Are dogs a danger to chickens.

[bobbi-j]

As everyone else has said, it depends entirely upon the dog. My own dog was never a problem with my chickens, but he was trained from day one when we got him at 7 weeks old. However, when my son comes to visit and brings his Golden Retriever, my chickens stay locked up in their coop/run. I don't trust any visiting dogs except my mom's dog. I've been dog-sitting her for the past few days and she is not a problem either. They squawk and run and she just minds her own business. Are your neighbors' dogs in close proximity to your chickens? (Had to ask, as where I live, "neighbor" could be anyone in a 10-mile radius) If so, I would suggest building them a sturdy run attached to your coop - you can leave them there for awhile anyway and see how the dogs react to the chickens. How about putting up a fence between you and the neighbors. Is that an option? Do the dogs frequently visit your yard? If so, you could talk to the neighbors about keeping them home, or start training the dogs when they come to visit. I would certainly not leave the chickens loose unattended until I knew how these dogs were going to react toward them. And even then, I'm not sure I'd trust them completely.

 

[scooter147]

I would trust them about as much as I would trust a convicted burglary around my valuables.

 

[speckledhen]

Read my signature line. That line is there because of the thousands of dogs-killing-chickens stories I've had to read during my membership on BYC.

 

[cgmccary]

Hi i have two hens and a rooster now, and I was wondering if my next doors dogs would be a danger to my full grown hens ? Thanks.

Dogs are the #1 predator of chickens -- this is from reading and hearing all the stories of dogs in addition to my own personal experience throughout my life.

One of my earliest memories is a stray dog killing my pet rooster when I was a child. I was crying. My father sent me indoors, but I could still hear the shotgun blast even though my dad waited for the arrival of a freight train passing through to do the deed.

Recently, I lost a prized hen to a stray Bassett Hound I fed and cared for until the breed rescue could pick up, AND I WAS OUTSIDE MONITORING THE DOG! It just took a second. One of my dogs attacked the poor hound when they saw me rush to the defense of my hen. Thereafter, I walked the dog on a leash and kept crated until the dog got a proper foster home.

 

[MunchiesChicks]

Anything with teeth and an instinct prey or hunter drive is a threat, including humans. As for dogs? I've lost 3 chickens to my daughters 6month old puppy, my 2 year old and 5 year old Beagles are my Chicken Hearders. The huge mastiff bumps them around with her nose and will carry them around but won't eat them. My male Beagle would say he is preyed upon by the chickens pecking his hanging parts

The puppy is still a threat and my male Beagle may just get tired of being pecked in sensitive places he may just tear into one of them. The 6 month is learning by ecollar and us holding the chickens and letting him know they are our babies. Good luck