Are Dogs Always Predators to Chickens?

[trillian]

We have a Mastiff and a Stafford Bull and they both adore our chickens. Once, a feral cat came sniffing around and the Bully went after it, then back to "his flock" and sniffed around to make sure they were all there. They lay in the yard and then chickens crawl all over them. We brought the chickens in the house as babies and the dogs were exposed to them from then on....

 

[RonP]

I have a Springer Spaniel who is more interested in chicken poop than the chickens themselves.

9 years, never an issue.

I now also have a German Shepherd service dog, who is smarter than most the neighborhood.

Personally, I would never leave either unsupervised.

Either could kill a chicken...

 

[trillian]

Here's the requested picture!! Bully, Mastiff and our Buff Orphington, Japanese Bantam and Barred Rock

 

[trillian]

Picture of our Mastiff with the Buff Orphington riding on her

 

[5Sons Coop]

I have a border collie / ?. We got her from the pound. She will catch small birds in the yard and loves to be outdoors. She minds very well and was easy to train. She will come right in the coop with me. The chickens don't really even seem to notice her anymore...so chickens can be trained too!

 

[thecreekhouse]

Was your GP raised with chickens? Asking because we are new to chickens and have two GP. Our female we got as a puppy and she us now 3. Our male we rehomed at 18 mo and he just turned 3,however he was raised as a puppy with chickens.I am not really hopeful with the female. Any thoughts?

We didn't get the chickens until he was full grown. He just has the classic, zero prey drive temperament that you want to see in a Great Pyrenees

 

[lynnechrista]

Not always, a golden retriever tried to kill a hen and she ended up dying from injuries. An Akita mix gummed an escapee duck and dropped it at my feet unharmed. A timberwolf/malamute let chickens be around him and even climb on him. These were these dogs first experiences with chickens and ducks.

 

[valkgal]

My two dogs love my chickens, and are very gentle and protective of them. They were both older when we got our chicks, so we put the babies in a clear Rubbermade bin, and the dogs were not allowed near them without our supervision. As they grew, the dogs were used to their sizes, and before long, learned what was acceptable and what wasn't. These days, if there are neighbor cats in the yard, we put our Lab in the pen and she doesn't interact much with the girls, but the cats won't come near. My Yorkie is more their size, so they tend to play with him more; pushing balls back and forth, snuggling (sometimes they fall asleep together, but I haven't gotten a picture of that yet). My Lab will also contain the chicks in the yard when

In short, yes, dogs (even older dogs) don't necessarily prey on chickens. However, I would definitely be aware of the dog's temperament and keep the chickens sheltered in a box or cage until they are used to each other. For us, we were fortunate and it worked fine. I do know people who have had issues with their dogs or cats preying on the chickens.

Remember, too, that chickens are pretty hardy! My Lab got a little rambunctious with the girls a few times and they pecked her to show her who was boss! She would settle right down after that.

 

[PBBackyard]

I have a Rat Terrier...one of the best hunters out there. We kept our chickens in the run so he could get used to their scent.
This sounds so horrible....when I was ready for the chickens to finally be let out of the run to free range we picked one up for him to smell and she pecked him in the nose. Needless to say, he has kept his distance from all of them since.

Like I said, horrible, but it worked. He is no match for 10 hens!

 

[crystal spencer]

We have a male golden retriever and male black lab who coexist peacefully with our flock of seven. We brought our girls home straight from the hatchery and our "boys" were never allowed in the room we kept our "girls" in without supervision. Now that our girls are grown, everyone, dogs, cats and chickens all free roam together in the backyard, though my Barred Rock, Ms. Priss, stalks the dogs which is wonderfully funny to watch.

Our experience has been if you have the right oversight, discipline and introduction to each other, you should be fine.