I would have to say go with a livestock guardian breed -- herding breeds do have prey drive and do have to be trained to leave poultry alone. Most of them are smart enough to learn, and some of them are good, but I would never trust a herding breed alone with poultry, and most of them not with sheep or other small stock, either, without supervision. The only exception would be some English Shepherds and Australian Shepherds.
I've had several Great Pyrenees and a Maremma (another LGD breed) and they are good dogs, but they do challenge the fences. My experience has been that the females are the ones that get out and run around more than the males. They do bark a lot at night, too, which may not bother you (it doesn't bother me) but might bother close neighbors (this is why I don't have one now, as we are in a rural subdivision of one-acre lots -- neighbors are VERY close). Someday I'll have livestock guardian dogs again, and when I do it will either be Great Pyrenees or Anatolians (I prefer the shorter coat on the Anatolians). Even these, however, need to be taught to leave the poultry alone when they are pups. Once their minds mature, you should be able to trust them with your stock, but as pups they want to play and can do some damage, so do need supervision and correction. There is an investment of time and energy into any new dog -- since you've had a lot of experience with dogs, you already know that, but I'm mentioning it for those who don't know.
Someone up there mentioned Dalmations. I don't know how they would be with poultry; they are sweet dogs, but high energy. However, the original poster wants a breed able to live outdoors and protect her animals even in the winter, and I think I've gathered that she lives in Montana, which does not have mild winters! Dalmations have such short, close coats that they shiver even in the forty-degree range (F). We had one briefly in NH -- taking care of it for someone else -- and I couldn't put her outdoors until the sun was well up by late September, or she'd be shivering. While they have good qualities -- the one we cared for was a sweetheart, very responsive -- I don't think they'd make an ideal outdoor livestock guardian in Montana! Ditto for Yorkies, LOL! (Can't believe someone suggested that, LOL! Even if they were up to living outdoors, they are terriers, bred for hunting rats, not guarding poultry!)
I've seen this kind of thread many times over the years -- not just here or about dogs, but about other kinds of animals, or places, etc. People don't seem to pay much attention to the original poster's needs and criteria, but just start off about THEIR own favorite this or that. It's kind of like the real estate agent who doesn't listen to your criteria for a new home/farm, but just starts out showing you what he or she thinks you should have! (And I've met a few like that -- didn't stick with them for very long, though, LOL! We told one realtor that we were looking for a minimum of forty acres of land, partly wooded and partly open, and he insisted that we wanted one or two acres with a house on it! Needless to say, we didn't use him to buy a place!)
Kathleen
ETA: to the person who insisted that the original poster should only get her new dog from a humane society or rescue --- most livestock guardian dogs aren't being raised for show. They are being bred, and raised, to do a job. IMO, dogs that have been 'given up' aren't nearly as likely to be suitable for this purpose. It's a crap-shoot, because you don't know what their parents were bred for, especially with Great Pyrenees (which often *are* bred for show). Far better to carefully select pups from known working parents. Getting a rescue dog has it's place, but seldom is that place going to be serving as a livestock guardian.
I've had several Great Pyrenees and a Maremma (another LGD breed) and they are good dogs, but they do challenge the fences. My experience has been that the females are the ones that get out and run around more than the males. They do bark a lot at night, too, which may not bother you (it doesn't bother me) but might bother close neighbors (this is why I don't have one now, as we are in a rural subdivision of one-acre lots -- neighbors are VERY close). Someday I'll have livestock guardian dogs again, and when I do it will either be Great Pyrenees or Anatolians (I prefer the shorter coat on the Anatolians). Even these, however, need to be taught to leave the poultry alone when they are pups. Once their minds mature, you should be able to trust them with your stock, but as pups they want to play and can do some damage, so do need supervision and correction. There is an investment of time and energy into any new dog -- since you've had a lot of experience with dogs, you already know that, but I'm mentioning it for those who don't know.
Someone up there mentioned Dalmations. I don't know how they would be with poultry; they are sweet dogs, but high energy. However, the original poster wants a breed able to live outdoors and protect her animals even in the winter, and I think I've gathered that she lives in Montana, which does not have mild winters! Dalmations have such short, close coats that they shiver even in the forty-degree range (F). We had one briefly in NH -- taking care of it for someone else -- and I couldn't put her outdoors until the sun was well up by late September, or she'd be shivering. While they have good qualities -- the one we cared for was a sweetheart, very responsive -- I don't think they'd make an ideal outdoor livestock guardian in Montana! Ditto for Yorkies, LOL! (Can't believe someone suggested that, LOL! Even if they were up to living outdoors, they are terriers, bred for hunting rats, not guarding poultry!)
I've seen this kind of thread many times over the years -- not just here or about dogs, but about other kinds of animals, or places, etc. People don't seem to pay much attention to the original poster's needs and criteria, but just start off about THEIR own favorite this or that. It's kind of like the real estate agent who doesn't listen to your criteria for a new home/farm, but just starts out showing you what he or she thinks you should have! (And I've met a few like that -- didn't stick with them for very long, though, LOL! We told one realtor that we were looking for a minimum of forty acres of land, partly wooded and partly open, and he insisted that we wanted one or two acres with a house on it! Needless to say, we didn't use him to buy a place!)
Kathleen
ETA: to the person who insisted that the original poster should only get her new dog from a humane society or rescue --- most livestock guardian dogs aren't being raised for show. They are being bred, and raised, to do a job. IMO, dogs that have been 'given up' aren't nearly as likely to be suitable for this purpose. It's a crap-shoot, because you don't know what their parents were bred for, especially with Great Pyrenees (which often *are* bred for show). Far better to carefully select pups from known working parents. Getting a rescue dog has it's place, but seldom is that place going to be serving as a livestock guardian.
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