Dog pen near chicken coop

[topherstewart85]

So I have had chickens in the past and let them free range a lot and then neighborhood dogs kinda wiped them out and I sold the last few that I had. But now my daughter wants some chickens again. I will build a large pen for the chickens and keep them in it for the most part. But I will also be getting an Australian Shepard puppy from a buddy of mine about the same time my chicks come. So I was wondering if anyone had a dog pen attached or close to the chicken pen and if there are any health concerns to doing that. My main reason for wanting to do this is I think that if I raise the puppy with the chickens from the start maybe he will kind of see them as "family" and want to protect them and watch over them when I do let them out.

 

[JaeG]

It will take training to ensure your dog is trustworthy around chickens. You basically want to teach your dog to ignore them. Some pups naturally aren't interested but some are obsessed from the start. Shepherds can be pretty intense (herding breeds often are) so more likely to be very focused on chickens.

I would ensure your pup is trained before expecting it to be in a pen next to the chickens. Without training it could very easily tip over into obsession as the birds would be the most interesting thing in the environment. Your pup could also start to bark a lot to get a reaction from the chickens and try and chase them through the fence. These are not behaviours you want your pup to learn.

Health-wise there's no issue in having the pens side by side.

 

[topherstewart85]

It will take training to ensure your dog is trustworthy around chickens. You basically want to teach your dog to ignore them. Some pups naturally aren't interested but some are obsessed from the start. Shepherds can be pretty intense (herding breeds often are) so more likely to be very focused on chickens.

I would ensure your pup is trained before expecting it to be in a pen next to the chickens. Without training it could very easily tip over into obsession as the birds would be the most interesting thing in the environment. Your pup could also start to bark a lot to get a reaction from the chickens and try and chase them through the fence. These are not behaviours you want your pup to learn.

Health-wise there's no issue in having the pens side by side.

Good insight. Never thought about it like that. Thanks for the advice!