A dog that can live with chickens

[JadeFarms]

I also agree, Labradors can be great dogs.

 

[Waves]

Thank you so much for all your suggestions, so useful!
I'm in love with labradors since i was a child so your opinions about them made me very happy, even if i'm a bit worried about how much a labrador eats...a lot?

What do you think about border collies? i heard that they are very clever dogs, but even with lot of energy so i don't know...

 

[ShrekDawg]

Thank you so much for all your suggestions, so useful!
I'm in love with labradors since i was a child so your opinions about them made me very happy, even if i'm a bit worried about how much a labrador eats...a lot?

What do you think about border collies? i heard that they are very clever dogs, but even with lot of energy so i don't know...

They shouldn’t eat too too much. I mean, they will eat until they drop if you allow them to but otherwise, if you ration their food, they shouldn’t eat too much more than any other dog or cost much more or anything. Also sometimes the recommended amount of food on the bags can be too high and they can get fat. It all depends on the individual dog and how active they are. Puppies do eat more but once they’re older it shouldn’t be a ton. I wouldn’t avoid getting one based on that.

They do tend to get obese easily though so you gotta watch their weight and food intake and make sure to keep them active.

And I love border collies, they’re fantastic dogs, but I wouldn’t really recommend one especially if it’s your first dog? Even if it’s not, they can still be a lot. I love dogs and am trying to become a trainer and even I haven’t gotten one cause they’re a lot even for me hahah I will eventually though but yeah.

They are definitely extremely smart dogs but that can also get them into trouble. They need a lot of mental stimulation and a job. That job doesn’t have to be actual herding but could be something like trick training or agility or something. Even something like carrying a backpack on hikes. But whatever the “job” is, they do need one. The intelligence can also spell trouble for you because you can accidentally train them to do a bad behavior even just once and it can be hard to undo.

They also, of course, need a lot of physical exercise too, but that’s almost easy compared to the mental hahah

They can also sound sensitive and reactive to things sometimes. It’s not their fault because those traits are needed to work at herding but can mean trouble for a pet owner. They need to be sound sensitive and fast reacting so they can see a sheep stray off way over there and make it in time to cut it off or whatever. They need to be aware of their environment constantly and always on for herding so they can be good at it but for pets those aren’t great traits.

And with the chickens, they are very loyal and obedient dogs so they should be able to learn to leave them alone BUT! They may also not be able to resist herding them hahah

All that said, show line ones are generally calmer and more suitable to being pets than the working lines but even then, I’m still not sure I’d recommend them.

I think a nice Lab will be great for you!

 

[LostBoi73]

We have 2 border terriers and did have anothe who died last year. They have all been great with the chickens without any real training. We just introduce the at a young age on the lead of course and then gradually let them integrate more. Quite quickly they were allowed off the lead and have run of the farm . Corking little dogs

 

[JadeFarms]

Thank you so much for all your suggestions, so useful!
I'm in love with labradors since i was a child so your opinions about them made me very happy, even if i'm a bit worried about how much a labrador eats...a lot?

What do you think about border collies? i heard that they are very clever dogs, but even with lot of energy so i don't know...

Clever can be good but it can also be bad. A smart dog can find a way to get into way more trouble.

If you want your dog to protect the birds from predators then a hunting dog may be a better choice. Just train it to not kill the birds. Herding dogs aren’t bred to kill so that means they may not be great at protecting chickens.

 

[Iluveggers]

Sheepdogs are harder to find, but awesome with animals & good livestock guards. My parents had a mix, and they kept the fur trimmed shorter (she was more comfortable that way & it was easier to maintain). Horrible on a leash, but great everywhere else!

 

[PippinTheChicken]

Dogs must be well trained.
I have a beagle.
She is just a pet dog, not a protector, but she is okay with the chickens. If she gets jealous or overexcited, she'll try to play with them. But she calms down and never hurts them.

 

[JadeFarms]

My newer dog is a rescue, she’s a pit mix of some sort. She’s a year old but she’s still young. She has tried to play with chickens only a couple times but she has learned very quickly that is not okay.

My best dog that I have with the chickens is my black mouth cur. He leaves them alone and is totally okay with them if they go near his food, he comes into the coops with me and he’s been attacked by a couple broodies but he’s never reacted badly. That’s one dog breed that I highly recommend.

 

[ShrekDawg]

Clever can be good but it can also be bad. A smart dog can find a way to get into way more trouble.

If you want your dog to protect the birds from predators then a hunting dog may be a better choice. Just train it to not kill the birds. Herding dogs aren’t bred to kill so that means they may not be great at protecting chickens.

Just to clarify , hunting dogs aren’t bred to kill either. They’re bred to retrieve the dead birds and/or to flush them out of the brush so they can be shot or whatever the job is but never to kill them themselves. Unless maybe it was a terrier or something to kill rodents/vermin but not bird dogs but yeah. But I don’t think he wants a dog to protect them anyways, just a companion that won’t be a danger to them.

 

[Waves]

Thank you a lot again, you're helping me to clarify lot of things!
This dog won't be a chicken dog all the time: in fact he will remain for the most of the time at home or in the garden (we'll make a good fence). So, I just wanted a dog that could stay some time with chickens without eating them if, for some reasons, they come around him. I think that they will stay with chickens especially when i'm there, so i can train or control him.

I wanted to ask you about another breed that i read it's good with chickens: the Welsh Corgi. I love them What do you think about them?