dog got my chicken suggestions?

[Dinaschickens]

Well it happened. Two days ago, MY dog got one of MY chickens. I have been working with the dogs but this one just got in that prey - predator mode and .. well it's not pretty. We got the dogs up and the caught the injured chicken. I really thought she was going to die but... She has spunk and a real will to live. She is missing feathers and skin on the back of her neck about the size of a quarter. It really looked bloody and painful. Even right after the attack she fought to be put down and ran off with the flock to eat bugs. Since these are our first chickens, I called a friend to help. Together we caught my girl, cleaned the wound, clipped feathers that were laying into the wound, sprayed it with a cleaners from the her vet, put some antibacterial ointment on it and gave her a special place to bed down that was near the others but dust free and protected from the others. So far she acts as if nothing is wrong: eating, drinking, pooping, moving her head in all directions with seeming ease, running with the group, even protesting being caught. In all ways she seems healthy. It does seem to be healing but that is a lot of exposed area.I am spraying her with the cleanser 2x day and reapplying the antibacterial ointment.I think my biggest fight is infection prevention. Has anyone had a chicken with injuries like this that has a happy ending?
Please note: Originally I had hopes to train the dog to work with the chickens but now I just want to train her to totally ignore them. All animals have their own homes when I am gone. Now I don't trust the dog when I am present. I borrowed a shock collar to help with training. Any other suggestions on how to train the dog? Please don't say get rid of the dog that's not an option. I am praying training will work.

 

[ChickenMamaSamm]

Maybe you could get the dog a muzzle so it can not bite. That would give you enough time to use the collar. I have always had good luck with a clicker and treats. We have 3 dogs, our black lab can not be trusted with the chickens but the other 2 are fine. The puppy likes to run them around some times but is learning to be good. Good luck

 

[TTracy]

We had a hen get attacked by a hawk. Peeled the skin back feathers and all right down her back. I thought for sure she was a goner! I put her on an antibiotic, kept the wound clean, used A&D ointment, and a spray cleanser. She did GREAT!!! Recovered in no time, (considering the size of the wound). Not only is she doing great, but she went broody and is currently raising her 3 little girls!! Dont give up, chickens can be very hardy!!
As for your dog, I think the shock collar is a great tool to help him/her learn the boundaries!

 

[Dinaschickens]

This is the first time clicker and treats haven't worked for training for me. It has taken a lot for me to come to the shock collar but I can't have this. A muzzle might help at least at first. My fear is that a chicken will injured while I'm training. I'm told shock collar training goes fast in most cases and doesn't really hurt the dog. How do you handle your black lab? Do you alternate yard time? That's what we are doing right now in the interest of safety. How old are your dogs? Mine are 13 months.

 

[Dinaschickens]

Thanks for the hope! Glad you girl is doing great.

 

[ChickenMamaSamm]

We keep a very close eye on her at all times. I don't let her get too close to the chickens. It helps that she is an old girl (11 years) and isn't too fast. But if she gets close enough she tries to snack on them. No one has been hurt so far. My puppy is a German Shepard/lab mix she is 9 months old. Lastly my baby is an Australian Shepherd/lab mix. 3 years old. She is the best with the chickens she is very motherly to them. She can't understand why they don't want their butts sniffed all the time. Also when we first got the chickens I found I needed to take the dogs around them only 1 at a time. Otherwise they would get way too wound up and I would lose control. I spent A LOT of time sitting holding the dog and telling them NO at any movement toward the chickens. I constantly repeat "watch" . so they learn that its there job to just watch and keep them safe. I hope this helps.

 

[XtremeRooster]

My dog killed my favorite rooster. I reintroduced her to my shock collar, so far electricity has been stronger than her desire to taste chicken.

 

[Christabelle]

Shock collar training works great. I have two Dobermans that won't even look at chickens now. I still won't ever leave them unsupervised though. I'm not sure you can ever rehab a killer to that trust level. Dogs are smart and sneaky.

 

[kgdubois]

we have a lab that is 100% not trusted around birds, cats, rabbits...pretty much anything smaller than him, except other dogs. some dogs will never be safe with your birds, and there is nothing you can do with them. i have tried EVERYTHING with our lab (shock collar, whipping the crud out of him, constant supervision, etc) and nothing worked. he is now only allowed in the yard, and my chickens stay in their run, which isn't even visible from our house.

is it possible for you to fence off a portion of the "shared" yard area for just the birds? otherwise, you might keep losing your chickens to the dogs. good luck!

 

[elliechooks]

My chickens have their own area that is dog proofed, I have a 5 year old German shepherd husky cross. A few of the adult hens got out once and he caught one. Luckily I noticed and managed to get the dog to drop the chicken. She had a nasty wound and was in shock for a couple of hours but recovered within a few days. Unfortunately though when I had some young chicks they kept getting out and over the course of a couple if weeks the dog ate 5 of them, 2 we never found any trace of at all! I am confident now that there are no more holes that they can get through but I will never trust that dog near the chickens!