Best Bird Watch Dog

[HEChicken]

Dog breed with respect to poultry is not the limitation. Dog breed relative setting (climate and predator threats) is more important.

I understand that but someone who also keeps poultry would surely not want to get a dog that is going to be a threat to them, if they can help it. The OP's starting post contained this:
Quote: Honestly, I would have pause at this point. OP - I hope you are able to contain your enthusiasm long enough to slow down…..adding this many species along with "about 6" new dogs, sounds like the manic phase of BPD. If you really were to do this, failure is almost guaranteed. It takes time to learn how to care for a species and get really good at it, and those who focus on one new thing at a time are those who wind up being able to successfully raise multiple types of animal. Adding so many species at the same time - or even "about 6" dogs at once - will render you unlikely to be able to give any of them the care they really need, and you will wind up giving them all up in frustration.

 

[HEChicken]

Zazouse, I hadn't seen your post before my last - those are some truly spectacular photos. I had never considered a Rott as a LGD - how does he do relative to your GP's?

 

[centrarchid]

I understand that but someone who also keeps poultry would surely not want to get a dog that is going to be a threat to them, if they can help it. The OP's starting post contained this:
Honestly, I would have pause at this point. OP - I hope you are able to contain your enthusiasm long enough to slow down…..adding this many species along with "about 6" new dogs, sounds like the manic phase of BPD. If you really were to do this, failure is almost guaranteed. It takes time to learn how to care for a species and get really good at it, and those who focus on one new thing at a time are those who wind up being able to successfully raise multiple types of animal. Adding so many species at the same time - or even "about 6" dogs at once - will render you unlikely to be able to give any of them the care they really need, and you will wind up giving them all up in frustration.

Any dog can be a threat, regardless of breed. Any dog can also be with a little work, sometimes a lot made into not a threat. I use bird hunting dogs around my birds and they will go after birds excluding chickens, ducks and geese. Too many dogs at once is clearly a potential problem. Staggering their acquisition is in order.

 

[marvun22]

Th

I understand that but someone who also keeps poultry would surely not want to get a dog that is going to be a threat to them, if they can help it.  The OP's starting post contained this:
Honestly, I would have pause at this point.  OP - I hope you are able to contain your enthusiasm long enough to slow down…..adding this many species along with "about 6" new dogs, sounds like the manic phase of BPD.  If you really were to do this, failure is almost guaranteed.  It takes time to learn how to care for a species and get really good at it, and those who focus on one new thing at a time are those who wind up being able to successfully raise multiple types of animal. Adding so many species at the same time - or even "about 6" dogs at once - will render you unlikely to be able to give any of them the care they really need, and you will wind up giving them all up in frustration.

this was my bad. It's all gradual. I'd be getting chickens, ducks, geese first, because I know the main things of raising them. I would get my 2 hunting dogs after I have all my ducks, geese, chickens,and guinea fowl, so I could teach them what wasn't game. I've already began studying the things I'm not very familiar (turkey's, peafowl, emus/rheas/ostriches). I've been researching doing this for a while now, but for a while I've still been trying to figure out the last breeds and the costs(cost of birds, cost of barn, cost of feed to sustain per year, emu fencing luckily, I can wire it myself).

 

[Bear Foot Farm]

You won't need a "watch dog" for the birds
The Huskey is going to eat them

Seriously, getting a dog to "guard" chickens seldom works out as planned.
With all those other dogs, it would be pointless

 

[marvun22]

You won't need a "watch dog" for the birds
The Huskey is going to eat them

Seriously, getting a dog to "guard" chickens seldom works out as planned.
With all those other dogs, it would be pointless

The guarding the chickens is more of an indirect statement. As I said before, its more to just bark at intruders (coons, skunks, etc), more than actually defending chickens. It would be indirectly defending chickens by just learning to bark at intruders.

 

[jtakacs]

That's what dogs do... why would you intentionally interject chaos by getting 6?

That's insane regardless of how many chickens they eat...

(Recent chicken owner but past dog owner for 20+ years, fwiw)

 

[marvun22]

That's what dogs do... why would you intentionally interject chaos by getting 6?

That's insane regardless of how many chickens they eat...

(Recent chicken owner but past dog owner for 20+ years, fwiw)

I guess what you're implying is that I just have one of my dogs do the barking and their other purpose, that honestly might be a great idea. If I could teach them well enough, the Husky might be the best bet for that job, because of its wolf like appearance. With all the advice I'm getting, I probably should be dividing my dogs up, based on their purpose. I could almost just let them figure out who wants to be the bird defender. As you said, they all could do it. I could just set up dog areas in multiple places, and whoever decides to take up residence in the barn can be my watchdog maybe thee Sheppard because of their familiarity with livestock). And for all those people who say dogs and birds can't coexist, It's not just me who has this luck. I have a friend who lives about 10 miles from me, also on a farm. They have a sheep herding dog (not sure what breed). They introduced those ducks and she/he (don't know what gender either) took them in as family. It defends them up to this day. I know lots of you (with good reason) don't trust dogs with poultry. I have heard what they can do. My one neighbor who has sold me most of my roosters had a little dog who chased around the chickens to death, because it wanted to play. He got shot by them and that was that. I am fully aware of what dogs can do.

 

[Bear Foot Farm]

The guarding the chickens is more of an indirect statement. As I said before, its more to just bark at intruders (coons, skunks, etc), more than actually defending chickens. It would be indirectly defending chickens by just learning to bark at intruders.

All those other dogs will do that.

A true LGD breed wouldn't be required, nor would it fit well in that menagerie

They are specialized breeds and shouldn't be treated like most other dogs

 

[zazouse]

agreed you are going to have tons of prey driven dogs on your hands, build a critter proof pen for your flocks