chickens and dog

[shalu2]

Hi, does anyone know a sudden type of dog that does not bit or chase chickens around. I'm looking for a dog that actually helps me supervise my chickens or look after instead of chasing and running them down. I appreciate any advice...

 

[4H kids and mom]

If you start out with a puppy and have it grow up with the chickens around, any breed will be fine. Starting with an older dog will be harder, because they see chickens as "fun things to chase". Some breeds are just not good with chickens. Hunting breeds and sporting breeds would not do well, unless they are the rare exception, or they grow up with the chickens and are accostumed to them. Border Collies are nippy to chickens because they are bred to "herd" farm animals. Certainly stay away from Greyhounds, as they're instinct is to give chase, and if they caught it....

Another good idea is to introduce a small, young dog to a rooster that is tough and stands his turf. I had a friend whos pup thought it was fun to chase the hens until her roo got hold of him and whipped his tail good! The dog is older now and watchs the chickens from the safety of the other side of the yard!

 

[rockAdoodle]

we have a boston terrier,they are a small and gentle breed of of dog. She is a 1yr and half old. She doesn't show much interest in them unless the chicken start acting up, then she look around to see what got them excited. She never has been aggressive towards the chickens

 

[aimee]

We have a 10 year old Golden Retreiver. She loves the chicks/chickens (6 weeks old) and will just lay down near them. This is her first time around them. But she also will just lay there and watch bunnies and squirrels in the yard. She understands that I told her no and she listens very well.

The chicks will even come right up to her and sometimes go over her and she doesn't do anything to them. If they wander away a little she'll get up and move closer to them, I guess she thinks she's protecting them.

 

[merryreader]

I have a rough collie and a border collie/lab cross. When the chickens went out in their pen last year the collie would lay down next to the wire and watch them. This spring they are free ranging and she doesn't pay them any attention. She lets them walk all around her. The border collie/lab grew up with chickens and once in a while will offer to chase. Mostly now it's because her eyesight is getting bad from cateracts and she sees a movement so runs after them. She stops when I tell her "no." So I like the collie temperment around chickens and other farm animals. Merry

 

[Sarah Bella]

i'm gonna say lab. if you get it from a pup you can train it not to eat your chickens. instinctively when they retrieve fowl they do NOT pierce the skin at all, a trait that i think would make them a good chicken keeper. If chickie goes where they mustn't the dog can retrieve it and put it back where it belongs without hurting it.

I have a lab but no chickens yet, but i have seen my boy play with a baby squirrel without incident. theres even a video on youtube.com if you want to see how gentle he is with it(search for Brixton pup, the name of the vid is brixtons new friend) my pup was about 4 months old when this took place, hes 10 months now and i would trust him around baby chicks (with supervision of course)

 

[Whirlwind]

I heard Old English Sheep Dogs where great Baby sitters.

 

[Barnyard Dawg]

I have two labs one 14 and the other 5 I have used both of them for hunting waterfowl and pheasants they get along with my chickens 24 hours a day and have never had a problem. I feel very comfortable to where I leave the pen to the hen house open all though the night and the chickens come and go as they please. They will even go into the dogs house which is my workshop and stay with them. The picture was taken before the grass came back now it is a very lush green.

 

[girlsnboys]

I have English Setters. They are upland bird dogs. They graze right along side the chickens, lay in the grass with them and the chickens come up a try to take the dogs food away. No problem. It really depends on the individual dog. I would be real careful with the herders though. They mean well but I have heard of a number of them unitentionally hurting or killing a chicken while trying to herd them. Good luck and I hope you find a good companion.

 

[cookinmom]

We have a 4-month-old lab puppy, and he is very 'exuberant' with everything that comes near his mouth. He is not allowed to have contact with my chickens. He is somewhat jealous of them, and when I'm in their run with him, he looks right at me and does naughty things like digging up plants or chewing on the extension cord. He likes to walk alongside the run and stalk the chickens then pounce and watch them scatter. He does get reprimanded for this, and sometimes a swat too. Given my lack of knowledge in dog training, I think my chickens will be safer if they stay out of his reach.