Can a Rough Coat collie Pup be Trained to Herd Chickens?

[centrarchid]

LOL
You're very confused.
I don't "dislike dogs"
In fact I happen to love my dogs

I currently have 4 and have had as many as 8 at once in the past.several years
Most of my dogs have been TRUE LGD's too, being working, registered Maremma Sheepdogs.

What you call "trolling" is usually just stating facts.
You call it trolling because I don't AGREE with many of your ideas, and you can seldom refute what I say with fact rather than opinions.

You can always put me on ignore if you don't want to hear any of it.
It's your choice to read or not

Usually

In my state, chickens are livestock. I recall you said somewhere very recently state laws are more important than federal when former are more restrictive. Subject dealt with killing dogs. Lets keep that in mind. In your state, your definition holds, in this one it does not. That is factual based on legal code.

Additionally, criteria set on a website such as one published by a LGD club does not constitute fact, rather a position which is little more than an opinion held by a group with a common interest.


I will read and take you and your opinions on.

 

[Bear Foot Farm]

Quote: So show me your state law that says your GSP is an LGD
Or for that matter, ANY source that lists it as a LGD breed

Quote: It's not my "opinion" that your hunting breed isn't an LGD breed
It's just reality

But we've beat this horse to death before. so if you have no source to back your assertions, there is no point in continuing,

If you DO have a source. I'll be happy to look at it

 

[cfrich]

I'm also very curious about herding dogs and chickens. I just got a 3 month old shepherd mix puppy. She is curious about the chickens and has tried to surround them a few times. So far the chickens are unimpressed, no scattering. I never thought about her helping put them to bed.

Left on their own my chickens roost on our outdoor bar instead of going back to their coop. We lure them to their coop with treats, but if they fall asleep on the bar, we have to carry them to bed. They used to go on their own, but when we gave away our rooster they stopped.

Hopefully you get some actual training advice that I can follow too.

 

[centrarchid]

Training your pup will be for nearly the next couple of years and will requires lots of effort. Pup will kill some and maybe even if you are careful. I would start you own thread and keep coming back to it long-term tracking developments. Then you are likely to get constructive advice.

 

[SunnySkies]

I have a friend with a herding breed dog that does help her pen the chickens. Normally the birds do free range and return to the coop on their own at night, but she doesn't like to leave them running loose when she isn't home, and she doesn't leave the dog outside when she isn't there either. So, she puts the birds up if she has to leave. The dog learned what she was after and now does it himself if she says, "Put the chicks in."

My birds would just run amok if a dog was herding them, but it apparently works for her. But she had the dog before chickens, and we were vice versa. My chickens view my LGDs as not enemies but not quite friends either and run in all directions if the dog approaches them (even though my dogs will not harm them). Trying to have a dog pen my birds would be an exercise in futility for my dogs (they are not herding breeds) so I leave mine out and they put themselves up.

I would say you are likely to lose a few birds to the dog, just based on breed and instinct. Never leave babies with babies, and plan to supervise all chicken and dog interactions for a long, long time.

 

[lcr123]

Hi, I started this thread awhile back..I appreciate all the comments, most were very encouraging. I'm rather new to chickens and recently found out from a friend that they are practically comatose at night, so now I just go out and grab the non conformist off her perch as she sleeps and put her in the coop. However, it would be easier for me if my dog could be trained to herd her into the coop before she perches at sunset. I am not concerned with the dog killing the chickens....I successfully trained a Rat Terrier and a Labrador mix to not harm our previous Rhode Island Red...in fact, they yielded to her and let her eat their food. I would of course start with getting them to be safe around each other, and wouldn't try to train the pup to herd them till he was a year old and more mature and obedient. There is a place near us that trains Border Collies to herd sheep, I will check with him about training Rough Collies to herd flocks of poultry. Never say never.

 

[lcr123]

Thank you, Sunny Skies, your reply is helpful and encouraging!

 

[lcr123]

Thank you, Colliechicks, your name says it all

 

[lcr123]

Bear Foot Farm,
I have seen it in a picture on the Collie AKC page. I haven't done it or known anyone who has. It was your "chickens don't need rounding up they put themselves to bed" comment I was arguing with, because the FACT is, one of my hens prefers to stay outside and I have to carry her in each night. Hence the request to hear from people who had successfully used a dog for that purpose. Since you haven't, why reply

 

[lcr123]

Thank you dekel