best dog with chickens

[sheetmetalpete]

I adopted a one year old Chocolate Lab a couple weeks ago. She's getting better but I don't trust her with them.

Fortunately for me, she'd rather play with a tennis ball than a chicken.

 

[cgmccary]

The stray dog I adopted has turned out to be great and everybody seems to agree she is a shepard mix. Here is thread (and debate about this topic):
https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=402316

 

[Break an Egg]

My dog is a mutt with some lab and some dobie in her and she is very smart and very submissive. She has been very easy to train- She is fully potty trained with no accidents, always submits to the chickens, even when there is food involved she lets them eat what they want first and never fights with them over food.

 

[sprawli]

We have a 3.5 lb female Chihuahua. The hens are bigger than she is, so no worries!

 

[TrystInn]

We have a wonderful Border Collie who herds our ducks and has slowly taught the chickens to be herded, as well.

<a href="http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v666/TBarrettS/Furkids/?action=view&current=Pond3016.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v666/TBarrettS/Furkids/th_Pond3016.jpg" border="0" alt="Gracie considers her ducklies" ></a>

Personally, I would stay away from any terrier breed on a general basis. A friend of mine had a wonderful terrier, bragged everywhere she could about how wrong we all were, then lost her entire flock to said terrier when its instincts finally caught up with them. Sad day for all.

We also have two Basset Hounds, neither of which has a prey drive at all. Which makes them odd Bassets, but perfect for us and our birds. Instead they keep the vermin down, are loud enough to get our attention if a stray dog gets near our yard, etc.

This is Flash, who doubles as a walking brooder:

<a href="http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v666/TBarrettS/?action=view&current=s320x240.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v666/TBarrettS/s320x240.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>

Flash and Doodle waiting for their dinner time as the birds have theirs:

<a href="http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v666/TBarrettS/Chickies/?action=view&current=July7058.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v666/TBarrettS/Chickies/July7058.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>

 

[Naughty]

I have a bichon friese - and when I got the chickens - originally I worried - cause he has a big bad - attitude! He's only outside while I'm at work - so I put him in his dog run - and put the run in the yard with the chickens. Found out he's a digger and he got out - so I would find him out in the yard with the chickens. They were okay - so I finally just left him out there. He's pretty mellow - although they he does nudge em out of the way if i put down something good. He likes to eat chicken food some - they like dog food - they share well... ha ha

He barks at the dogs in the next yard a lot! I think it's good though - they tend to be quiet and watchign the chickens... I think its good that the lil dog gets em barking so that it reminds the chickens that there are predators at that side of the fence!

Of course my roosters arent afraid of him - and they have tried to act big and bad - the dog just looks at em

but they watch him - if he tries to "bowl for chickens" they get fussy with him and he calms down - I think he likes to watch em scatter!

It really is just the luck of the draw i think

 

[Lilacfeather]

I have a golden retriever. She is perfect with the chickens. And she has started keeping the other neighborhood dogs and cats away from our fence when the birds are out free-ranging.

However.....

I think in general some breeds are going to tend to do better than others, but I really believe it depends on each individual dog. You might try adopting an adult dog who you know has been around chickens or similar animals to start with.

Good luck!

BTW, Ruth, I thoroughly enjoyed seeing the pics of your beautiful dogs with all your other animals!

 

[Aves]

I own 4 dogs and have flock of 36 chickens. Three of my dogs I trust with them. One was good from day one. He is a 7 year old scottish terrier/corgi mix. He could care less about a chicken. I also have his littermate. A year ago the littermate did catch a hen (didn't kill, just lost feathers and a couple of lacerations), I reprimanded him severely (nuf said) and to this day he won't even batt an eye at a chicken anymore. I also own two nearly 10 - month old Aussies. One I had gotten when he was 8 weeks old. He was practically raised along side the chickens. He is EXCELLENT with them. The chickens also do not have any fear of him since he had been around them alot. The other Aussie I had gotten when he was 7 months old from the Humane Society. He has behaviors that tells me he was ignored alot when he was younger. He can get into trouble quicker than any dog I know. I don't trust him with the chickens yet...maybe never, but we are working on a civil relationship between him and the chickens. Time will tell...I feel It is all in the time spent training.

Aves

 

[ruth]

Scarlett working the coop when they all return at sunset. She makes sure they get on their roosts and don't get in any fights. Notice how they are all completely calm even though there is a big German Shepherd in their coop.

Scarlett in training as a puppy:

Lucy, our catahoula mix/stray/mutt is the vermin killer of the pack. She will pounce on any possum, coon, rat, and kill it swiftly with one bite and then drop it. It won't have a mark on it.

Even our cat loves the chickens:

Rex loves when I bring home a new box of baby chicks. He hears them when I get out of the car and follows me inside and won't leave them.

When I move them outside to a hutch - he goes with them:

Of course, now I live on a farm and I just turn the chicks loose when they are about a week old. I know they are well protected.

I wish I had a photo of these two in action but they mostly stay under the house in the daytime and come out at night. They do night patrol. They do have an odd assortment of poultry that live in the backyard with them and eat their food.

Finally - I call this "How Many Dogs"???

Not only do I totally trust each and every one and all are left unsupervised. We often leave for the day and/or night and all 6 dogs are left out with our freeroaming birds and livestock. We are the only people in the area that have not been hit by the "wild" dogs; bears; bobcats; foxes; and coyotes that live in the thousands of acres of woods around us. I couldn't do it without my "Pack".

 

[lcr123]

Wow, your German Shepherds are amazing! What wonderful dogs.