Dog Troubles

[centrarchid]

You can break a dog of killing chickens. Having young dog less than 2 years of age doing it is not surprising at all. There will be challenges ahead. On the whole dogs have killed more of my chickens than predators have. Now the dogs are trained, they have saved my flocks from a great deal more losses. Some dogs train killing no chickens, some kill a few, some kill more than a few before they are broke in and trustworthy without supervision.

In just over a year I will be getting a new pup and will start the process anew with that one. Hopefully I will get better over time at limiting losses occurring during the training through the first 2 years of age.

 

[momminallday]

Obedience train the dog basic commands so that he learns to listen to you. teach him no!, my Australian shepherd mix got caught with a chicken in her teeth twice...just strolling across the yard like it was a new chew toy...only damage to my hens were a few lost feathers...I caught the dog in the act and was able to run over and scare her enough that she dropped the chicken. My dog is now 9 months old and completely used to the hens. We kept her on a leash for a bit until we could trust her to walk around the yard and completely ignore the hens. good luck, no fun having one pet attack the others. Also, we have baby ducks now and she is so completely over it, she hardly even glances at them!

 

[rosemarythyme]

Dogs need to be trained, even if only on a basic level, if nothing else just so you can manage them and have them behave safely around other people.

Right now either the dog needs to be leashed or fenced in, or the chickens need to be contained. The dog shouldn't be free to roam while chickens are out and vice versa. I would also suggest starting the dog on basic obedience... that won't make it chicken safe, but at least sets a foundation so you can work towards that if you choose.