Topic of the Week - Dogs and Chickens

[Johntodd]

We have two huge dog brother that are 1/2 pit bull.

To start training, I took them out one at a time and introduced them to the chickens. Each one, in turn, started shaking and gasping as they sat there with my hand on them, telling them (gently) to behave. That was this past March, and the only incident has been when a chicken (very close to the fence) flapped it's wings and startled a dog. The dog barked, the chickens ran, and he knew he had done bad. He ran up to me and began his "licky licky" routine to say he's sorry. (As pit bulls are known to do!)

Keep in mind that I am around these dogs all day every day. Not only am I the affirmed pack master, but also in constant contact with them and very good to them. They are 99% on good behavior, and the 1% of bad makes them cower and whimper because they know I'm disappointed.

I keep an eye on them, too, but I've seen them lying on the ground around the coop and run and be asleep or distracted from the chickens. Seems that once they accept that these chickens are part of the pack, then there is no problem. I talk to my chickens a lot, just like I talk to my dogs.

Hope this helps!
-Johntodd

 

[mjshaugh]

I have two shelter dogs, when I got my chics, I put them down in front of the dogs so they could sniff and lick them. I have since added two more chics to my coop in the same manner. We all live in harmony. The one problem I have is one dog really likes to eat the chicken feed. The chickens free range in my backyard, so the dogs kinda keep an eye on them. It's really fun watching them together.

 

[CatUT]

- How do you/did you train your dog(s) not to kill or mess with your chickens?

The first dog (shepherd/husky) I had was already 7 or so when we got the chickens. Fortunately she was such a nanny dog to every thing living in the house that she would get upset when I would be handling the chicks and they would start peeping louder. When the birds were finally outside and we let they roam the yard, we didn't have to do anything to get her leave the chickens alone. She tried herding them for awhile but since they didn't herd well, she eventually gave up. She did like to crack open walnuts that fell into our yard from the neighbor's tree. The chickens soon learned that they could get some of the walnut meat from her if they were very patient. She soon learned that if she cracked one open for the chickens and left it in one part of the yard, she could crack one for herself and the birds wouldn't notice. She also would get upset if the kids were outside without her. She had to be guarding them as well. She also taught herself to tell my diabetic husband when his blood sugar was dropping. She even woke him up a few time when it dropped while he was sleeping. We lost her to cancer 2 years ago. She was amazing.

- What is the best/most effective way to deal with/retrain a dog that killed birds already? (No cruel or inappropriate suggestions, please… Let's keep this thread friendly and informative)

Our next dog was a rescue (lab/blue healer/pitbull). She did everything she could to get to the chickens. We did everything we could to stop her and teach her not to chase/kill them. After she killed 3 of our birds, we installed an electric pet fence. We only had it on the very lowest setting of vibrate but that was enough to keep her from going anywhere near the chickens. She only needed 2 or 3 times before she learned to stay away. A few months later the wire for the electric fence got cut but she hasn't gone anywhere near the chickens and leaves them alone.

- Are some dog breeds more or less prone to be a problem around the flock? I think it has more to do with the dog than the breed although terrier breeds may be a problem in general. I was told that huskies were terrible but my husky/shepherd was the best ever without any training.

 

[Showgirl savant]

We have a black lab. Our fella lived with with our chickens since they were 1 day hatchlings. We did all the things they say to train him. We let him be around the baby coop, then in the yard with a leash when the chicks were big enough to be outside, then work in the yard with us and chickens, then supervised (without his knowledge). After almost two years of showing no interest in our chickens, I walked outside to find my lab shaking a chicken. He had killed our entire flock in a matter of minutes. I share our tragedy to remind people that labs ARE bird dogs and may at any time act accordingly. They are NOT LGDs. We were devastated by the loss of our flock, and since then, we have fenced a huge separate yard for our new chicks where they now live with our potbellied pig, who serves as much safer company!!! And our chicks love our piggy and follow her everywhere.

 

[UtePassChickens]

it took my dog a few months to not sit shaking staring at the hens! he is major OCD squirrel hunter even has killed a few trees stripping them of bark....so been afraid to carry their introduction beyond the Divide....i have let him come in the run a few times but have to keep him at my side...i can see him just sadly drool.....my cat on the other hand seams to completely ignore them

 

[Isaac 0]

My dog used to stare and shake at my chickens all day but now he is afraid of them

 

[Guinea Goonie]

Hello: I have posted on this subject MANY times. I have come to a conclusion. I do not think that one can really train a particular dog to NOT eat your chickens or Guineas.
I also think it is VERY dependent on the particular breed of dog. I have had two Burrnese Mountain dogs in the past few years. The first was OK until he started chasing the Guinea fowl
and eventually killed them and ate them. I lost many a rooster that came down from the barn every day also. Eventually I had proof that he was the varmit that was killing my flock.
My wife dearly loved the mutt so I rehomed ALL of my Guinea Fowl. This helped for a short time until he found a few laying hens outside their pen one day. This was it. We started to
keep him up during the day and let him out at night. The roosters were all gone and the Guineas rehomed. This worked until that one day on the farm. He also escaped to my neighbor's
propertly and killed a bunch of his chickens. He stated he would shoot the next time. We paid for his hens and decided to rehome him.
He is now with a nice family in another county and they have him as a house dog.

SO, a year later the wife wants to get yet another Burnese Mountain dog and I simply said. This one is going to be "introduced" to the hens right away.
So, we get the little turd home and threw him in with the big road island roosters and a few nasty hens that do not take crap from the roosters.
He got his butt flogged several times in the chicken pen. I heard a lot of whining and puppy hurts.

He also got thrown in with the mini horses and got his butt kicked across the paddock.

He has been with us now for about 10 months and is the poster boy of respecting ALL the animals on the farm.

I do believe it is in his nature to like the farm animals any way. He even played with my wife's PET COON before releasing the thing.

He respects the cats, the chickens, the guineas and the various other animals that venture though the farm.
It is some times a problem that he will not go after possums and armadillos, but that is ok by me.

He did get cut EARLY and this may have been the problem I had with the other dog.

So there you are, my experience with a dog and a flock of chickens.

Guinea

 

[UtePassChickens]

we been looking at dogs and we been going back and forth with the burmese mt dog and the new foundland - got lot a kids and in the mountains want them to be good with kids and chickens, but want them to chase off or at least slow down the bear and mt lions....

 

[arizonaqt]

Terriers are bred killers. There are exceptions within the breed but you must watch them. My two yorkies killed birds as puppies long before I got chickens. I thought my friend had broke my female then she backpedaled. My male is currently being a nightmare. I believe he will require a on target shock collar. I don't know if I can trust them ever alone with my quail as my female bit the head off a quail as it bobbed it's head out of the cage. The flying excited her which chicks can't mimic. My Maltese don't care at all for them. They actually were scared of them at first since they are smaller than the hens. Breed of dog matters to begin with, then the individual dog from there.

 

[sheaDtree]

Thanks for the info we have a one year old, got her from a Rescue, she seems to be a border collie, lab mix. We do not have chickens at this new property but intend to get them. Your comment at least gives me somewhere to start with her (Trixie).