Do you trust your dog around your chickens?

[Orpy mad]

I have 3 Jack Russells, natural hunting intinct, but are fine with my Orpingtons, no problems when I had house rabbits either. They have been told no, and that is it!! the Orpingtons are large birds, and wherever the girls are, so is my large rooster Boris as a protection, they give him a wide berth, the only thing I dont do, is throw out scraps to the chooks if the dogs are out, I think that may invite trouble, but apart from that precaution, they all live very happily together, depends on the dog and training, but even hunting dogs should have training and you should always be the one in charge, supervise and monitor is the only advice, our chooks have been around for over a year now and all is good in the garden

 

[12GAGirl]

I did not have to train my dogs to stay away from my flock. The rooster did it for me.

I have two dogs; onne an American eskie and the other is a beagle mix and they were scolded when the chickens were chicks so they got to the point they didn't look at them as food and now that my flock is going on nine months old my rooster took care of business. He will not allow my dogs any where near his hens. He has gently attacked my eskie three times and now she stays on the opposite side of the yard when the flck is out free ranging. And the beagle mix it only took her one time of the rooster chasing her and now she stays clear of the flock. Another great reason to have a rooster if you can.

 

[Orpy mad]

I agree with you totally, Rooster does a great job, just unfortunate that alot of neighbours or areas dont like the lovely sound of crowing, I consider myself very lucky living in the countryside without that problem, they really are needed for the balance of the flock.

 

[mychookschick]

my Australian Shepard/Beagle is perfectly behaved... A s I have said in other threads I desensitized her when they were day olds by simply picking one up putting it near her head and simply saying "be gentle" which is something I had already taught her by she isn't rough with them at all... I even trust her to herd them and fend off the rooster when I'm getting the eggs!

 

[booker81]

I wasn't sure with our Lab, because I don't know if she's ever been exposed to chickens (she's about 8 y/o now), however, I was tending the brood with the help of a friend today, and found the dog in the coop with us - laying in the glow of the lamp with the chicks freaking out and acting crazy (4week olds). The dog couldn't care less - she was one with the lamp

She's a papered Lab, but about worthless for Lab qualities (hunting, retrieving, or anything remotely considered guard-dog like), however, she's worth her hefty weight in gold for tolerance of small children, and now chickens. She's taken more abuse from kids and cats than one should ever take - including me seeing if I could get her to snap or be aggressive (sticking my hand in her food, blowing in her face, mean things like that before we had DD). I think she somehow genetically missed the aggressive gene. I love her

When I was growing up, we had an Australian Shepherd which herded anything from big Shire draft horses to kids to chicks and chickens. The only thing that she would attack would be any predator like animal that came on the property.

 

[Dora'smom]

My female Golden has a very strong prey drive, and I think I've said before, that I would never trust her around our chickens. However, yesterday my husband was putting the 10-week olds into the tractor when Free Bird (the slight crossbeak EE) made a break for freedom. Mia herded Freebie very efficiently back to my husband. She kept an appropriate distance, never once trying to so much as nip at the bird. That was better than I ever thought she would do, but I still would not trust her with them.

 

[Emzyyy]

We have two Boston Terriers neither would hurt the chickens. Patty will steal treats from them through the fence & Winston likes to lick them but thats it. We had chicks when we got Winston and he sorta grew up with them and learned not to hurt them. I trust them completly with the chickens. HECK! I had a duck who chased them! Winston would play with him and the duck would chase him back.

 

[Alley]

My English Bulldog Spencer is in love with my chickens! He lets them sleep with him in his dog house. He gives them kisses and one of my girls loves him as much as he loves her. She calls him over to him, they then groom each other. It's an odd love and very funny to watch but he loves his girls and that's all that matters. So it just goes to prove that not all dogs are chicken killers!

 

[harryg6167]

I have a rat terrier crossed with boston terrier and trust her 100% with my chickens.
As far as she is concerned the animals are all hers anyways. A few weeks ago
we watched her herd the guineas back to the pen when a stray dog came up our drive.
She then went and chased the stray off and stayed out with the guineas while they
scratched in the fence row then bought them back to the house. She has been known
to sleep with the chickens also but I raised her from a puppy around the chickens.
Now if I can just get her 2 pups trained like she is I will be okay.

 

[Moabite]

My Boston Terrier isn't the least bit concerned with my chickens, but our Pit-Border collie cross will be on them in a heart beat if you turn your back. She ignores them fine until you are out of sight.