Animals to keep to help protect chickens from predators

[gander007]

More guard birds in the making .......







I got tired of shooting Fox & Bob-Cat so I got some Guinea and
what a difference it makes ......

 

[NEChickenNoob]

If I was only going to live here for awhile. I would have some Pyrenees and some guineas and live a happy farm life. I wish I could just live a simple farm life. Dogs, chickens, goats, guineas, and tons of produce. Maybe a milk cow. Work on the farm, fish, hunt. That is the best life a man or woman could ever have. And a few turkeys, ducks and bees.

 

[Stiggy]

Some breeds of dogs are great and reliable, others are not as they are designed to hunt and kill ( eg huskys are a terrible choice) so it depends on the breed and the training as well as the individuals genetics because chances are if the parents ate hunters then it will be as well. If a pup grows up with stock and a no nonsense approach then it should be fine, I have a Dalmatian who keeps the neighbors many cats away and is great with the chooks however other dogs come over and want to kill them, so it really does depend

 

[AngryRooster]

Dogs are definitely creatures that can protect your flock, provided they don't chase the chickens around. I read a book about raising chickens a while back and I remembered that the author mentioned keeping a pig with her hens.

 

[ChickDancer]

I've definitely heard donkeys are good against stray dogs. The noise they make, combined with the size of them, will scare many dogs. But then if that doesn't work, a good hoofed kick to the hip will!

 

[gander007]

Dogs are definitely creatures that can protect your flock, provided they don't chase the chickens around. I read a book about raising chickens a while back and I remembered that the author mentioned keeping a pig with her hens.

When I was a kid back in the 1960's a neighbor had a pig that just ran around the yard and I cant really remember her having any problems with any animals in the yard except fly's ......

And her chickens did run free along with everything else ........

 

[ChickenCanoe]

Some breeds of dogs are great and reliable, others are not as they are designed to hunt and kill ( eg huskys are a terrible choice) so it depends on the breed and the training as well as the individuals genetics because chances are if the parents ate hunters then it will be as well. If a pup grows up with stock and a no nonsense approach then it should be fine, I have a Dalmatian who keeps the neighbors many cats away and is great with the chooks however other dogs come over and want to kill them, so it really does depend

So true. My neighbor across the field has 7 malamute/husky crosses. They're attacked 4 times that I'm aware of and have killed at least 13 of my chickens. They only come over when they break the log chain they're tethered to. The last time, the chickens were safely locked up but the dog went from building to building lunging at the windows. He's taller than I when he stands up. Thank goodness for well attached hardware cloth. She's been warned they won't be coming home next time if I'm here. 12 gauge is loaded on the porch.

I've definitely heard donkeys are good against stray dogs. The noise they make, combined with the size of them, will scare many dogs. But then if that doesn't work, a good hoofed kick to the hip will!

Donkeys hate dogs. You need at least 2 so they don't get lonely.

 

[centrarchid]

Two types of guard animals.

Obvious is dogs. We own coyotes on down and kill more snakes and snapping turtles than I am comfortable with which will be corrected. These guys may be small relative to molasoar LGD's but can actually keep up with fox and can sustain activity even during hottest part of day when larger dogs must pace themselves. These guys are also very smart and flexible in their approach to novel situations which abound in a complex environment where fences are semi-permeable to predators and chickens.

Less obvious is rooster. This yard 2014 yard flock which operates like flocks to right of picture in pasture. Diurnal raptors seem to target chicks and juveniles first. Rooster then attacks or gives impression he will causing raptors to rethink situation and go elsewhere. The rooster shut down the number one chick killer here, the Coopers Hawk, which could otherwise swoop and grab a chick taking it where dogs cannot interfere. All the birds communicate threats to dogs reducing dog response time which can get long when you have a couple hundred birds scattered out over 5 acres and you seldom have line of sight on anything more than 50 feet away.


Cover and fencing is also important. When practical use an integrated approach, not just one big gun (rifle also used occasionally but seldom when you have time to get properly dressed).

 

[MrsBachbach]

So I am kind of at my wits end. Yesterday we had two dogs, with collars, that I had never seen before attack my two sweet hens. My son and I had just been outside with them, had to run into get something and then two minutes later, here these dogs were and they attacked. We live in a rural area, but not one of our surrounding neighbors have any dogs. 

Here's my question - Im interested in getting some kind of animals to protect my flock. I still have three silkies and four laced wyndottes and I want to keep them safe. Have any of you had success with any animals as protectors? 

If you have had success with dogs, how do you train the dogs not to go after the chickens? 

I really want to free range my hens, so any help would be extremely helpful TYSM!

I have a Pyrennes. Get one that has either been around chickens or get one that is still young. I obtained mine at twelve weeks old.
First I kept her confined near the chickens. She could see the chickens but could not reach them. I too live in a rural unfenced area. For whatever reason, my dog does not roam. Many report theirs do. I'm guessing you don't have fence.
Well, for about the first two to three weeks, I would take her out on a leash and we would walk the perimeter of the property so she could do her business and know the boundries. I would do this two to three times a day. I also spent time teaching her commands. They are pretty smart. She caught on quicker than I thought.
Also, every day, I would take her in the chicken pen with me on a short leash. Any move she made towards the chickens was quickly corrected with a tug and firm no. She was a puppy and puppies like to play but that big paw can do some damage. It will help if you hold all your chickens and get your scent on them, let her sniff them when holding them, etc. Eventually, she was off the leash and on her own and eventually the chickens came out also.
Just supervise the first few times you let them out together. If you get a young dog, there will be a period of learning. My dog never attacked my chickens, she just attempted to play a few times, but the chickens easily got away. She didn't pursue. She was very gentle with them even as a pup. She would let them come eat out of her bowl in fact. Until she realized they were taking her food, then she would make a move to her bowl or lay by it.
It will take a puppy about 18 months to two years to be fully ready to take on the task of guarding. Mine didn't understand the danger of other dogs until one actually did kill a chicken. From that point on she paid close attention to other dogs and has stopped dog attacks. She knows which ones are interested in the chickens. From an early age she was always good with small predators such as opposum. Just her barking keeps the coyotes away. She does not excessively bark and mine does not roam. I have to tell you, watching a Pyrennes grow is amusing. They are all leg and clumsy. Too funny.
I really don't know about bringing a grown LGD to new surroundings. Someone else would have to help with that.

 

[gander007]

Quote:

It is shameful to thank that someone who loves this dog's so much would let them run free and for another to protect against the animal ...

Several years ago I paid a good amount of money to have a fence around my property to keep wild life out and my chickens ducks guinea & geese in but last year I spent 2 boxes of 12 gauge 3 1/2 inch ammo on predators and here we can not shoot in the air to scare anything so only a dozen or so Bob-cats and a couple of Fox's and one Coyote pup who managed to did under a gate opening but all the rest had owners who let their pet's run free and the losses over the years and the restriction on trapping have left me only one legal option but I do have to turn in all kills to the Deputies and report all shots fired .......