are your dogs and chicken friends

[TheCrazyClucker]

2 Anatolian Shepherds,1 red heeler, 1 blue heeler,1 West Highland Terrier,and 2 mutts.. We trained them to either leave the chickens alone or protect them. The Anatolians do great with protecting to chickens,but we have to keep a close eye on the heelers. My flock of 30 free-ranges over 3 1/2 acres, and that 3 1/2 acres is fenced in,except our red heeler,Okey,can clear that fence, but she's not as spastic around the chickens as our other heelers, so we really don't worry about it, and she's never killed a chicken.

 

[linuxman]

Our dog went after our birds. However, the 10 cats we have had have NEVER gone after our chickens.

 

[corilibba]

I have a great Pyrenees/ black lab mix named Olliver. He love his chickens. Every time I get a new batch of chicks I show them to him. He sniffs them, licks a few then looks at me and wags his tail. It's almost like he's saying 'I did good right?' When I put my half grown brooder chicks out in the yard to get some sunshine, he lays next to their cage and chases the barn cats away.

 

[dewdropsinwv]

My dog Sadie isn't sure what to make of my chickens.... she will sniff the run, whine a little and walk away.

 

[RHP63]

I have a Papillon named Pebbles who is 10 years old, I had parrots when I got her as a puppy and taught her to leave birds alone. I recently got some chicks which she would sniff and then walk away as normal but recently she took a big interest in them and will stay outside and lay near the pen watching over them. She is a prissy dog and usually won't stay outside for more than 30 minutes, now she stays outside for hours at a time guarding them. My RIR got stuck in between a shed and the fence and was screaming out in the yard and I couldn't hear her, but Pebbles did and started barking at me then running outside and having a fit until I followed and found the chicken. I was shocked, in all the years I've had her she never showed interest in any sort of guarding or really other animals at all. Her breed is more of a ratting type (which she practices heavily on squirrels who venture too far in my yard), though I think her motives may be maternal as she knows they are still young birds. Either way I'm happy to have her act this way, she won't stay all night outside by the coop but sleeps by the backdoor now where she can hear them easily.

 

[Nicole01]

Yes, my dogs protect my chickens and alert me at all times when there is danger, even from inside the house. I'm very grateful for this. Except my dogs can not spot hawks or don't consider them as a threat.

 

[Hayduke27]

I have a hunting dog, a 7 year old Chesapeake Bay Retriever, and this is his first summer around chickens. He is a great hunter, and most birds he's ever met have been carried back to me in his mouth. However, so far around the chickens he is very good. He knows the chickens are my friends, and that he isn't supposed to mess with them. When I force him to be near them, he gets very shy, as I'm sure he is more afraid of hurting a chicken than I am afraid of him doing it. It's very funny, he's such a good boy!

When I first brought them home and had them in the brooder, my dog would not let me go to the basement alone. He knew that there were peeping birds down there, and he knew that was where he belonged! He would whine and get a bit excitable when the chicks got rowdy, so I didn't leave him alone with them. I think his doggy instincts were just too strong to ignore a peeping, running little fuzzball!

 

[dewdropsinwv]

hayduke that's pretty cool!!!!

 

[Barred4Life]

Just hatched some chicks...and the dog's curious...but the chicks...not so much!!

 

[nab58]

How did I miss this thread?!!

I've been hoping and worrying that my four dogs will be able to coexist with my six pullets. They've been confined to their run and the dogs have been barking and lunging at them. They are getting better and seem to be able ignore them more as time goes on.
From reading others experiences, I'll take the pullets out and introduce one dog at a time while leashed. That will give the chickens a fighting chance for escape and me control to correct and control the dog.