best dog breed around chickens?

[momiphouph]

If you are looking for a small dog breed, look up the Havanese. Not a common breed but a GREAT pet and our little girl doesnt bother the chickens. Just research it and see if this breed is one that is possibly what you are looking for. Cant wait to see what you get, keep us posted!

 

[kendra1178]

I read through this thread with great interest when I was trying to decide what breed of dog to get (if any). I wanted one that would be good with chickens and there were also quite a few other criteria that we needed to meet as well (mostly indoor dog, good with kids, calm, not stinky, etc). After ready many replies on the subject, we decided that a Chow would be the way to go for our family. We found a great breeder in order to ensure that our dog would be specifically bred to be sweet tempered. We brought her home in April, and she is the best dog we have ever had. She is great around the chickens. She does like to run after them sometimes because she likes to see them run/fly, but she doesn't do anything to hurt them. We are very happy that we researched it, so I just wanted to let others know of our experience with a Chow and chickens.

That being said, it would only work this well if you get the dog as a puppy. If an adult Chow has never been introduced to chickens, it would likely kill them if they were put together.

 

[watchdogps]

What kind of dogs have you had in the past and what did you like and dislike about them? Besides the chicken factor, you also need a dog you like. Do you want high energy? A dog who is easy to train or do you like some independent thinking?
As others have mentioned, looking at the original purpose is important. Terriers and herding dogs have some of the highest prey drives. Sporting dogs/ bird dogs are up there too. The reason some herding dogs and sporting dogs are good with birds is because they were also bred to take direction from humans so they are highly trainable. However, they were. Also made to work all day, so they have a lot of energy.

 

[MsEss]

Hi,

I didn't get chickens until my Standard Poodle was 3 years old. She (Mollie) is a 'duck dog' and I was concerned because she is trained to fetch birds. But because she is trained and trainable she doesn't fetch without being told. She is VERY GOOD with my chickens who are free ranged. She will on occasion rustle them up, but is only for fun, she likes to make them fly. She'll rush them and then come trotting over to me looking like she is laughing! But never ever has she tried to harm them. If a chicken is trying to get away from me, my dog knows to herd them my way. Mollie comes into the coop every night with me while the chickens are getting settled in for the night. She 'helps' me get their food and water, and she tries to sniff them while they are roosting...but the chickens let her know who is boss! The entire time we are in the coop, I say over and over again..."Mollie is a good girl helping with the chickens". She wags her tail and is happy to be in the coop with me and my chickens. Praise praise and more praise, is how they learn.

To acclimate dog to chickens, I kept the chickens in an outdoor pen and let my dog get used to looking at them through the chicken wire. There was no direct contact (nose to feathers) until they were 8 weeks old, that is when I let them out of the pen. I had my dog on a leash and let her get close to them. As soon as she tried to go after them, I pulled back on the leash and was very 'firm' with her to 'not hurt the chickens'. We walked around with the chickens for about an hour a day - dog on a leash. I just let her follow them around and each time she wanted to charge them I pulled back, Then I sat in a lawn chair in the middle of the yard and tied the dog to me. I enticed the chickens to come near us with corn. I taught the dog to sit very still and watch while they were eating. I gave her LOTS of praise for not bothering the chickens. It only took about a week and my dog understood she was to ignore and leave the chickens alone. I have a cat too...they all get along. The key is to make sure you train while you introduce, don't train after something goes wrong.

I should video this...after just three months of chickening ... when Mollie is walking in the yard, she will make a wide turn to avoid getting close to the chickens ... she gives them their space!

 

[girlyhurley]

An adult mutt is NOT the best dog for chickens. My dog killed 20 of my chickens. He isn't my dog anymore. He lives elsewhere now.

 

[Raggedyroad]

An adult mutt is NOT the best dog for chickens. My dog killed 20 of my chickens. He isn't my dog anymore. He lives elsewhere now.

What breed was this dog?

 

[Raggedyroad]

We just started with chickens a little over a year ago. At the time our English Setter (Abby) was 7 ½ years old.

We started with six 3 day old chicks and kept them in a brooder in the family room with a secure lid attached to protect them from Abby dog and our cat.

Abby was very interested and watchful as they grew. I’m sure she would have probably killed them all simply out of playfulness had they not been in a protective environment. Doing it this way got Abby used to them as they grew. Once they were old enough and it was warm enough for them to go outside we kept the small pullets inside the chicken run where Abby could see and sniff but not maul in order to further the assimilation between her and them. After a couple of weeks we started to let them roam the yard. We would take Abby out several times a day on a lead that we could let out longer and longer each time to give her the feeling of being on her own with the pullets. We did this for about 2 weeks.

After about a week she got to where she would roam the parameter of the yard each time to check for intruders and only pay minimal attention to the pullets that by this time they were probably getting close to 1 1/2 - 2 months old. When she approach the pullets we would say a command that she was already familiar with *easy* which to her meant caution.

I know this sounds lengthy and bothersome but it assimilated an older dog to the chicks and she became very protective of them and has never ever even come close to acting like she would harm them since.

When the hens were about 6 months old we had a broody that just would not break. So I got her three 3 day old chicks which made my broody (Lilly) very happy.

Abby had to be watched around them while they were so small. Once they reached about 3 or 4 weeks she was fine with them. She wouldn’t have purposefully hurt them but would have been to rough on them while they were so tiny.

Sorry for the long post but I thought this might be helpful to anyone having an older dog. And Abby is even a bird dog. She’s the best dog I’ve ever owned and I would get another of the same breed if she had herding instincts. As we now have 2 goats and 3 sheep and intend to get a few more next year.

 

[KatherineB]

Thanks for this tip - it's the most useful one so far !

 

[EggSighted4Life]

I want to get a dog, but it must be compatible with chickens, as I only have a 3000 sqft yard and I'd rather not have a house-dog. (they will be allowed inside too) I am used to and prefer large dogs - I hate high-strung small dogs - but was thinking a small breed, for the chickens' sake. Also, I've always rescued adult dogs, but am willing to get a rescue puppy, for the chickens' sake. All my chickens are standards. I will have 4-5 by the end of the year.

What breeds / types of dogs are best around chickens?
How small should I go?
Any personality tests I can do on the dog when I go to the shelter?
Would an adult be ok, if it was small enough and/or the right breed?

Thanks!

Hi. Sorry I didn't read the whole thread.

I have 3 rescue dogs. They are mixed except my queensland heeler. 1 is lab X bully, another lab X hound. All are great around my chickens! The small chicks do pose a greater temptation. I think it depends on your relationship with the dog, though I am sure breed may play some role as to the trainability. I find small dogs harder to train.

I vote rescue mutt all the way!

Good luck and best wishes! It's totally do able.

 

[EggSighted4Life]

@Raggedyroad That is basically what we do/did. We also use the command "easy". And the 1 I called hound cross is a birder of some kind.

We also introduced goats successfully. Aside from that, they did become protective. Fun to see them block their other dog friends away!

An adult mutt is NOT the best dog for chickens. My dog killed 20 of my chickens. He isn't my dog anymore. He lives elsewhere now.

Wow, sorry for your loss! That must have been a terrible experience.

My dogs are all adult mutts and they were here before the birds. They know what I expect of them AND HUNT EVERYTHING ELSE on my property. I am sorry that you didn't understand that domestic dogs ARE one of the greatest threats to livestock. I like to think I coined my own term.... LPD instead of LGD... livestock predator dog.

Of course this training took months on my part. And also knowing how to read the dogs body language. Therefor if you are inexperienced with dogs in general, I wouldn't recommend it.

Honestly, I'm disturbed when a chicken goes after my dogs and they avoid the attack instead of responding in a way that lest the chicken they are playing with fire. The dog is doing this out of respect for me. If you mess with the bull you get the horns, is what we were taught. I have 1 pullet who has chased 2 of my 65# dogs.

She is on notice that what comes next is the soup pot if it keeps up! Only reason she hasn't met it yet is because I am giving the hormonal teenager the benefit of the doubt.

So, I have 3 dogs, 2 goats, and 48 chickens. Everybody lived happily ever after... until it was their time.