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

[JaeG]

Our dog was a few years old when we got chickens. I spent a lot of time training her as a pup and she understands the word "No" and if I tell her no, she will not touch what I have indicated is not for her. She is a Lab x English Pointer, maybe with some Whippet in there, and high energy, loves to play, but only with her toys, never with my birds. I trusted her with our hand reared finches and cockatiels. She would just ignore them and look at me anxiously if they landed near or on her (they now live in an aviary).

Last night she had to share her kennel with a tiny bantam chicken who has been raising a duck for us. They free range around the house and were going in a crate at night in my shed, but now they refuse to go in the crate and prefer to make a big mess at the back of my shed. So they weren't allowed in the shed last night and the chicken moved in with the dog.

Our dog frequently comes up to the main flock and she ignores them, more interested in cleaning up their poop or whether there's an egg for her.

The right dog with the right training can be fine with chickens, but it does take training. I'd say a working/hunting dog like a Labrador would be more inclined to do as they are told as they are bred to work with their human as opposed to working independently. But different dogs, even of the same breed, can have a higher prey drive. Getting a dog from an experienced breeder who can assess a dogs suitability for potential homes is one way of guaranteeing success, but rescue dogs can be just as rewarding, but there is more risk that they may not be trustworthy in the end.

 

[wrtbbm]

We had 3 dogs, a lab mix a Belgian Shepard/Husky mix and a terrier mix and 3 cats when we decided to get chickens. We kept them separate areas of the yard initially and slowly over a few months introduced the dogs to the chickens. They now roam in my backyard together without any issues. The cats never showed any interest in the chickens. My advice is to slowly introduce the animals to each other. And yes, dogs will eat chicken poop .

 

[illinoishiker]

And chickens will eat dog poop. Want that? My dogs were trained from small puppies to not chase chickens. I switched them when they chased guineas or chickens. They decided it wasn't worth it but still if the chickens get excited they would love to chase and get a chicken. They also sneak into the chook house and eat eggs. Dogs and chickens just don't work together. I have dogs to run off coyotes and protect the chickens and guineas from predators. A two year old hunting dog would be a disaster. And not the dog's fault. I know of a tiny poodle that was a chicken killer. Get a puppy and train it but keep it away from the chickens when you can't supervise. I've never known of a cat that will kill a grown chicken. I have several cats (down to 7 right now) and they ignore the chickens. Are interested in chicks in the brooder though. Just have to have a good wire top on the brooder and never a problem with the cats. One cat likes to sleep in the hen nests. Hens peck her but she won't leave and they go about their business. Not afraid of the cat.

 

[LinzeeBrie]

We've got 3 dogs, a cat, 20 chickens, and 5 kids. They all roam around the acreage together like besties
(Dogs are a rottie/shepherd that was 5 when we got the chickens, king Charles cavalier that was 1 when we got them, and an LGD puppy that we just got 2 months ago).

 

[RiverOtter]

Oh my giddy aunt, the number of people who can't train dogs!

The last 11 dogs I've had (I keep dogs by the pack, currently have 3) of various breeds, some rescues, some from pups, I trained them ALL to be fine with chickens. My only fail was a pointer who had lived feral for at least a year, and even then, he learned to let the chickens be, but killed a goat - poor old fellow would have starved to death long before I got him at about 4-5 years old if he hadn't hunted and fed himself, and that's not the type of dog most folks are likely to run across. My dogs have come home anywhere between the ages of 5 weeks and 13 years, and the breeds have run the gamut.

And when I say chickens, I mean free-range, everywhere.

Hunting breeds? Bird dogs? Those are the easiest. Seriously. (Herding breeds are the next easiest) They can't hunt if they go all foolish over everything with feathers, they need to learn to look for THIS bird, and ignore all others. So the trick is to praise them for scenting anything else - just pick something, anything. My golden used to sleep with the kid's pet duck, point and chase pheasants in the woods and earn his retrieving praise by dropping laundry in the hamper. My beagle quickly learned that not only chickens were off-limits, but so were rabbits in hutches. He was still happy because rabbits on the ground were his.

Three steps;
1) Exercise! A tired dog is a sleeping dog and a sleeping dog is a good dog. A walk around the block does not cut it. If your dog does not nap within 15 minutes of coming inside, it has not counted as exercise from the dog's view. Get out there, it's good for your mental and physical health too.

2) Training! Enroll in an obedience class. Yeah, you can still find them - you have to stay the length of a leash (6 feet) away from everyone anyway. Buy this book (used): https://www.amazon.com/Dog-Talk-Tra...ywords=Dog+talk&qid=1609659578&s=books&sr=1-1

3) Supervision! Get the dog a flat buckle collar and a standard, 6' leash. Now, take the collar, put it through the handle of the leash, and then put the collar on the dog. Then, take the leash clip and clip it to the belt-loop of your jeans. It's annoying, inconvenient and takes some getting used to, but have the discipline to learn to live with it (after the first week it's easy!) and your dog will be housebroken, trained and bonded to you in record time. Because they're not getting away with squat while they're attached to you, and you're learning them too.

You absolutely CAN have dogs and chickens.

 

[ShrekDawg]

Oh my giddy aunt, the number of people who can't train dogs!

The last 11 dogs I've had (I keep dogs by the pack, currently have 3) of various breeds, some rescues, some from pups, I trained them ALL to be fine with chickens. My only fail was a pointer who had lived feral for at least a year, and even then, he learned to let the chickens be, but killed a goat - poor old fellow would have starved to death long before I got him at about 4-5 years old if he hadn't hunted and fed himself, and that's not the type of dog most folks are likely to run across. My dogs have come home anywhere between the ages of 5 weeks and 13 years, and the breeds have run the gamut.

And when I say chickens, I mean free-range, everywhere.

Hunting breeds? Bird dogs? Those are the easiest. Seriously. (Herding breeds are the next easiest) They can't hunt if they go all foolish over everything with feathers, they need to learn to look for THIS bird, and ignore all others. So the trick is to praise them for scenting anything else - just pick something, anything. My golden used to sleep with the kid's pet duck, point and chase pheasants in the woods and earn his retrieving praise by dropping laundry in the hamper. My beagle quickly learned that not only chickens were off-limits, but so were rabbits in hutches. He was still happy because rabbits on the ground were his.

Three steps;
1) Exercise! A tired dog is a sleeping dog and a sleeping dog is a good dog. A walk around the block does not cut it. If your dog does not nap within 15 minutes of coming inside, it has not counted as exercise from the dog's view. Get out there, it's good for your mental and physical health too.

2) Training! Enroll in an obedience class. Yeah, you can still find them - you have to stay the length of a leash (6 feet) away from everyone anyway. Buy this book (used): https://www.amazon.com/Dog-Talk-Tra...ywords=Dog+talk&qid=1609659578&s=books&sr=1-1

3) Supervision! Get the dog a flat buckle collar and a standard, 6' leash. Now, take the collar, put it through the handle of the leash, and then put the collar on the dog. Then, take the leash clip and clip it to the belt-loop of your jeans. It's annoying, inconvenient and takes some getting used to, but have the discipline to learn to live with it (after the first week it's easy!) and your dog will be housebroken, trained and bonded to you in record time. Because they're not getting away with squat while they're attached to you, and you're learning them too.

You absolutely CAN have dogs and chickens.

 

[Htxchicks]

I have a shelter lab/pit mix that is an amazing flock guardian I can leave him around chickens no problem, it really depends. He has prey drive for squirrels and chases off bigger birds but he knows the chicks are family.

 

[klriggs1967]

My opinion is that raising & supervising a puppy around livestock is a smarter choice than getting a dog you do not know the background of.

 

[merriesue]

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 min-pin who “owns“ every room and the fenced in yard. A friend asked me to chicken sit for a couple of weeks. 3 RIRs who were used to free range in the day time. Wasn’t sure about it but it took the chickens about 30 seconds to teach the min pin his place. The only problem I had was he wanted to eat their food and their poop. now he thinks he is a part of a flock with my own chickens.

 

[cooingdove]

That is a YES. I have 3 rescue dogs and my chickens free range during the day. It took some discipline lessons on both the dogs and cats, but now all co-exist together. Of course, once a rooster gets hold of a dog, that sometimes cures that one from even getting close to them. the cats have a healthy respect for them too.

I have a chocolate lab who has a dog door to our large back yard. He goes in and out that dog door as he wishes, day and night. My chickens free range in that back yard. My cat, who believes the lab is HIS puppy also uses the dog door to the back yard. Also have another cat who is terrified of being outside.
For some reason my lab despises the Great-tailed Grackles (noisy, troublesome, songbird/hummingbird killers) and chases them out of the yard. (He saw me chase them one day so now he decided it’s his job.) BUT he leaves all other birds alone. There are oodles of doves around here but he doesn’t chase them. Or the chickens. In fact, he and my cat do a great job of guarding them! No stray dogs or other animals are allowed anywhere near the yard. We also have lots of Red-tailed hawks and other sky predators. They sometimes even perch on the fence! But leave the area when they see me or my dog. (There is lots of protection in the yard such as dense bushes, trees, places to hide.)
But I have to say that my dog and I are very close and he is very well trained. Except he loves chicken feed, ugh. I believe that all dogs are pack hunters. Predators! But they are also pack animals. Whoever is a pack member will be protected. That being said I believe it depends on the personality of the dog and their training that would be a determining factor.
*** it depends on the dog ***

Yes! I have 2 large dogs, a cat, a pigeon and 5 hens whom all live peacefully in our small yard. A dog can be taught to leave chickens alone, whether they are raised with them or trained at an older age. Breeds known to have more of a prey drive will be more of a challenge and you may want to avoid them. My dogs are great protection for the girls and even saved my pigeon from a hawk one day! I feel much safer with them than I would without. Coyotes, foxes, raccoons and skunks don't come around with the dogs here. Good luck whatever you choose to do!

yes I agree it REALLY DEPENDS ON THE DOG