Consolidated Kansas

[jhammett]

Will Mini-Donkeys keep dogs at bay?

I actually have an American Pony and he protects my chickens like they were his babies. He for goes his stall and sleeps in their coop and I often find chickens roosting on his back in the mornings. I have had to spray him off to start the day a few times but its his choiceI guess. Onlydown side is he eats the layer feed which I am not sure if it is ok for him but it sure raises feed cost.I had to build a feeder he couldnt get in to.

 

[sharol]

Thanks for the image of chickens roosting on a pony.

That will stay with me through the day.

I actually have an American Pony and he protects my chickens like they were his babies. He for goes his stall and sleeps in their coop and I often find chickens roosting on his back in the mornings. I have had to spray him off to start the day a few times but its his choiceI guess. Onlydown side is he eats the layer feed which I am not sure if it is ok for him but it sure raises feed cost.I had to build a feeder he couldnt get in to.

 

[sharol]

that is just cute squared.

Just for fun I took some pictures. First and second one.. yesterday's hatch. 87 chicks and one turkey.

 

[lizzyGSR]

I actually have an American Pony and he protects my chickens like they were his babies. He for goes his stall and sleeps in their coop and I often find chickens roosting on his back in the mornings. I have had to spray him off to start the day a few times but its his choiceI guess. Onlydown side is he eats the layer feed which I am not sure if it is ok for him but it sure raises feed cost.I had to build a feeder he couldnt get in to.

I keep several bins of food (one dog food, one bird food, and one horse sweet feed) right next to the horse pen in the barn. When I get into the bird food container, the horses usually come over to beg. In fact, the neighbors horses got loose one day and broke into the bird food and ate some of that. I guess it's true.... "the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence."

I really think that it depends on the horse/pony/donkey on how they will react with birds. I have a Quarter Horse that loves to chase smaller animals, including our 100+ pound lab and my birds (ducks and geese). I think he does it more for his own entertainment than anything else (he's too smart for his own good and gets bored easily). Either way, the other animals have all learned to give him his space. He's good at protecting himself and my paint mare from coyotes, but I don't think he'd make a good livestock guardian because he'd have too much fun chasing the livestock. My DH and I would like to eventually get a couple of calves when the drought lets up, but I worry about how this horse will treat them.

 

[chicken danz]

Cleansquared I forgot to mention your fencing. By cattle wire, do you mean field fence with a square hole pattern or just barbed wire. The field fence works great...even better if you don't have it all clean of growth. Grown up weeds, trees etc make a great barrier. Another question is what breed of bird are you getting. The heavier built birds are much less likely to fly than say a slight built or bantam size. Another reason I like heavy bodied birds. I have a coupel sections with field fence only a couple feet high with barbed wire on top in poor repair. The chickens have never crossed it. In my world the chickens just don't venture out that far as long as there is plenty of grass and stuff to dig through.

 

[JosieChick]

Welcome!!

I am new to chickens and new to byc i currently live in wichita ks with my five new chicks but we close in a couple months on a place with a little more room for the girls and i to range in moline ks here we go city girl from tampa florida living in the country land of oz i know im going to need alot of help and guidence so im glad i found this site...

Rooster, you have not met my dogs. We have three house dogs that I think are total idiots most of the time but our older working pyrenees is the most awesome dog I have ever met. She is like a giant white lassie. I didn't know a dog could be so smart and intuitive until I met this dog. We have a younger pyr mix that is a good dog, kind of a bonehead. Molly, our older girl, LOVES marshmallows and I was out making smores on the grill the other night (I love marshmallows too) and I made the pup sit for her marshmallow and just gave Molly hers and DH asked why I didn't make Molly sit. I told him Molly doesn't need to sit because we are partners on the farm and she earns the right to have a marshmallow protecting the farm (and me!) free of any sort of required dog behaviors.

Ok ok so the Donkey is not a good guardian.
The are still way cooler than a dog.

Mini donkeys! They are so cute. Naughty baby goobies!!! I feed my geese in their pen at night, that helps them want to go in. They are usually hungry for free food by the time I put them up at night.

I always thought I wanted a donkey or a burro. Then I saw those minis and fell in love with them. But alas I kept my hand down at the auction I was at and didn't buy one. When this gal goes to an exotic animal auction I could come home with just about anything. I guess I had better stay away from places like that now.
What a wild evening I had. I took a lot longer feeding and watering and looked at all the birds. It's easy when you are feeding cause there are several that will jump in the feed bucket. Made me very sad and I kept thinking how I should just keep of few of this and few of that. Reality check... I have to get rid of them.
Then I went to put all the birds away. I ran the stupid ducks around and around the pens. I would get a bunch in and go after the others and the first group would run out. Finally I just said Fine and told them I hoped they would run in when the owls or coyotes showed up.
Then it was time for the geese. They always just walk single file into the greenhouse at night.
Not tonight. They took off running and split into two groups, one going on one side of the green house and the other group on the other. So I gave up on them as well. This isn't a good time for them not to go to bed at night because in order to sell them they need to be confined so I don't have to go on a wild goose chase....pun intended.

I am gathering names. I plan on calling for brief interviews with several places until I find someone who respects me. I don't show up at a doctors appointment without knowing as much as I can about something before hand. I read research articles published my major universities and try to make educated decisions about things. I expect my baby's doctor to respect and appreciate me as a team member in her health care not a helpless, stupid bystander that can't be trusted to make the best decision for her child. Sorry for the rant! Still very frustrated....

JOSIECHICK- I hear you on the pediatrition search. It was difficult up here in the KC area where there are a ton. It seemed that way anyway until my DD could speak for herself. Otherwise they just fallow the amercan academy of pediatrics script and pat you on the head and collect the co-pay. After our son got his diagnosis we found a Ped. Who also has a daughter with a disability ,that has been great at least she knows what kind of journey we're on.

Wow! Lots of fluff balls! Those peas are really cute! I love the one that looks white and silvery gray!

Just for fun I took some pictures. First and second one.. yesterday's hatch. 87 chicks and one turkey.


Next one.. the peachicks I have hatched so far this year.

It is hard to find articles on training a pup to chickens. A LOT of what a LGD will do is instinct but with chickens and even goats/sheep you need to pay close attention when they are young because when they are pups they want to play with the livestock they live with and that can be dangerous or fatal. I got a great book on LGDs that I read when I first got into them. There isn't a section on chickens but it does explain a lot about them http://www.amazon.com/Livestock-Protection-Dogs-Selection-Training/dp/1577790626/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1372871984&sr=8-1&keywords=livestock+guardian+dog

Things I have learned with a young pyr mix and chickens
1- Don't ever let the dog be unattended with the birds until it is mature and trustworthy (in such a large breed dog maturity isn't truly reached until at least a year or two of age)
2- Watch the dog very closely when they are around the birds for any kind of unacceptable behavior (roughhousing, chasing, pawing, direct eye contact or stalking behavior and intervene immediately)
3-As your dog gets older allow some time when the dog is alone with the birds (you are spying from a hidden location) This teaches the dog that even when you aren't around you expect the dog to behave and that there are consequences to chasing or playing with birds even when humans are not around. We used a remote training color on our mixed pyr (she has some collie in her, big mistake!) and had some undesirable stalking behaviors that come from the herding breed side of things.
4- Do NOT give toys that have stuffing or squekers etc. Chewing things are ok, no toys that can get torn up in the same manner as a dead bird! Or that squeel like a bird when it is caught
5-Be especially careful between 4-6 months of age (think teenage juvenile delinquent doggie in this age range) Need a lot of direction at this age but right before it they seem like little angels...
6- Don't give up! If pup makes a mistake, don't give up. Lucie is over a year old now and we had major issues with her and the birds for quite a while but she is a fabulous LGD and has gotten really good with the birds now, I am super impressed with her now that she is growing up!
7-Make sure the pup gets lots of exercise, a tired pup is a good pup, one who has too much built up energy will find trouble!
8-Prepare for your yard to look like a trash dump and don't leave anything out you don't want taken by your newest four legged klepto! It is bizarre behavior....they are like hoarders

There is a small-medium barn on the property looks like people may have had cows goats and chickens (feathers and bones in the dirt and what looks like goat poop & there is the cattle wire fencing on the property lines will i need to chicken wire that to keep them in? freee roaming? Or will they stay on this side of the wire i got a great pr puppy mix off craigs list but im not entirely sure how to train it for chickens all i can find online is training for protecting lambs..

I actually have an American Pony and he protects my chickens like they were his babies. He for goes his stall and sleeps in their coop and I often find chickens roosting on his back in the mornings. I have had to spray him off to start the day a few times but its his choiceI guess. Onlydown side is he eats the layer feed which I am not sure if it is ok for him but it sure raises feed cost.I had to build a feeder he couldnt get in to.

 

[Trish44]

There is a small-medium barn on the property looks like people may have had cows goats and chickens (feathers and bones in the dirt and what looks like goat poop & there is the cattle wire fencing on the property lines will i need to chicken wire that to keep them in? freee roaming? Or will they stay on this side of the wire i got a great pr puppy mix off craigs list but im not entirely sure how to train it for chickens all i can find online is training for protecting lambs..

If you're talking about barbed wire fence that isn't going to keep chickens in, they will go right under that. You will have to have some better fencing than that to keep them in. I'm not sure what kind of fencing you mean. What is the Great Pyr mixed with because that can be a problem if it's not mixed with another LGD breed. People think if they have GP in their bloodline they will automatically be a good LGD, but that doesn't always hold true if it is mixed with something like Lab that is a hunting dog & retriever. Those dogs are guaranteed to chase chickens & they often kill them just by accident bringing them to you. I agree with Danz you don't have to train a GP, the instinct is there. What you do have to do is teach them your rules & boundaries such as not to bother the birds. A puppy has to go through the puppy stage no matter what breed it is & they don't actually get really serious about working until about 7-8 months old. If they have an older dog to teach them it might be different, but otherwise it takes them awhile to really get serious about it. The GPs are very sensitive dogs & don't like to be scolded, it hurts their feelings. I have one that I only have to say no once & she will retreat right away, but the other one is the defiant one & she will go away but as soon as I turn my back she goes right back to it. It's just her personality & I know I have to give her more than one warning. She is the problem child of the two. You do have to be very firm with these dogs though, they are as Danz said very different from any other dog breeds. You will need to provide lots of things for the puppy to chew on. They do tend to take whatever you leave laying around, so if there is something you don't want them to have then don't leave it where they can get it.

 

[HEChicken]

Okay, y'all have talked me out of trying LGD's again....all the talk of trash dump and hoarding and klepto behavior, plus the training of a puppy and the concern about losing birds during that first 1-2 years before they mature - that is just not for me.

My experience so far has been that this time of year is the worst. Foxes and coyotes have young at foot that are growing and need a lot of food and they are desperate to feed them. It is a year today since my fox attack, and only 2 days since the coyote attack. In between I saw them out there but they didn't cause any problems. I feel pretty confident in my coop being a Fort Knox at night, and the presence of my dogs during the day seems to keep them at bay. And now that we've found the entry point to our pasture and fortified it, I feel better that they are less likely to get in and hurt the sheep. They could still dig in, of course, but with the ground being as hard as it is this time of year, I hope they will decide that is too much work and move on to easier prey. We are on high alert, checking on them constantly, and are fortunate that this week at least it is cool enough at night to leave windows open so we are listening for any ruckus as well.

We are still considering a donkey as a sheep/goat guardian, and our system for keeping the poultry safe seems to be working so we'll go from there.

On a better note, our hay guy came by last night and we are all set to get our hay cut. He's going to wait until the first part of August and that's fine with me - I just wanted to have a plan in place so I feel better now.

I picked my first tomatoes and peppers last night - yay! I had ignored the garden for the last few days while worrying about the sheep, and in that time several tomatoes had completely ripened and were bright red. There are so many more coming on that its nice to think I've bought my last one for awhile.

 

[cleansquared]

The fence is barb wire 3 strung and unfortunatly the puppy is lab & great pre and anatolian is there hope for her? To be a good chicken gaurd also the grass is soooo over grown is there some way of having someone bail it into hay or something? does anyone know someonw who does that?near moline ks.. Its only just under 10 acres any suggestions any one has would be appreciated..

 

[lizzyGSR]

The fence is barb wire 3 strung and unfortunatly the puppy is lab & great pre and anatolian is there hope for her? To be a good chicken gaurd also the grass is soooo over grown is there some way of having someone bail it into hay or something? does anyone know someonw who does that?near moline ks.. Its only just under 10 acres any suggestions any one has would be appreciated..

I don't have much experience with great pyrs or anatolians, but I can say that your dog isn't done-for just because of the lab in her. Our dog is 100% lab, and he leaves my birds alone. However, it took a LOT of work to get him to that point, especially because my husband still uses him to hunt pheasants. I would say that it has a LOT to do with the dog's personality as well. When we first got birds, we had to keep them penned up, and the dog would try to chase them through the fence. We had to hide in the house and use a shock collar on him every time he did that. We kept the birds penned for at least a month, probably more than that, until I saw the dog leaving them alone. Then, I picked a day where I could watch them, and I let the birds out for a short time, making sure to keep my finger on the shock collar button. If he got too close to them or looked at them the wrong way, he'd get zapped. Gradually, I increased the time the birds were allowed to free range and increased the time that the was allowed to be truly unsupervised with the birds. Now, the birds free range all day, and I don't have to worry about him chasing my birds UNLESS they ask for it by trying to eat the dog's food for him. Then, he will chase them, but he knows better than to do any more than that. I check on my birds regularly throughout the day, but that is because I am more worried about something else getting them (like snakes, other dogs, etc.).