annie the dog

[wattage]

my dog annie is rather old and crazy, when she first met the chickens they did a crazy dance and she ran away, but now out of the coop is it safe to have them both roaming the garden together?

 

[slyfoxpeeps]

I'm a newbie chicken owner, I have a Wiem, Jack Russel and a Beagle, the Jack is fine we had chickens when she was alot younger and had to teach her not to eat them and now she is always hunting for mice and moles in and around their pens. The Wiem is a BADDDD BOY. One of my birds would go in one night and early the next morning Mork (the Wiem) came all happy carrying his price to me. Boy did he get scolded!!! And punished. I only let him out not while I'm watching if the girls are out. But he is learning now. When I'm out he tries to proves to me he can be good, but I will never totally trust him. I thought I would have trouble with the Beagle, she is a rabbit dog, but the Silkies walk through her area and she hunches and act like she's going to get them but she lets them walk through then runs up behind, turns around and waits for them to come back through they actually help entertain her. I totally trust her. So just keep a close eye on her, and teach her.

Sylvia

 

[chickbea]

You probably haven't had too many responses to this because it has come up in the past, and we end up fighting with each other!

You can probably find some of the other posts if you do a search for them.

Some folks feel that dogs can never be trusted with chickens, some can't imagine a flock without a dog's protection, and others feel it is up to the individual dog.

If you want my most humble opinion, I think it is up to the individual dog, and the time and effort the owner is willing to invest in training. Contrary to what many say, old dogs such as yours can most certainly be taught to behave around chickens. I always adopt older dogs from the shelter, and have always been able to train them to behave while the girls are free-ranging.

If the dog has actually made a kill, I wouldn't trust it alone with the chickens ever again.

Just a quickie note: it is a current fad for a lot of folks to get "livestock guard dogs" to protect the animals on their small farms. This is a dandy idea, but when these dogs are used to protect poultry, they need a little extra training to be gentle, especially with chicks. I have known people who have lost birds due to them being carried around or over-enthusiastically herded by one of these dogs.