Do dogs and chickens mix?

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Chickenman10101

Chickenman10101

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Hi everyone
I currently have 7 chooks 2 bantams and 5 chicks also 2 rabbits. Live in town with a average sized backyard. The chooks free-range. I want to adopt a greyhound or maybe get a Labrador :) but are unsure whether or not the animals will get along? I have never owned a dog before so not sure how to train dogs that well. I don't want the chickens caged up.
Any advise would be awesome :)
 
If you've never owned a dog before, this is a great time to educate yourself as much as possible about training, diet, health, etc.

I would not get a greyhound as they are sight hounds and have a very, very strong chase instinct on average. If you're new to dogs, your chances of raising a poultry/ rabbit etc friendly dog are reduced but still not nonexistent. Every dog owner started somewhere after all.

A labrador would probably be a better bet but get a quite small pup if you can or an adult who is known to be okay with other animals; if possible, get a pup that's familiar with poultry already, and talk to owners of both dogs and poultry etc who can tell you how they train their dogs. Your training is likely to be the strongest influence on what the animal does or doesn't do to your other animals but it's not the be-all and end-all, dogs can and do make up their own minds about things, contrary to some lines of popular thought. This is why avoiding breeds with very strong hunting instincts is a good idea for a newbie. Labradors also used to be used for hunting in some areas, and some family lines are more 'pet-bred' than others, so it pays to ask a lot of questions before you buy.

Best wishes.
 
I would definitely stay away from greyhounds - they will most likely chase and kill your chickens. Chooks4life has given you excellent advice. It helps to have a fenced area for the dog away from the chickens, just in case.
 
Good advice! You would be best served by a guard dog to watch your flock when you can't. They can be very loyal and rewarding pets. Having said that, I have 2 Beagles who are just amazing with the chickens. They do not fuss with them, mix in with them and raise the alarm if there are predators around. It has taken a deal of work, but the results are worthwhile. Having said all that, I would not trust them with smaller chicks - that's just too tempting for them. Good luck with your search..
 
Any breed that has a high prey drive is going to be difficult to have. No amount of training is going to change the genetic makeup of the dog. Are there exceptions to this, of course but I would not risk it. All it takes is too much stimulus/stress/excitement and the dog will chase after and kill the birds.

Off of the top of my head some of the more difficult breeds to keep with birds would be any of the terriers, greyhounds, Malamutes, and Schnauzer.

My Great Dane/Lab mix however is great with all animals. He mother's everything that he comes across! On the other hand I have a Miniature Schnauzer who can never be trusted off leash around birds. He has learned to leave the ferrets alone and the cat but I have seen him be so excited that his whole body shakes as he fights off the urge to chase after them. He is never, and I mean never, allowed around small and fuzzy's without a leash on!

Do I think he is trying to kill them, no. That doesn't mean that he wouldn't though if he got ahold of them.

If you want a dog then I highly suggest going with a reputable breeder and take professional dog training classes. Obedience training more specifically and your dog will have to have top notch obedience.
 
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Sjisty said:
I would definitely stay away from greyhounds - they will most likely chase and kill your chickens. Chooks4life has given you excellent advice. It helps to have a fenced area for the dog away from the chickens, just in case.
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i second staying away from a greyhound, that's what their nature is. I have 3 dogs. my youngest is an almost 2 y/o chocolate lab and he is great with the chickens! BUT we raised him with them and watched him interact closely with them, correcting him if he wanted to play with them. My neighbors have a 6 m/o c. lab (his little brother..!) but he is not so good with them. he is a brat.. they just let him out to run the neighborhood.. no watching or discipline..and saturday morning, he killed one of my hens.. right in front of her coop. my poor chickens didnt know what hit them since the dogs have always gotten along with them.
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So.. anyway.. sorry, i am just trying to say that i think how you train the dog around your chickens will determine how they act around them more than the breed of the dogs...
 
Hello :frow and Welcome To BYC! You got some good advice above. A lot of it is training, but some dogs will never be safe with chickens... if you are going with a rescue dog, you should be able to "test" the dog with chickens first to see what you are dealing with to some extent. We have four large GSD mixes that are loose with our chickens full time, they are our main form of predator control for protecting the chickens.
 
This is kind of related to this post, so I figured I'd put it here:

I wish my dog could get along with the chickens. He's a husky mix, does fine with kids, small dogs and kittens, but I can't trust him with the chickens. I don't think he would intentionally kill one, but he still can't figure out what they are and I won't let him get too close as he gets too excited by them and I fear that husky prey drive instinct will get the best of him.

We've been trying acclimate him to my easter egger chickens by tying him out nearby the coop, and he is slowly calming down when he sees them in their coop and run, but I wouldn't trust him off the tie out and probably never will. Oh well, at least he's stopped barking when he sees them, so there may be some hope in that. I think just the presence of him in the yard keeps any other predators away at least, even if he's not right there with the chickens.

Any other tips or tricks with getting a dog used to chickens? He's a pretty easy going dog (mixed with some other calmer breed, just don't know what that breed is) and it just took some time for him to get along fine with the kitten so we're hoping if he's near enough the chickens to not hurt them, but see them with us all the time that he'll figure they're part of the family, too and just not care about them in time, but we would still never leave him unsupervised with them. He's had training, but husky is a stubborn breed and very independent. He chooses what commands to obey and when to obey them at times, so I am pretty much going to give up hope that he can be trusted with them. From reading a few posts, I am going to make sure he's fully secured and supervised when the chicks are foraging and that he can't get to them.
 

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