Aloha from Hawaii!

amestd4066

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My dream is to eventually own and operate a farm here on Oahu raising dairy goats, laying hens, and fryers for both personal and commercial purposes. Gotta start a little smaller, though, because we currently live in a smaller house with a limited yard. Of course, by smaller I mean a couple of hens occupying a space in our backyard with free-range access during the day.

I've read Storey's Guide to Raising Chickens, Backyard Chickens for Dummies, and a handful of other whitepapers and guides about chickens. I'm pretty sure that the first couple of gals I get will be Buff Orps, and am very excited to make them a part of our family (egg laying and centipede eating will be their only chores - sweet deal for them)! My biggest question concerns acclimatizing my dogs to the hens so that predation doesn't become a problem during free-range hours. If anyone has had experience in this regard and is willing to share some advice or anecdotes, I'd love to read your response. Thanks!

Tim
 
Welcome to BYC
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Here are some discussions on training dogs to behave around chickens:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/829562/training-teaching-a-dog-about-chickens
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/778988/training-a-dog-to-leave-chickens-alone
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/700017/how-to-train-your-dog-not-to-kill-chickens

Best of luck with the dog training and your future plans!
 
I have a Brittney, she is a bird dog. when we first got chickens we were so worried about her attacking them we kept them separated. Now a chicken can ride on her back and our Jack Russell will stay out all night guarding and patrolling the coops. If your dogs listen well to your commands it wont take long for them to figure out the chickens are part of the family.

BYC the greatest site ever
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Welcome and enjoy
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Steve
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Welcome to BYC! Personally I wouldn't leave dogs unsupervised with chickens, but that's just my opinion. I have a Chihuahua who is too small to do much damage but he is still not allowed access. Good luck to you!
 
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I agree with Liz, it's best to err on the side of caution. I would have dogs locked up when chickens are free ranging. Many dogs regard chickens as squeaky toys and grab and shake them till they stop squeaking and then grab another.
 

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