Advice needed!

[Tasha1981]

My chick's will be 8 week old tomorrow. Every afternoon I let them out to free range. I also have a boxer almost 7 months old. For the past week they have enjoyed the yard together. Well this afternoon my dog was lying in the grass and two of the chick's snuck up on him and pecked him right on the rear end. Poor Buddy jumped up. A few chick's ran but those two challenged him. He chased them, I quickly got him in the house.

Do I have ANY chance of getting them back to peacefully enjoying the yard together, or has Buddy just been put inside for free range time for life?

 

[Tasha1981]

Is anyone on that can help?

 

[KentuckyMom]

As young as they both are I don't think they should be left out together unsupervised. The chicks are curious and peck everything and even if the puppy is tolerant, he probably still looks on them as possible squeaky toys. They would easily make a mouthful and then you'd be minus a chick. Dogs can be trained to leave the chickens alone. There are threads on here about how people have done that. My German shepherd is about a year and a half and I still have to watch her and reprimand her sometimes. If the chickens start running and flapping , she thinks they are play toys.

 

[Tasha1981]

It's always supervised. They whole family goes out at free range time. I got Buddy basically ignoring the chick's until they pecked him.

 

[KentuckyMom]

I think Buddy is still young enough to be trained to co-exist with your chickens.