My Boy is the MOST wonderful dog of all of our 5 dogs. He showed up a couple weeks after I got chickens 2 summers ago while we were still building our first Hen House. He seemed like the perfect dog, big sweet boy that he was. We got him all cleaned up and have loved him ever since. He started by free ranging but alas got into a little too much trouble chasing cars and wanting to play with the neighbors horses
Anyway.. my Boy is SO great with all the chickens, the ranging chickens who you can't see in the above photo spend a good deal of time in the yard there, and if ever roosters are fighting through the wire, Boy comes right away and breaks them up. Physically walking between them and if necessary pawing at the "free" rooster until he goes on his merry way.
There are 3 roosters that range right now for instance, 2 have full time coops but one... well he can go into on of the available coops but chooses to find his own place to sleep each night. Lately he's been staying with Boy in the dog crate on the porch. Yep.. big 8lb White Orpington snuggled up to a Big off white lug of a good boy!!! SO lovely of him.
If the chickens go too far away he barks at them... if say they leave the perimeter of the yards or fly off. He does the same if one of our other dogs get out of the fence line too.
When the coop doors are open, he helps himself to their areas & their water. Digging up the sand and making cozy places to lay down inside the coops. The chickens don't mind him one bit, and enjoy cleaning up the mess he makes in their coops! It's so funny!!! That's Angel there too.. she is part time guardian, totally free to run but can't handle the colder temps he can. They are a team as she is the first line of defense if something tries to get into the yard. She's an OK LGD.. occassionally wants to nip at the banties who run around the yard with the standards.. and she doesn't listen.. and eats whatever eggs she can find. see.. big difference.. she's ok.. but Boy.. is AWESOME!!!
Even though he is more than twice the weight of our other dogs, all female, he plays & roughhouses with them in such a way they appear to be kicking his but! He loves them all, and they are his ladies. He is the youngest dog on the property too btw
Even though he sometimes gets too excited, and spends a great deal of time trying to find ANY little thing to get his cable tie caught on so that we may better clear his area... I just love love love him to death!!!
Occasionally, it's too cold for him to sleep outside. He comes inside but sleeps right by the door where he can feel the cold breeze. He doesn't really want to be inside, he thinks he can tough it out just fine, but we're his parents and we know best.
The vet & I think he's a Golden Shepard with perhaps some distant Husky because of his solid working skills. I wish all of you who wanted dogs & chickens to live side by side could have a Boy.
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