Dog messing with quail! Help!

[quail gggggggggg]

So, I have about 30 quail, 2 bobwhites, and the rest coturnix varieties, and I have just moved them from my farm to my house, and my lab is bothering them. They are on opposite sides of the fence, with electric wire, but he is still stressing them out to the point of them not laying eggs. Any suggestions?

 

[le_bwah]

Is the dog lunging and barking at them? Are they flushing to get away? If not, it might be the stress of the move that's put them off laying.

Mine grew up around a dog and don't even startle when he barks, but removing them from the aviary to clean it is enough to stop them laying for a couple days.

Give them a week or so to settle in unless you're certain it's the dog bothering them. If it is the dog, you might have to find a way to put more distance between them.

 

[nchls school]

The quail will adjust.

 

[quail gggggggggg]

Ok. Thanks for the input. He sometimes barks and paces near them, but seems to have lost most interest in them with time.

 

[staceyj]

You said the dog is a lab.
He’s doing what a lab does.
Even if he’s never hunted, he’s genetically programmed to GO GET THE BIRD.

Don’t leave him outside.
The tension it creates in him builds prey drive and the anxiety it creates in the birds isn’t good for them.

In my opinion this situation isn’t at all fair to either of them.

When he needs to go out, put him on a leash. Lead him to relieve himself somewhere else in the yard.

When he’s calm he can look at the birds from afar. That’s his reward.
When he’s “hype” turn him away from them. Call for his attention.
If he continues straining to watch them in a manner that’s obsessive, immediately take him inside.
Use minimal words but be clear.