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

We've had three adopted dogs though older so perhaps not as playful as they once were but all three could have been left in the coop without causing issues so if definitely depends on the breed, temperament and training.

We had a black lab, a collie cross and now a chocolate lab.

My mum had a little dog, not a breed (Heinz 57) and she was terrible with her hens.

We also have 5 cats and there is only 1 of them that we have to lock in if we're going to let the chooks out.
 
My situation is NOT the same as your situation, but personally, I won't let my chickens out, unless the dogs are out with them.

I live in the middle of the woods, and there are predators constantly circling my area, and the dogs are my main defense when the chooks are free ranged. The chickens follow the dogs, and the dogs follow the chickens !

It can be done, but as mentioned earlier, there are many dangers, and variables, that could lead to the loss of your flock.

Juju making sure the new cockerel doesn't hurt "her" pullet.

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Just another day at the office

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Hazel picking burrs off of Roobee.

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Yes. The dog pictured is Max - he has an extremely high prey drive. He’s a professional squirrel and rabbit hunter, and even chases hawks away from my chicken run. You have to train them properly - think about how many prey driven dogs live with cats. If you have the dedication, patience and knowledge it can work out great. Max doesn’t view the chickens as wild animals; he knows they are my property and do not belong to him.
 

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Yes. The dog pictured is Max - he has an extremely high prey drive. He’s a professional squirrel and rabbit hunter, and even chases hawks away from my chicken run. You have to train them properly - think about how many prey driven dogs live with cats. If you have the dedication, patience and knowledge it can work out great. Max doesn’t view the chickens as wild animals; he knows they are my property and do not belong to him.

He looks a lot like my Sable.
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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.
Small dogs can do just as much damage as big dogs. We had a yorkie that killed our whole duck flock and the next day most of our neighbor's chicken flock
 
Not sure if anyone has said this yet, but would you consider a livestock guardian dog? They have been bred for many years for that specific purpose- protecting livestock, including poultry
An LGD may not work in a more urban area like that though as they tend to bark a lot and also like to roam. Although that said, more and more people are keeping them as pets now so it’s possible. Or even an LGD mix. We had a Lab/Great Pyrenees that was great. But they are not for everybody. They may also want something smaller too seeing as they were considering the beagle. LGDs get quite large! Also most are bred for larger livestock like goats, sheep, etc. so would have to find somebody that has theirs on poultry and/or train.
 
An LGD may not work in a more urban area like that though as they tend to bark a lot and also like to roam. Although that said, more and more people are keeping them as pets now so it’s possible. Or even an LGD mix. We had a Lab/Great Pyrenees that was great. But they are not for everybody. They may also want something smaller too seeing as they were considering the beagle. LGDs get quite large! Also most are bred for larger livestock like goats, sheep, etc. so would have to find somebody that has theirs on poultry and/or train.
True
 

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