Dog keeps killing hens

[TalkALittle]

Dachshunds are bred for hunting and killing small animals so even if you keep your chickens penned he will stress them by constantly worrying them at the sides of the pen. Stressed chickens don't lay well. You need to keep your dog away from your chickens and only let him/her there when you are there to supervise. You cannot let him/her worry them or harass them as this will only solidify it as an acceptable behaviour in his/her mind. Get a dog run if necessary. You will need to do some serious training to teach your dog how you expect him/her to act around the birds. This is a great website and this particular page is what you need:
http://www.training-your-dog-and-you.com/Behavior_Adjustment_Training.html

LOL!! I just snorted my beverage out my nose. BAT is great for a lot of things, but I cannot imagine implementing it successfully for serious prey drive. Prey drive is not aggression. And while an argument can be made that BAT will work to lessen fear aggression and leash reactivity, it is my opinion that it is virtually useless when used in cases of true aggression where the dog is intent on harming another dog. In those cases compulsion and escape/avoidance methods are the only effective means of reducing aggressive behavior.

BAT is a systematic desensitization protocol that acts to change/undo a *learned* association. Prey drive is not learned, it is a hard wired instinct.

 

[Lazy Farmer]

It sounds like you have resigned yourself to having a chicken killing dog.
on my acreage that is not acceptable.
i suggest you train the dog to leave the chickens alone.
even with the most secure fence, sometimes chickens get out. and then the pooch will kill what he can.
it will take time to do the improvements on the fence.
in that much time, you could have the dog trained..

I posted a similar experience which has been corrected already at the beginning of this thread in box #7. Our dog still goes nuts on Hawks, black birds and cow birds but stays completely away from all of our FREE RANGE CHICKEN POPULATION. In the beginning he killed 5 and lamed 2 others. Now he ignores the temptation. Not saying it's a quick fix. But greatly more less expensive then building a fortress for poultry. The dog is the main problem not the chickens.
I know it's tough because we are Dog lovers too.

 

[centrarchid]

I have been through the "my dog kills my chickens" multiple times. The problem can be licked such that dogs and chickens comingle without supervision. It takes time and a bit of effort and patience.

 

[JaeG]

LOL!! I just snorted my beverage out my nose. BAT is great for a lot of things, but I cannot imagine implementing it successfully for serious prey drive. Prey drive is not aggression. And while an argument can be made that BAT will work to lessen fear aggression and leash reactivity, it is my opinion that it is virtually useless when used in cases of true aggression where the dog is intent on harming another dog. In those cases compulsion and escape/avoidance methods are the only effective means of reducing aggressive behavior.

BAT is a systematic desensitization protocol that acts to change/undo a *learned* association. Prey drive is not learned, it is a hard wired instinct.

My interpretation was that you are teaching the dog an alternative behaviour/reaction to a particular stimulus. You can still satisfy a dogs prey drive without having it kill small animals.

Prey drive isn't a bad thing and can be the basis of a very close, successful relationship with your dog if used in the right way (as with Natural Dog Training). We let our dog win at tug of war because we are providing that predatory rush she feels at getting the toy. And she lives to play fetch. But I have no problem with her being in the same room as my hand reared finches and parakeets when they are free flying and she's 100% safe round our chickens, even the bantams and chicks. But I have put a lot of time into training her with basic obedience, not so much anything specific to do with other animals. Her exposure to cats who don't put up with dogs misbehaving probably helped us out a lot in that regard!

 

[TinyBirds]

I use the large size $275 advantek pet gazebo to keep birds in. They are 7 ft tall and 7.5 feet wide. With roost boards added inside the birds love it. And it looks nice in a backyard. If there are raccoons like we have, it needs covering in hardware cloth though including under the top and an apron around the outside bottom.

It is true though if the dog terrorizes the birds all day, even from outside the pen, they wont lay many eggs. The dog being in a kennel or dog run attached to the doggy door might be a good idea, with a gate for humans to pass through to the rest of the yard. The birds would be unlikely to try and get into the dog run if it is 5 ft tall, as long as they can access the rest of the yard. Mostly they fly over things to get out of their own pen, and probably would learn not to go into the dog's pen. Really i'm not sure though, we dont even have a dog. Just sending ideas your way!

 

[MrDeMaistre]

The issue with a pen top cover is snow weight. Eventually, no matter how vigilant you are, snow is gonna accumulate there and drag the whole thing down, unless you attach your covering material to a good strong framework. The size of framing material is determined by the span you're trying to get across, by your willingness to have supporting posts in your hen space, and so on. I usually go with 2x6's on 2-foot centers with strapping laid perpendicular for good measure. For cover material, I like 1/2" hardware cloth (mink-proof and strong, though expensive) or 1-inch chicken wire. The 2-inch is just too weak, and any notion that snow will just float on through it just doesn't work out.. The black plastic stuff sags. Oh, and don't try to secure the mesh with staples: not up to the job. Use 4-penny box nails and bend 'em over. My wife laughs at me for overbuilding stuff, but my pen top stays up year after year, so this is one of those rare matters on which she's just plain wrong. Don't tell her I said that, OK?

 

[Sublight]

My dad had a dog that was killing chickens. He tied a dead chicken around that dogs neck in such a way that the rope was just long enough for the dog to constantly stumble over the chicken every step. Between the dog having to step on it, and the incredible stench that followed, the dog never touched another chicken.

Not exactly hygienic, but it works.