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

[Craigboy53]

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?

Our 7 year old Sheltie, Jesse, was introduced to chicks when they were 2 days old. He was used to having cats around the house, and his best friend was a 5 yr old Burmese. He seemed to understand chickens were friends too, and never showed any aggression. After watching them together for four months, we were comfortable enough to leave him alone with the chickens. We let our three hens free range in the backyard (0.5 acres). He shows no interest at all, and would much rather chase squirrels! The chickens are more interested in him, and if they come to investigate when he is lying down, he simply gets up and moves if they get too close.
Having said all that, I know Beagles are a hunting dog, so best to speak to someone who knows Beagles.

 

[2hotchicks]

I have two dogs and free range turkeys. The dogs one Mountain Cur and one Pitbull. The Cur was two when we got chickens and he doesn’t and never had interest in them. The Pit was a few months old when we got him and I caught him pinning down a turkey twice. Both times he was very mightily corrected and now doesn’t mess with them. Granted the turkeys are much larger than the chickens who don’t free range but on the rare occasion when a chicken gets out because my 10 yo isn’t paying attention during feeding time the dogs just look at it with curiosity. I have experience with beagles and would NEVER leave a beagle alone with chickens. They have a very high prey drive and are not smart. (Before you hate on me about talking bad about beagles look it up their lack of intelligence has been well documented in many studies i.e. Stanley Coren ranks the beagle’s intelligence at 131 out of 138 breeds) Beagles are going to do what they do and that is hunt. Rabbits, chickens, whatever thing gets into that little dumb head of theirs.

I have owned 5 beagles in my lifetime, the girls were very intelligent, the boys not so much.
If beagles are indoors & part of the family you have a much different dog. Beagles are scent driven and are used to hunt rabbits, so chicken smells do not elicit a prey drive. Beagles love being pack members & for some their pack can include cats & chickens.

 

[polapar]

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?

As a person with three dogs and 19 chickens and ducks, I say that a dog is ABSOLUTELY doable. I have had dogs before chickens and dogs that came in after chickens. I have had all sorts of breeds (German Shepherd, collie, lab, pit bull, unknown mix) around my chickens. All of my birds free range all day and my dogs are allowed to stay out there without supervision (they are indoor dogs so this is a maximum period of 30 minutes to an hour because they beg to come in haha).

HOWEVER, this is not something where you can just get the dog and place him out there in the yard and think he/she will be fine.

Every single one of my dogs at first has tried to chase the chickens. You have to supervise them at all times when they are outdoors with the chickens at a distance where you can catch them (or if they are trained well enough to stop when you say stop but I would not trust this for a newly acquired dog). Every single one of my dogs will try to chase NEW chickens if I introduce them to the flock.

It is a matter of making the chickens boring. They're always there, they are not to play with. New chickens the dogs think are new toys. It doesn't take very long for you to reinstall the boring aspect but I never recommend leaving a dog with chicken experience alone with a new chicken.

Now, it honestly depends how much effort you want to put into it and whether you dog will be indoor or outdoor. If you're not willing to buckle down and watch your new dog like a hawk while he or she is outside with the chickens (and also be within catching range and ready to reprimand for chasing chickens every single time they do it) then I wouldn't recommend getting a dog unless you're willing to cage your chickens up in a run when the dog is out.

If you are going to make the dog an outdoor dog, I don't really have experience with that and can't speak to how that would work. Especially because how are you going to watch and train the dog that chickens are boring if you can't be out there to watch the dog at all times?

For each of my dogs, it took about a year for me to be 100% comfortable leaving them out alone with the chickens and ducks. I haven't lost a single chicken or duck to my dogs (those coyotes are a whole another matter though....)

Not all dogs will take a year, either. My neighbor's dog got into our yard and honestly couldn't Care less about the chickens and ducks. I was surprised to see him out there smiling and wagging his tail at me one afternoon, chickens and ducks roaming around!

 

[JulieSZ]

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?

 

[JulieSZ]

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?

Yes! We've had multiple large dogs who loved the chicks - and we've rescued older senior labs (8 yo) who were used to going after small mammals but because close friends with the chicks (we introduced them as babies last spring), a little bunny, a pet peacock and multiple large wild birds. Our son's young malamute on the other hand killed one of our chickens, but lives with a cat. So it really depends on the dog and training. We make sure all our pets love a little diversity in their lives!

 

[smiles2u]

Beagles are hunting dogs. Chase anything that moves. Get a calm lapdog who only wants to go outdoors to pee and poop.
must have upper hand and teach any dog boundaries and commands. We are reaching our .1 yr old puppy to “sit” for chickens and he gets a treat, but he sprints after them otherwise.

 

[Jenbirdee]

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 have a mountain cur (dog) who was a puppy when I first got ducklings, I showed her the ducklings every day, and let her see me handling them (lovingly...to teach her that I love them too) So, since they grew up together, it has worked out great. my property is 2/3 acre, but only half of that is fenced in for the animals. The only problem I ran into one time was when my dog was chasing a squirrel in the yard and a duck ran right into her path.. she ran over the duck and the duck rolled and wasn't hurt but was shaken up a bit, ever since then I have penned the ducks in one half of the yard, just to be safe.

 

[ChickensForEggs2500]

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?

My dog is a hunter mutt and he used to chase the chickens. I gradually took him out on leashes bring him up to the chickens and saying no in a firm voice if he missed behaved. I then sat on a picnic blanket with him without his leash she’s holding his collar. After a while he got comfortable enough and begin walking around without chasing the chickens. I hope this helps!

 

[sera phine]

I have 4 dogs and 5 chickens and everyone lives in harmony. More information upon request. Seraphine

 

[New2COchicks]

I have 2 greyhounds and one has a huge prey drive for the squirrels , cats and rabbits. Part of my yard is sectioned off to separate my chickens From them. However I made mistakes and forgot to close the pen. You know what the dogs left them alone...maybe because they see me holding them. They all co exist and leave each other alone.