Bad Dog

[FarmerGrant011]

My dog killed one of my polish chicks.!!!

I WAS SOOO MAD. How do I train her not to try to attack them? My mom said that we should just wait until the rooster is big enough to protect them, but they are only 7 weeks right now....

How do yall keep your dogs away from the chickens? My dog is a schnauzer, yorkie mix.
Grant

 

[ranchhand]

I use a fence. Once a dog starts killing chickens, they are very difficult to stop.

Sorry you lost your chick.

 

[theoldchick]

My chickens are not allowed near the dog, and the dog is not allowed near the chickens. To protect birds from any predators a covered run is a must. Adding electric wire around the perimeter of the fence my deter further attacks by your dog.

 

[Judy]

Some people train them to be OK with chickens -- you probably can't train every breed though. And it has been claimed that even though you think they are well trained, they may one day kill a chicken, anyway. Dogs usually are just after something to play with; they rarely eat what they have killed.

 

[ThePolishPrincess]

I agree with all of this. That being said, I doubt a rooster, even full grown and more nasty than the average roo, would be able to take on a dog and win.

 

[kelar]

It's certainly possible to train a dog to be fine around chickens. I've trained former chicken killers to the point where the chickens could walk on them, steal their food, peck at their noses, whatever, and the dog would not even look at them. Your chicks are pretty small right now, but if you have an older flock or if they are outside, put your dog on a leash with a choker collar (be sure you have the choker on correctly so it releases immediately) and whenever you have the time, take your dog in and around the chickens. Any sign of aggression or predator/prey behavior should be corrected with a quick little sharp pull on the choker and a siss sound or sharp NO. It's ok for the dog to be curious. In the case of one that has already killed a bird, I correct any time they even look at the birds - kind of like the birds must become invisible to them. It helps if you can recognize the look dogs get in their eyes when they are looking at something as prey. Dogs just naturally chase chickens - chickens run and they chase, not necessarily to kill, but just instinct. While you are training your dog, you must be very sure the dog is NEVER allowed unsupervised/unleashed access to the birds. After the initial introductions, I usually just make the dog lay down in the coop and mind his own business while I go about my chores. The most important aspect of this training is what I just said - do not EVER take your eyes off the dog - it's a lot like house training. It takes persistence, time and vigilence. Some choose to not allow their dogs access to the birds. This works too, but then you run the risk of an accident if the dogs and/or chickens get out. Agree with posters above - a rooster will never be able to protect your birds from a dog - he will just be the most likely to get killed first.