Does anyone have a high prey drive dog and hens?

[jellychick]

I have wanted to get ex-battery hens for over 3 years now and done a lot of research into their needs and the requirements of owning them. I have 3 dogs: an 11-yr old alsatian collie cross, a 2 yr-old siberian husky and a 9-mnth old alaskan malamute. The collie cross has no prey drive however the other 2 will go crazy until they get used to the hens. I am planning on having a totally secure enclosure, 6-ft fencing and wire mesh below ground to prevent digging. The thing i am wondering is will the chickens be able to cope with the dogs jumping up against the fence until they are trained not to? Also if anyone has been in a similar situation how long did it take for ur dogs to ignore the hens? Any other comments or advice is welcome.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

I only have a small dog but the neighbor has 7 malamute/husky crosses. They've visited several times and killed at least 13 of my birds that I know of. I've also seen them trying to get into coops and pens lunging at the windows. It completely freaks the chickens out and they quit laying for quite some time. IMHO, I doubt they'll ever ignore them. They're on log chains but every time they break free they return to wreak havoc.

 

[Starfire669]

I have 4 Siberian Huskies, 1 of which is a bird killer. I built the dogs a secure pen to keep them contained. I did this to protect both dogs and chickens. We're I live people will steal Siberians faster than you can blink, and dogs are often found dead on the sides of the road, hit by uncaring cars. Also, Siberians are extremely smart, 1 of mine can turn door knobs. They are extremely agile, and determined as well. Siberians are champion escape artists, diggers, and runners. I would recommend building a tall dog play pen, sink some bricks in the ground on the fence line, make sure its not climbable, and build a sturdy chicken pen. That way if a dog manages to break out of its pen, maybe you will notice its out before it can get into the chicken pen.

My Sibes no longer even look at the chickens when in their pen, they know they can't get out and have given up trying. But leash them and take them to where the chickens are and 2 of them are ready to chase and kill the chickens. I am trying to correct that, we do leash work often, but I don't think my bird hater will ever give up. Separation is the only way to ensure your chickens lives.

 

[Chickerdoodle13]

The chickens will most likely be fine and get used to it, just as long as there is no way for the dogs to get in or the chickens to get out.

My dog is very good with the chickens. He is an Australian cattle dog. Even though he doesn't hurt them, occasionally he does this snappy mouth thing in their direction (cattle dog owners usually know what I mean!) or he'll bark at them or chase them and slobber on their tails. They are so used to him, most of the time they don't even move when they see him coming. Some have even begun bullying him instead and he's terrified of those chickens.

They've gotten so used to dogs, they have become like this for all dogs, which is not always a good thing either!

 

[cafarmgirl]

Some dogs will never get over it. They may calm down and simply wait for an opportunity. If it were me I'd run a few strands of hot wire around the chickens pen and let the dogs get zapped. I have hot wire around my pens, most dogs will only touch it once. Dogs jumping against the fence and running the fenceline can be incredibly stressful for any prey animal, I would simply not allow it at all. I used to have a dog with a very high prey drive and she was kept penned away from my goats/chickens/rabbits. Period. Without some serious reinforcement, such as getting zapped by the hot wire, it may take your dogs a very long time to settle down, some never get over the urge to get at them. Either way I wouldn't allow the stress to the birds and would be concerned about the dogs behaviour and what they might be able to accomplish when you are not present.

 

[boyswillbeboys]

I have a collie cross, his isn't a prey drive, but a herding instinct, and the girls squack like crazy, and flap against the 5ft run fence, when he goes and brings them back from the neighbour's field or grain bins, I can't imagine if he was actually trying to eat them.

 

[euphoniumism]

I have to keep my border collie tethered when he's in the fenced yard with the hens. It takes like three calls to get him to back off them lol. But he knows when I'm starting to get mad so he stops.
I would never trust him alone with them untethered.