Dog vs Chicken

[chickenlady2010]

So there are a zillion ways people have dealt with dogs (whether it's theirs or a neighbor's) trying to get chickens, so I personally thought it would be nice to have all these different ways in one spot so that way people don't keep posting the same question (How do you deal with dogs trying to get your chicken?). As far as I know, there isn't already a thread like this; if there is then I apologize for creating an unnecessary thread. I will give my solution first.

We have two dogs, one indoor/outdoor dog (Squirt) who prefers to encourage trouble over actually causing trouble and one outdoor/farm alpha dog (Nitro) who would love nothing more than to sink his teeth into all of our chickens. Dogs a natural predators, and we encourage our dogs to use their natural instincts for hunting and such, which was fine until we got chickens. Training Ntiro is not a possibility. While we were working on getting more nests built onto our coop, Nitro would literally chew on the corners of the wood where the nests stick out and he literally bent the steel siding on the coop with his teeth (yes... he is a VERY tough dog). I put the shock collar on him and gave him a shock every time he was near the coop and/or barking at the chickens, and at night we'd put him in the kennel. Then the collar broke so he had to be in the kennel at all times, something that we hated. Finally, we got the coop done. We moved the coop over next to the cattle lot, which is made up of panel fence; there were extra panel fence laying around, so we basically made a box around the coop with panel fence. There is at least a 2-3 foot space between the fence and each side of the coop, so there is no way Nitro is getting the chickens, unless he digs for them (something he has never tried to do). We even made a little gate by cutting a panel in two pieces; we currently use a bungee cord to keep the gate latched shut. The downside to the panel fence is that if a coon or something is creeping around, Nitro won't be able to protect "his" chickens from the coon if it got inside the panel fence, but Nitro does a fantastic job keeping the coons, groundhogs, etc. from getting too close to us or anything else. Otherwise, it's great because the chickens are safe from our dogs, and Nitro can be free, just as he should be. On the days we let the chickens out of the coop to range on our property, we put Nitro in the kennel, which is wrapped with chicken wire and has a kennel fence top (so if a chicken flew up there he can't get it). The chickens idiotically will peck and scratch right next to the kennel; I think sometimes they do this just to torture him, the poor guy (lol). He did kill one one day, but I shoved some random things in the places where I thought be could maybe get his mouth and teeth through around the bottom of the kennel, no problems since this. During our winter preparations though, we will be moving the kennel back onto the concrete floor of the shed, where the chickens seldom go.

Squirt very submissive, and seems more interested in playing with the chickens than actually eating them. The dogs like to get ears out of the corn field to eat. On the days we let chickens out, they run/fly straight to the front yard where the dogs usually leave the cobs so that they can eat the corn that's left. One day, the chickens actually stole the ear of corn from Squirt while he was eating on it, so we really don't have much to worry about him with the chickens, but even still, I try to not leave him outside alone with the chickens very often because dogs will be dogs and do what dogs do, like eat a chicken.

 

[sylviethecochin]

When I was a kid, my brother's beagle-collie cross puppy grabbed a chick and killed him. The beagle got bounced off of the grass, spanked, and locked in the basement for two hours. He'd never been punished that badly before, and never has been punished that badly since. He's also never harmed another chicken.

The big thing is to let your dog know what is absolutely unacceptable and will not be tolerated.

 

[shawthorne44]

I was really worried about this. Our dog is a big, hunting dog. When we had the chicks inside the house, we kept their room closed off from the dog, but we introduced the chicks to the dog and made the dog sit still with a chick held on her head.

To the dog, I am the center of the universe since I am the one that brought her home from the shelter. So, I added a dog-loving session to my morning routine before I let the chickens out. She gets intensive one-on-one time reliably every morning and I think she knows that it is due to the chickens.

That said, we do try to keep them apart. The chickens have their own fenced yard, which is about 20 feet from the nearest part of the fence to our fenced dog backyard. So, to get to where the dog is, the chickens have to fly over their 5.5' fence, go 20' and then climb through the fence into the dog's back yard, which just has cattle guard on it. The dog can't get out of her back yard. But those chickens! Not only do the hens get into the dog's back yard but they crow about it. Sweet dog only got upset when they started to peck her bone. I also had to explain to my family that bringing chickens in the house for petting probably wasn't a good idea. I don't want the dog jealous.

Dog is very sweet-natured, so that probably helps.

 

[JaeG]

Our dog is the submissive type and, although exciteable and very playful, is pretty easy to train (though you'd laugh at her version of playing dead)! Our Honey was well trained to not mess with smaller animals by our very fierce old cat. The tradition continues with our white cat who is deaf (and doesn't put up with any rubbish from naughty puppies as my sister's pup discovered). I think all dogs need to meet a grumpy cat that puts them in their place!

I have always been very strict with Honey and she knows what 'No' means and I always remind her that any birds are off limits. If we go to the park or the beach I wait until a seagull or duck has caught her attention and I tell her 'Nooo' in a low, growly voice. So she ignores them and enjoys swimming or retrieving her ball.

Recently I have been hand rearing some cockatiel chicks. I called her over to show her (well, more to get them used to a dog), and once she realised what I had she turned her face away, knowing that it's more than her life is worth to touch one of 'Mum's' birds.

She'd sneak into the chicken coop to get an egg given half a chance but she knows she's not to touch my birds. I know we are lucky to have such a good girl, but I did put in the HOURS and HOURS of training when she was a pup to ensure she knew her place (something she is constantly reminded of also) and knew how we expected her to act around other animals and people. She does not eat her food until we say she can (we can leave her unattended with her food and she doesn't dare touch it until we come back and say she can eat), everyone else gets fed before she does, and inside she stays on her bed unless we tell her she can get off (she loves her bed and would actually rather be there than anywhere else). Everyone who visits comments on how well behaved she is so for our first ever dog she's turned out well.

 

[alex_mercer]

Hunting dogs are intelligent creatures but chickens aren't. Once when I was a kid, a chicken in my granddad's farm took on a Rottweiler and started pecking. Eventually, the Rott got pissed off and bit its neck. RIP

 

[theoldchick]

These type of threads create a lot of emotion. People love their dogs. People love their chickens. My rule of thumb is to not trust any dog who had not been raised around chickens. There are dogs (cats too) who are trustworthy around chicks and chickens. On the other hand certain breeds of dogs are genetically programmed to locate and kill vermin-it's called prey drive-and some dogs are hardwired with this trait. Yes, you can train these dogs but you can't trust them when you are not there. I've seen Great Pyrenees run from a broody hen and I've seen dachshunds decimate an entire flock. Just remember because you love your chickens does not mean your dog will. All dogs will need training to learn how to behave around your flock. This includes the broody hen who nails a nosy farm pup all the way to the massive Pitbull learning the stay command when presented with this type of challenge. Training is the key. And training some dogs take time. Lots of time. If you don't have time to train your dog, do not allow your dog around the chickens unless supervised, and protect your chickens with electrified fence. If you can't train your dog then don't allow them near your flock. Your chickens will appreciate it.

 

[alex_mercer]

I think my previous post on this thread is likely to offend a lot of viewers. Sorry about that!

 

[chickens really]

I have 3 Trained working Dogs that are all trained to not ever use their mouths on my Birds. Were trained using a Volly Ball. They use their paws only...
Maremma is my guardian and lays near the flock as they free range..
Golden Retriever/Aussie cross is my patrol and predator chaser.
Yorkshire Terrier is my Wrangler...She herds all the Ducks and Chickens back to their Coop..I had a Fox attack and my Call Drake flew away into the bushes...I thought the Fox got him. My Golden/ Aussie found him and brought him home..She crawled along behind him using her paws to bring him home in the right direction...
All dogs love to have a job....

 

[chickmom3941]

Our rescue mutt, Brutus, looks to be part Jack Russel terrier, so he has a very strong hunting instinct. Whenever we have young chicks in the yard, I start training by taking Brutus out on his leash, and letting him go near the chicks. When he hears their little peeps and gets that "predator looking at prey" look in his eyes, he gets a very stern "NO!" (usually several "no's"). If he makes any move towards them, the "NO" is accompanied by a sharp slap on the rear. This usually goes on for a few weeks, and he's not allowed off the leash till he quits showing interest in them. This method has worked for us - he goes in the yard with the chickens all the time without incident.