Do you trust your dog around your chickens?

[toletiquesbysam]

I've lost 3 chickens to our dog, so No, I do not trust my dog nor do I blame him for their deaths. My dog gets to free range the property at night and is kenneled during the day. My flock free ranges during the day and are in the coop at night.

Works for us!

 

[TheChad]

We actually have 4 dogs (Had 5 but had to put one down). One is a golden retriever, one a jack russell, one a shepherd/retriever mix and the other just a mutt. My chickens free roam my 5 acres 24\\7 and none of the dogs even think about killing them. When we first got chickens I lost maybe 5 to the dogs and then we just started letting the chickens out while we were home and I sat out there and told the dogs no when they would get near them and now they don't even care. We have caught the golden retriever on the porch with 3 or 4 hens all snuggled up to her before.

We have lots of strays that come and go and most of the dogs raised around our area must be used to chickens cause we have not lost a chicken to a dog or predator in over a year with them free roaming all the time. We have coyotes pretty bad but the dogs will all go sit at the fence line and not let the coyotes come onto our property. Makes life a lot easier when you dont have to lock up the chickens or anything.

 

[Bettacreek]

Our pit bull, Raven, used to go outside, unattended, while the chicks were free-ranging. The most that she'd do is try to steal their shade. Now, on the other hand, the cornish x chicks are about three weeks old and getting massive, so any movement they make, she bolts away from them. She's now terrified of them, lol. It all depends on the individual dog really.

 

[Gypsy07]

My chickens are let out all day every day to roam around our farm. My two dogs (collie/lab cross and miniature jack russell) have free access to the same area and I just leave everybody to get on with it completely unsupervised. I trust the dogs totally but I know it's more just good luck than good training! The jack russell is seven, and the collie/lab cross is three, and they've both only been exposed to chickens in the last six months. At first they were nervous of them, then interested, but neither ever showed the slightest predatory attitude towards them so I figured they'd all be fine together.

Chicks are a bit different. The jack russell is a great ratter and instinctively snaps at anything small and squeaking so when I'm handling chicks I'm always very careful not to let her too close. My first hatch she got madly over excited at every peep and scuffle from the brooder but with each successive lot of chicks she's becoming less interested. I still wouldn't trust her enough to let her within snapping distance of a chick that I was holding though. My collie/lab is calm enough that I'm happy to hold day old chicks up to him for 'inspection' and he just gives them a gentle sniff.

When we had geese though, he was always getting into scuffles with them. But they used to ambush him, and peck his tail when he was sleeping, and chase him across the yard, and just generally be horrible to him (and everyone else that went near them - the horrible big bullies, lol!), so I couldn't really blame him for losing his temper with them every so often!

 

[dragonlair]

I have 6 Alaskan Malamutes, 2 Alaskan Huskies and an English Setter. I don't trust any of them around my chickens. The Setter will stalk them, point at them but if they don't move she is fine. As soon as they move she grabs them and holds them for me. If given the chance she would probably kill them.

The Malamutes have killed my chickens beofre when the birds flew in the dog pen or dashed in front of them when out on a leash.

Most northern breeds of dogs have a strong prey drive and are no good around prey animals.

If raised witht he birds, a Sheltie might be good with them, as they are pretty mild and sweet.

 

[Kittymomma]

I trust my lab mix totally, she completly ignores the chooks even when the run in front of or away from her, but chases coyotes, hawks, and anything else that comes on the property that shouldn't be here. Our Aussie has also been very good and never hurt any of the chickens that have flown into the fenced backyard to hang out with him, but he has a very high play drive and I could see him hurting/killing one on accident so other then the occasional awol chook he's confined to the fenced yard away from the free ranging flock.

 

[MagsC]

I trust my dogs. Once they know something is mine they wont touch it. I just have to make it clear from the beginning and re-enforce it from time to time.

 

[columbiacritter]

I have ex-racing greyhounds, extremely prey driven at times and I trust them with my adult chickens and ducks. It took a bit of work to get them to realize they were totally off limits with only 1 incident of duck in mouth.The duck just lot some feathers, I do have to introduce new birds to them, especially my male so he knows it's one of his birds and doesn't chase it out of the yard. We had a stray rooster show up once and my dogs took the cue from me to chase him off.

It's funny. My male Ed knows he'll get in big ass dog trouble if I even think he's chasing the birds, but he can get away with walking the ducks. How a chasing breed figured out herding I don't know but he enjoys herding the ducks around the yard keeping a careful safe distance between him and them.

Would my dogs like to have a great time and slaughter my birds? Sure, they are dogs, but they know not to.

 

[andalusn]

I am in the same place as other dog owners.. My dogs(schipperkes) know what's mine is off limits. Hence they wander amongst the chickens looking for the best tidbits when kitchen scraps go out

and the chickens could care less. I do have a hen or two that are very interested in my Schipperke female Liza and get close enough to look her in the eye if they wanted to. It does not come natural, it takes work and attention but the pay off is dogs that are contents to let chickens be chickens instead of squeakie toys.

 

[mags2009]

Our Golden Retriever, Jake, actually PROTECTS our chickens! When we let them out of the run into the yard, he is constantly looking around for predators! And the girls will come right up to him and peck at him, and he takes their abuse!!! He is the sweetest dog ever!