Can a dog and chickens safely coexist in a small backyard?

[ShrekDawg]

Ok, I would’ve said cats are a big no-no until I witnessed the most outrageous community of free range chickens and farm cats in Okiboji, Iowa. The cats and chickens were hanging out together around two dumpsters like moody teenagers. It was weirdly intimidating. I’d never say never with a dog because there are dog breeds that just don’t have the proclivity to hunt or kill...or do much besides being a lap dog like Pekingese. In this weird world, some critters get along under certain conditions and some don’t. Only you can decide if it’s worth trying given that if it doesn’t work out you may end up with dead chickens. Alternatively, the chickens don’t free range when the dog is out and vice-versa?

This is very true too and also good advice. Small dogs are another good idea as they may not be able to do as much damage if they did get them. Although don’t underestimate them because some definitely can and/or still have prey drive! But alternating schedules may be a good option too if they really want a dog but introducing them doesn’t work.

 

[ButtonHoarder]

It really depends on the dogs prey drive, would it be possible to have the dog come for a visit (on a leash) and introduce it to your chickens?

My dog is 4 years old and a boxer/lab, and we've had her since she was a puppy. She has never really payed much attention to them, but she does chase our cat (just for the chase never touches her) but then other times I find them sleeping on the bed together <3
When I'm in the coop, she does occasionally come in, but just to see if I'm feeding them anything good, or if there's any broken eggs for her.

 

[Wild-Turkey]

Unless you plan to get a very well bred and trained LGD breed specifically for guarding the birds, no, I would never allow dogs to be near my birds. Even a dog that seems fine can turn at any second, any squawk or spook can cause the predatory instinct to turn on. Not to mention lots of mammals have bacteria in their saliva that can make birds sick.

 

[JedJackson]

If you get a young puppy and raise it with the birds, you'll have a better shot. I know many people that have chickens and dogs that have no problems. Or you could simply keep the chickens in a coop & run rather than letting them wander around at will.

 

[ShrekDawg]

If you get a young puppy and raise it with the birds, you'll have a better shot. I know many people that have chickens and dogs that have no problems. Or you could simply keep the chickens in a coop & run rather than letting them wander around at will.

Yup!

 

[sylviethecochin]

They can coexist in a large area, at least. Other than the yardspace, I was actually in a very similar situation.

When I was... sixteen? My brother came home one day with a two-year-old beagle gyp. She was pretty nervous around new people, so after socialising with her a bit, we tied her out in the yard. Didn't even think of the free-ranging chickens.

Well, about an hour or so later, I heard a commotion, so I raced outside, and she had my rooster in her mouth. A few seconds later, she no longer had Chester in her mouth, and she hasn't looked sideways at a chicken since.

That would not have been my chosen way to do that, and a beagle would never be my first choice to have around chickens. But it did work out just fine, and has for several years (my brother went and joined the military, so his dog is still living with my parents' chickens, and probably will be until she dies), so obviously, it can be done.

Now, my parents have a significantly larger property than a small backyard, so boredom is probably a factor you should consider. Thus, I would find a breed that is easily trained, and not easily bored. Beagles are not easily trained.

 

[FortCluck]

I would say no as well. I have five dogs and only one of the five is allowed to go in the chicken run. I’ve had her for 12 years since she was 5 weeks old.

I just adopted a pitbull and she will not go after my chickens due to extensive training, but I would never let her loose with the chickens because many dogs have a prey drive especially when a chicken is running around or flying. They may be fine when the bird is walking casually, but once that bird shows fear or does something to excite the dog, it’s game on.

I have seen it many times on here where someone thinks that their dog will not harm their chickens and allows it to run free with them... then there’s a thread about their dog killing their whole flock or a single chicken.

 

[JJandtheBoys]

So my dilemma is this. I really want to adopt a dog, but I own three pet chickens I am very attached to. I worry that no matter how careful I am, any dog I adopt is going to eventually get loose and eat my chickens. Do you think dog and chicken can coexist in a small backyard? I'd love to hear about other peoples experiences and opinions.

Here's some background on our situation. Our yard is a small, fenced lot (less than .25 acres). My chickens have a good size run, but frequently free-range the backyard when I am around to watch them. The dog I am looking to adopt is a 2 year old beagle. My husband (also very attached to the chickens) tells me to adopt a cat instead, just to be safe. I like cats but I LOVE dogs. Can a dog be trained to tolerate chickens?

I'm sorry to say that, in my experience, most dogs will not do well with chickens. My own pup killed one of our flock, and it was a fluke accident (in other words, we were being vigilant to keep them apart). There are some breeds that can be imprinted, but a beagle would not be one of those breeds probably. We have lots of acreage, plus we have a 360 foot dedicated chicken yard when the flock is not free-ranging. We also buried hardware cloth around both the chicken yard and the run/coop inside the yard, because our dogs dig AND there are plenty of other predators who do too. If you want a pup, just be prepared to keep it out of your backyard unless the chickens are securely penned up. Also -dogs like to eat chicken poop! Be prepared for that. Like you, I can't imagine not having dogs, cats, and chickens. So we have all of them and spend a lot of time/effort to keep them all apart. We might be crazy!

 

[Araucana Nest]

It depends. I wouldn't risk it with an adopted dog.

 

[rosemarythyme]

If you can guarantee that they're kept separately, then it's not a problem. In our house, if the chickens come out, the dogs are inside the house. if dogs are outside, chickens are securely locked up. And we work on training them to not fixate on the run (well, except one dog is friendly with them, so he's allowed to hang out by the fence).