Best Dog to watch chickens

[4 the Birds]

I agree that the Great Pyrenees would be my top choice for a livestock guard; Yet, they would not be the choice if the dog doubles as a family pet. We own a rescue and several dogs. By far our best guard dog is an Australian Shepherd Mix male. He can spot a bicyclist going down the road a half mile away and run/bark. He also chases and barks at large birds flying overhead. The downside is that he can easily chase down and gather any chickens in his mouth that fly up and over the free range fenced area (he would kill them if I was not their to save the chicken). Our full size goats live within the chicken free range area and they deter hawks. Dogs can be great to watch over a property but not ideal chicken guards.

Our Australian Shepherd fishing in the pond


Goats with the Chickens.

 

[centrarchid]

I am using German pointers (good approximations of poodles in many ways) as poultry guardians. They must be multiple to deal with anything bigger than a coyote although hands done my biggest day time problem is red fox and night time is tie between raccoon and great-horned owl. The dogs have now repeatedly demonstrated the ability to kill the mammals and have shut the owls down. My dogs tasked most during warm production season where short coat is an asset. During winter months dogs retreat to house but not all is lost since dogs go outside freely and winter quarters for flock is hardened against most predators. Integrating my dogs with fencing helps deal with bigger dogs. Go electrified.

 

[shallowbrook]

That is a mazing.. I have Aussies only now that the Pyr is rehomed, but will have another Pyr when I can have fence that will hold her. She just literally walked through 5 and 6 strands of high tensil with power on it. She just did what the deer do when going through a fence., duck their head and tip the nose up and step through. Pyrs have a hard outer coat, and that is the only thing I can think of that makes it easy for her to go through the power fence.

 

[centrarchid]

Mine walked through fence routinely as well at first. They had to get zapped a few times to realize zap is not instantaneous. They respect fence now unless motivated. The deer also have to get zapped a couple times but they will learn it is unpleasant. Dogs not mine have similar learning curves but they are now trained as well. Do not give up on fence's utility yet.

 

[reinvestment]

My black lab is not interested in the chickens. She was inside when she was aroused and I always look to see if someone is here. This time something was here -the neighbors dogs and they had killed 8 of them already by the time she heard them. However, would a dog keep another dog from doing harm. Mine might want to play with them! She didn't have enough time to confront them. When they saw me and I yelled, they left quickly. She did not try to follow. If they had fought I don't think she would have won. She's older and overweight.
So what other animal would be protection? Maybe as I mentioned before, guinneas would be more, just because I have heard they are noisy. I'm going to order some next spring. Some say they won't stay home if they aren't raised as chicks to bond with a home and coop.
Llamas might be good but they are really expensive and I'm not sure one would be anough to do the job- or run a dog off. They aren't noisy.
My neighbor still is not keeping his dog confined. I was there yesterday but stayed in the car. I took up a petition from all the neighbors and they all want the dogs to go. Euthansia is the only answer because the dog has biten people and has the run all over the neighborhood. I'm not sure it has ever been vaccinated for rabies either. If I don't get action, the courts will be next. They are amish and won't sue or maybe go to court. The animal control will fine him $100 for each offense. And one neighbor said he had a gun. Then I might see his pastor. That usually "holds some water"!'

 

[Bear Foot Farm]

Quote: People need to get over the notion that ANY animal is truly "protection" for chickens.
The only REAL protection is a good fence.

Some dogs will protect their territory, but they aren't "protecting the birds".
Don't confuse chickens with actual "livestock"

If you have neighbors who sign petitions complaining about dogs running loose, be prepared to get one about Guineas too, since they will NOT stay at home, and they are extremely loud

 

[horsewoman54]

I know many won't agree with this, but I have a Pit Mix and she is awesome defending my animals. She watches the horses, lays with the cats and hangs over the chicks like a mother hen. She follows the ducks and lays down in view of them when they are free ranging. No owls, hawks or preditors have messed with our animals and we are in Northern Utah rural.

 

[Br0nc0xrapt0r]

I can't really speak from experience about chickens but I have a rescued German shepherd retriever mix that would eat the face of anyone who tried to touch my son. He is big though, 95 pounds and non of it's fat so he's on the large side of things. On the other end of the Spectrum I have a Lab/Pit/Basset mix who is quite possibly the fattest and laziest dog I have ever seen. There was one event where he tried to kill an opossum about a year ago but I haven't seen him move much since then unless it's from the bed to the food bowl or his shade tree.

 

[shallowbrook]

There are NO dogs that are "good to get to watch over chickens"
Livestock Guardian Dogs are meant to guard livestock, not poultry.

Most of the time YOUR dog will be more likely to kill your birds than a predator

 

[shallowbrook]

I disagree. My Pyr would guard just about everything. Across the hollow the children played outside all the time. They also screamed when they played all the time. Tessa would go to the door of their house and stand and bark until someone came out. After I explained what she was doing and why the people weren't scared of her. The mom would tell the kids to quiet down Tessa thought they were in trouble. She did the same thing when a skunk was in the yard. But she added herding the kids away from the skunk Thankfully I went and got her before she killed the skunk. The Pyrs will guard and protect anything and everything that is theirs.

I got my Pyr from a major breeder of exotic fowl. His birds were in pens in a huge enclosure 10' chain link with barbed wire around the top. The dogs lived in the enclosure. They didn't bother the birds but they kept people and predators out of the enclosure.