Australian Shepherd

[boobug]

Does anyone know if an Australian Shepherd Dog would be good for guarding chickens and ducks, including little call ducks? Not to herd them but guard them. We always have problems with foxes and other animals getting our chickens and ducks. If we go anywhere we have to keep them in the shed and pen. They have fun in there too, the ducks always love the fresh water in the tubs, but they would rather be outside. Sometimes even when we are home and a fox comes we don't even know it.
Thanks
Jesus loves you

 

[RoosterDoo]

You will have to be careful with herding breed dogs as guards. My mini aussie was great with my chickens, he would help me herd them in at night and could stay all day and night with them. -and, I was careful to correct his natural instinct to nip and heel. However, he has just recently gotten a little bored while I am away at work, and has turned into a chicken killer, starting with just ripping out the feathers, but going a little too far. He feels bad, but can no longer be trusted and now wears a muzzle when out and about to be safe. But, every dog is different. It is all about training and curbing the natural instincts to chase, play, heel, ect. that is the key to a great guard dog for any livestock, but I think, especially chickens. A bird's only real defense is to run, and a dog thinks its a game. A suggestion would be not to let the dog roam free, but simply tie him out near the coop. My dogs, the aussie and a black lab, are tied near enough to the coop that their barking and ruckus making keep the coyotes and varmints at bay. Good Luck, be vigilant, and be careful.

 

[tridentk9]

Do you have the room (or desire) for a llama? They're considered excellent for guarding chickens against some predators. Or a donkey or mule.

 

[boobug]

Thanks for the replies.
We have about one acre of land. We would love to get a llama or donkey but it would probably be to expensive.

 

[memphis]

Aussies are herd dogs not guard dogs. I would consider another breed.

 

[islandgirl82]

I would strongly recommend looking into an alternative to aussies with your chickens. Aussies are intelligent and great at what they were bred to do but go looking for trouble when they're bored. They are bred to herd and chickens scatter when they're startled. In my experience that's a terrible combination. My neighbors (who also happen to be my bosses) own two aussies and before we became neighbors my girls were raised free range. Now I have to keep them in the run unless my neighbors are traveling as they leave their dogs out whenever they leave each day (in fact I had someone bring one of the dogs to my house at 10pm last night because he wouldn't go home and the owners were out for the evening).

They require a tremendous amount of training and consistency but even so, when that herding/prey drive kicks in, there's no stopping them. Until recently I only had two hens and though my neighbors HAD been great about letting me know when they were leaving and it was safe to let my girls out, occasionally they'd forget and I'd catch those dogs with mouthfuls of feathers which led to me investing in a much larger coop and a 12x24 ft run after much tension between us. Luckily, there were no fatalities but I had very shaken up hens.

If you're set on having a dog watch your flock and/or any other livestock, I grew up with Great Pyrenees. They're a Guardian dog (not to be confused with a Guard dog) bred specifically for protecting livestock. I had three Great Pyrenees...along with a flock of 70 some odd sheep, several horses and about 30 chickens and not one time did we ever have an issue with them going after our livestock and they were great at keeping predators away. They're also spectacular with children. The one downside is that they do bark a fair amount so as to warn predators that they're there and not to get too close. One of my fondest childhood memories though was between one of our GP's and my mum. My mum didn't like the barking and they both insisted on having the last word. As you may imagine, there "arguments" were quite entertaining to bystanders. I have also spoken with other people who had Great Pyrenees at one time or another during their lives and they didn't all recall the barking so maybe it was just the something from the particular bloodlines we had. Either way, I would recommend these dogs to anyone who has the space and wants a trustworthy companion and guardian.

I currently have a newfoundland who is spectacular with my flock and children as well but doesn't have quite the same instincts to guard the chickens...unless I yell at the aussies, then he'll chase them off.
Best of luck,
Heather

 

[bell1774]

My Australian shepherd full bred was amazing with my poultry. We have sucks, chickens, pigs, and a few bunnies. We also have one Australian shepherd named Chewy. I don't really take pictures of him but I took many puppy pictures. He is amazing protecting all our animals and us. He will also sometimes try to herd them which I'm fine with. I recommend an Aussie as a great dog any day.

 

[Nedzib]

The best Shepherd Dogs ever !

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

I have found one of mine has been easy and the other has been a challenge. They are a dominant pushy breed bred to move cattle. They need tons of exercise and structure to their days. They also bark a lot like most herding breeds. So they aren't for everyone. Mine have always ignored my chickens and they are the two dogs I would trust left with them, though I doubt they would guard them.