BREEDING FOR PRODUCTION...EGGS AND OR MEAT.

[DesertChic]

Today was the beginning of week 1 weights and measures and I'm THRILLED with the growth rates so far . @Kev - You told me this one should turn out to be a boy (NN/White Rock cross) and I'm very confident that you're right. He increased by a whopping 111% since last week and his shanks are already so large compared to the others that I had to go up two sizes on his leg banding. I weigh his NN sister tomorrow. So far these chicks are showing the highest growth rates I've seen from any of my hatches. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that the trend continues.

 

[Beekissed]

Yup, I got along for years like that. One dog had to be put down for old age, and the second younger dog held down the fort for several more years. She to, got old. She was not able to keep things secure and my flock of 30 was down to 2 in one night.

I blew it by not getting another dog right away. I like it when my dogs are about five-six years apart. This way you will have one dog, in it's prime, all the time.

Exactly. Just like anything else with livestock, it's always best to have a back up plan. My dog was getting some age on him~now 10 yrs old~and he let a hawk take a few chicks two falls ago(my fault for having fall chicks in the first place), so I had to plan for getting him a working partner. Got him a pup last hunting season and that pup is now 8 mo. old, has been here since 2 mo. of age, and he's a dandy...hasn't harmed a chicken, is guarding well, is quiet until he needs to make sound, etc. The older dog helped me to train up the younger dog and now the older dog can catch his valuable afternoon naps after being up all night guarding the property.

It's a good system. The new pup....




Here he is as a new arrival, feasting with the chickens on a deer gut pile...






He's still got some growing to do, but he's coming along. Hasn't made his first kill yet, so time will tell how he does on preds. He's being taught by the master, who has held off coyotes, bear and all manner of lesser predators for years now on his own, since his last partner got too old and had to be put down.

Both dogs ate an entire yearling road kill deer a few weeks ago...had it completely gone in 5 days. Usually, though, they don't eat much at all for the work they do, so are well worth their keep.

 

[CanadianBuckeye]

All my fencing material is just designed to keep chickens in and not so much to do with predators. I have two dogs that live on wireless systems around the coop area for that purpose, so the only predator that really gets past them is a black snake and I've yet to see a place they can't get into. Mothballs usually keep those out at chick rearing time, so even that is a pretty easy fix.

Most of the plastic fencing I have used is either the green plastic 2x2 on the cattle panel coop, or deer netting in the breeding/brooder pen to keep chicks in.

Y'all just don't know the luxury of keeping chickens without having to worry about predator proofing....it's such an easy life with chickens when you take out that one factor. It gives a dog a great outdoors life of freedom and it gives him a job to do...both things make for a happy dog and a happy flock. I'd recommend it.

Thanks Bee. It's great that your dogs are good with chickens- I have to keep my dogs well away from them, they would all love a chicken dinner or two.

I guess I'll have to stick with fine metal mesh fencing.

 

[Beekissed]

Thanks Bee. It's great that your dogs are good with chickens- I have to keep my dogs well away from them, they would all love a chicken dinner or two.

I guess I'll have to stick with fine metal mesh fencing.

Maybe you could do some training with your dogs and turn them into good working dogs? These dogs of mine didn't just spring from the ground guarding chickens, they had to be trained for it. They have just as high a prey drive as other dogs, just have been trained to direct it elsewhere....towards predators.

 

[Beer can]

When the dog grows up around chickens/livestock as a pup it's easier. Before we moved we had a free range beagle, even a beagle keeps predators at bay. Our boxer at the time also helped until he got older and we had to confine him to the house. He ended up with hip dysplasia and the dummy would take off running and not come back until he was lame.
We hope to move to more acreage again, LGD would be nice. Probably could put invisible fence in here but I'd rather not spend the $ on fencing three acres, and then the dog would stay in but I'm sure the chickens wouldn't pay attention to it. Hmm, maybe they make little collars for chickens? Nah, chickens would be to dumb Lol!

 

[Beekissed]

When the dog grows up around chickens/livestock as a pup it's easier. Before we moved we had a free range beagle, even a beagle keeps predators at bay. Our boxer at the time also helped until he got older and we had to confine him to the house. He ended up with hip dysplasia and the dummy would take off running and not come back until he was lame.
We hope to move to more acreage again, LGD would be nice. Probably could put invisible fence in here but I'd rather not spend the $ on fencing three acres, and then the dog would stay in but I'm sure the chickens wouldn't pay attention to it. Hmm, maybe they make little collars for chickens? Nah, chickens would be to dumb Lol!

I've got three acres of meadow here but not all of it's fenced for the invisible fencing....my system for the dogs is wireless, so a signal is emitted from a centrally located box and covers about half an acre of land. The dogs are within that, around the coop and such, even though the chickens range out much,much further. I had my first system for 10 yrs before it went kaput, so it more than paid for itself over and over and over in a better life for the dogs and for the chickens, as well as in my peace of mind. Didn't even cost as much as metal fencing for predator proofing the coop.

My first dog was 4 when I got him and I doubt he'd seen a chicken before he came to my place. The second dog was another that was older, she was around 5-6 when she came to me....her last owners had her a year, tied to a box....I think they had chickens but she sure didn't get much training on them, if any. My current old dog was 5 mo. when he saw his first chicken, while this younger one was 2 mo. They were all superb livestock/chicken dogs, worth their weight in gold.

 

[Chicken Egg 17]

When the dog grows up around chickens/livestock as a pup it's easier. Before we moved we had a free range beagle, even a beagle keeps predators at bay. Our boxer at the time also helped until he got older and we had to confine him to the house. He ended up with hip dysplasia and the dummy would take off running and not come back until he was lame.
We hope to move to more acreage again, LGD would be nice. Probably could put invisible fence in here but I'd rather not spend the $ on fencing three acres, and then the dog would stay in but I'm sure the chickens wouldn't pay attention to it. Hmm, maybe they make little collars for chickens? Nah, chickens would be to dumb Lol!

All are beagle did was run off after he slipped his collar and or ripped the clip the whole way off the cable it was a rounder cable reccomended for his size and weight but he still did it but he was a sweet dog and he was 12 years old but we had to take him home because he belonged to someone else in the family if u want to call it that but she just let him go were ever on the road and he was going to get hit so we brought him home when he was still under a year old and he has been here ever since but he died last year of 12 he has been here since I was a baby

 

[Chicken Egg 17]

I've got three acres of meadow here but not all of it's fenced for the invisible fencing....my system for the dogs is wireless, so a signal is emitted from a centrally located box and covers about half an acre of land.  The dogs are within that, around the coop and such, even though the chickens range out much,much further.  I had my first system for 10 yrs before it went kaput, so it more than paid for itself over and over and over in a better life for the dogs and for the chickens, as well as in my peace of mind.  Didn't even cost as much as metal fencing for predator proofing the coop. 

My first dog was 4 when I got him and I doubt he'd seen a chicken before he came to my place.  The second dog was another that was older, she was around 5-6 when she came to me....her last owners had her a year, tied to a box....I think they had chickens but she sure didn't get much training on them, if any.  My current old dog was 5 mo. when he saw his first chicken, while this younger one was 2 mo.   They were all superb livestock/chicken dogs, worth their weight in gold. 

Ya we signed up for a free under ground fence and heck they came out to our house and said well let's talk payments my mom told them to leave

 

[CanadianBuckeye]

Maybe you could do some training with your dogs and turn them into good working dogs? These dogs of mine didn't just spring from the ground guarding chickens, they had to be trained for it. They have just as high a prey drive as other dogs, just have been trained to direct it elsewhere....towards predators.

Possibly, but not likely, they are first nations mixed sled dogs- not known for reliably sticking around, and not very interested in obedience training. I have trained them to not lunge at the free range chickens when they are leashed, but without me directly supervising- I'm pretty sure they would "forget" their training in a hurry! Plus, there's four of them- and you know what pack mentality is like.

 

[Beekissed]

Possibly, but not likely, they are first nations mixed sled dogs- not known for reliably sticking around, and not very interested in obedience training. I have trained them to not lunge at the free range chickens when they are leashed, but without me directly supervising- I'm pretty sure they would "forget" their training in a hurry! Plus, there's four of them- and you know what pack mentality is like.

Yep...I sure do! What in the world do you do with a pack of sled dogs other than sled? Do you use them for pulling a sled? That's so neat, if so! I think that would be the coolest thing to do with dogs. Around here we don't have enough good, packed snow for sledding but my older dog would just love to pull...I've often thought of getting some work harness and letting them pull a cart for working around here.

Nothing so nice as a dog with a job...they always seem much happier if they are working.