Tricky situation.. Advice please!

[stephensc7146]

I currently have 30 chickens. only 3 days old so I have a little bit of time to work this out..

I have a pretty big back yard, and would LOVE to completely free range my chickens to avoid spending another 200 dollars or so in fencing, but there is the problem with that..

My neighbor has 2 dogs. a basset hound puppy (I figured if he grows up around chickens, he will be fine with them), and a boxer/bull dog mix. He does have an electric fence to separate the yard mostly in half for the dogs. he bowed the fence more on my side in the back because that part of the yard is never used for anything (which means that my chickens would LOVE the grass and bugs back there)

I'm just worried that the dog will chase my chickens (not sure if he would hurt them or not..) and they would run away and not come back for fear of the dog. The neighbor and I get along well and have fires in the yard a lot, so if there was any ways I can start working on to get his dogs use to the chickens and not harm them then I wouldn't be so worried. My 2 Newfoundlands wouldn't pay two bits of attention to the chickens so i'm not at all worried about them. Is fencing my half of the yard off the best option or is there a way that the chickens will learn that the neighbors dog can't get them if they stay on my side of the yard OR better yet, does anyone have any advice on getting dozer use to the chickens and not hurt them? He plays with my cats but doesn't hurt them. The cats learned the side that he can't reach trick. He see's the chickens in the fenced area when he's out and barks at them when he see's me in with them feeding and all that. Any other time he doesn't pay any attention to them. I really want to have lots and lots of chickens, but I know that I can only keep so may in the fencing that I have up now.
(btw - the neighbor usually doesn't leave dozer out for too long of periods at a time, dozer pretty much decided when he wants in and out)

Any advice is greatly appreciated!!

 

[LukensFarms]

Keep a muzzle on the dog when he is around them. He may chase them but will give up in time. Dogs can and will kill chickens. The safest is to fence off an area. Chickens can learn where they are safe but it takes time.

 

[missnu01]

My dog chases my chickens that will run...some of the chickens are not afraid of him and just look at him and he goes on, but if they get flustered and take off he is right behind them...but when the chickens give up and just bury their heads in the leaves he sniffs them intently and then goes on..then the chickens get up and everyone is fine again...Lol. I have just started taking him outside on a leash when the chickens are out so he can't chase them...he still makes it out sometimes but if he is in the front the chickens naturally go to the back, and I can just make a noise at him if he starts to go to where they are and he'll go play somewhere else. So I think they'll be alright. You can start training the dog to exist with the chickens now..have a hold on him and let him see a chick. Make him sit and ignore it...when he does then give him a treat...do this a lot everyday..he'll eventually associate that not paying attention to chickens gets him treats.

 

[stephensc7146]

I figured the fence would be the best idea. In the summer I will most likely expand my run.

I COULD refrain from buying more chickens.. buut, I don't see that happening.. lol

 

[Tigertrea]

The dogs will go after the chickens. It only takes one time of them getting a quick shock going through the electric fence before they realized the pain is worth the reward.

I have Huskies though and no form of electric fence works with them. They are just too fast going through them for the shock to bother them. I do fence my dogs or keep them on a tie out. I do not let my chickens free range when I have a dog on a tie out because I don't want them to have to learn the hard way where the tie out for the dog ends. My dog fence is 6'high with electric fence at the bottom to keep them from digging under and along the top to keep them from climbing. Even then I'm still awaiting an escapee. I've been fencing like that for about 10yrs now with no escapes but, I know one day I will have one. It is unavoidable with Huskies lol.

 

[jdywntr]

I agree that a fence is best. Any dog that is not raised around chickens and worked with for quite some time will need to be supervised when it is around the birds. Chickens are funny little moving squeak toys to a dog. Even your Newfies should be monitored. I trust my little dogs around the birds, they have been around chickens and ducks for a few years and my old birds took NO funny business from them. My 5 month old Grt Pyr is in training and is only out with the birds with me and it will remain that way until he is at least 1.5 yrs or so.

 

[Mrs. K]

You need a good fence. There is an old saying,"Good fences make good neighbors" and it is true as it keeps your animals from bothering the neighbors. Some dogs don't bother chickens, some dogs can't leave them alone. 30 chickens is going to be a lot of chickens to live next to, anyway, I would not want the whole dog/chicken disaster make it worse.

MK

 

[CluckAcres]

I had a dog grow up with chickens and he never did bother them to much. Until one day I find him with a chicken in his mouth. I thought at first that the chicken died some other way and he just found it. Well the next time i seen him grab ahold of a chicken and killed it. We then built a kennel for him for when he was outside. Well one morning we put him outside and he dug under the kennel and then killed one of my turkeys. So what i am saying you cant always trust a dog even if he is use to the chickens.

 

[stephensc7146]

Aww.. I'm sorry that happened to you I know that I would be crushed if something like that happened to one of my girls.
So expanding the fence it is! Thanks everyone for all your help. My girls are definitely worth the extra money to keep them safe.