that I was NOT going to allow any harm to either her or the hens.. I started feeding them together, giving treats together and giving gentle praises to her each time we went out TOGETHER to take care of the chickens. (I can't stress the TOGETHER part strongly enough). She learned that very day that we were all going to live in harmony. She was also a rescue dog, so I got her when she was fully grown. She's smart however. I had that on my side. I've trained her diligently and kept consistent with her reward and punishment regimen. She now considers the chickens "hers" and barks an alarm when something even flies overhead... I have total peace here, and even the cat eats with the dogs and chickens now.. It just took time and effort.. My dog actually has trouble going out to relieve herself now, the chickens tend to walk up behind her to investigate what's coming out "down there". Poor dog, lol! But she tolerates them with grace. I can leave home knowing that my flock will be safe now..

However, the neighbors dog which tends to run loose more times that not, is a different story altogether. I've caught it trying to scale my fence and it actually DID scare one of my chickens over the fence (even with clipped wings), and it ate her. Talk about ANGRY? Yep.. But that's for another thread.. Problem dealt with..

 

[Mountain Man Jim]

The use of shock collars is controversial. They can easily be misused which could cause your results to vary. Often they are only recommended for use by professionals. To me they seem like an attempt at an easy way out.

We have never used the collars for the 6 dogs that we have chicken trained and have had great success with our little training method. You can do a search on this member name to find out little plan. It’s a lot of work, but worth it.

Jim

 

[kristim23]

harleydeby: GREAT idea to feed them together!