Can chickens and dogs get along?

[Newchickenmammy]

Hi total newbie here. We have 6 beautiful baby chicks well more like teenagers now. But we also have a lovely little French bulldog and I want to know if anyone has a dog who gets along with their chickens? Is it possible? Only hearing bad story's of dogs injuring chickens?

 

[sourland]

Hello, and welcome to BYC. It all depends on the dog, and obedience training is essential. I've had dogs that could be flat out trusted with poultry, and others that had to be monitored.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

Hi, I have two Shelties (Shetland Sheepdogs, which some people call miniature Collies). Gracie is 10, Sammy is 2. The chickens are basically lawn furniture to them, except that they like to share the chickens' scratch when we toss it out to them. Also, Gracie keeps coyotes away. I'm hoping Sammy will, too, as he matures. Gracie, when she was younger, used to like to play Bowling for Chickens when she would see them clustered together, but she meant no harm. As soon as they scattered, squawking, she would run off like a naughty child, laughing her head off. The chickens always settled down immediately and paid her no mind. They've always accepted her presence calmly. They know she would never hurt them. Sometimes she finds a hidden nest and carefully brings me the eggs without harming them. I never taught her any of this. She's just an amazing dog that knows the chickens belong to me. They are her "herd" and she watches over them.

 

[The Happster]

They can. It just depends on the dog and training.
Our dog used to chase them.

 

[MarkJr]

This is Maggie. English springer spaniel. She is my HUNTING dog. She flushes birds so I can shoot them.... then brings them back to me. Dead or alive. She doesn’t at all look at my chickens. It’s about boundaries.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

I must admit that years ago I had a Sheltie that could not be trusted around baby ducks. Although he was beautifully obedience trained other circumstances, if left unattended around ducklings, he just lost his mind and became a homicidal maniac. Jeckyll/Hyde. Sigh.

 

[sherry d]

It does depend on the dog and training. I got lucky and my dogs (6) leave mine a lone with some work. 1-pit bull, 1- American pit bull, 1- lab. 3 ship tzu s. They all act like dogs but my house chicken is trying to bark and love stealing their dog food. We monitor that action closely. The dogs are more scared of her than she is of them.

 

[MidnightMaran]

I've got a rescue dog who is amazing towards our chickens! She's never once attacked them or hurt them. They're quite comfortable with each other, and she follows them around like they're her giant, feathery, fully-grown babies! I know this is not the case with a lot of dogs, but it is definitely possible and very helpful, as our dog scares off the coyotes in the pasture behind our yard. It all depends on the dog and the training.

 

[Newchickenmammy]

Thank you for all the lovely comments it's nice to see some positive comments I think my dog loki will love them he's a little hyper around them now so we keep him at a distance but I think he will get used to them in the run and eventually be able to to free range them for a little while during the day with.
Thanks again

 

[BigBlueHen53]

This is how I got my young Sheltie used to the chickens. I used the pen next to the chicken run that I usually use for integrating young birds to an older flock. Sometimes it's a pen for a bachelor flock. Every day I put Sammy in it for a couple of hours, using the "see-don't-touch" method. After several weeks I let him out on leash when I let the chickens out to free range. He showed no interest in them. I took him in the house. After several such exposures I felt comfortable letting him loose while the chickens were out and we have had no problems.