Dog vs Chicks (HELP) :(

[court1983]

I have my 4 to 5 week old chicks in the coop in my almost 3 year old boxers yard.. UhO!!
They are in the coop until we get the 12x10 6ft fence done around the coop. Rambo (my boxer) is trying to get in to the chicks to play (i hope) not eat (i hope) and my husband seems to think he is going to kill his self trying to get in to them.. What do I do? Starting to get very nervous.. Thanks all!!

 

[Remudamom]

Chain the dog up? Put him in the house? Move the chicks?

 

[leadwolf1]

If the dog is going crazy with them in the coop, what is he going to do when they are out in their yard running around? Do you have plans on how you are going to keep him out of the run? He is going to dig/bark/ jump at them all day long. The poor things are gonna be nervous wrecks..and, so are you, your husband and dog. I think you are going to have to come up with a better plan.

What kind of wire are you going to be using for the run?

Read some of the links on here for training/desensitizing your dog to chickens.

Good luck.

 

[court1983]

We are using 6ft chain link fence. I am also putting the plastic privacy strips by weaving it threw each hole in the fence..

 

[court1983]

He is also an inside dog as well, he only goes out to potty and spend some time in the sun but that is pretty much it.

 

[horseshowmomnv]

We have a Jack Russell and a Border Collie mix, the JR is the worst. Fortunately we had an extra electric fence box, we strung electric fence around the the outside of the run, also we had leftover OSB board that I used around the base until we can finish with hardware cloth. The chickens love to stick their heads through the no climb wire (2x4 inches), that is just an accident waiting to happen (almost did). Sadly the dogs touched the wire once or twice, (hard to watch) the dogs understand now, and the chickens are safe from "our" predators.
The other issue we have is the JR is great about being right "behind" us, so if we go into the coop or run he is right there hoping for a chance to sneak in. We are learning what works and how to be more diligent about safety.
I am glad we have not permanently made our run yet, as we are finding there are area's we have to make changes and improvements for our lifestyle.

 

[leadwolf1]

You will have to put hardware cloth up the sides about 3 feet so that the chickens can not stick their heads out. The plastic privacy strips will not stop the dog. They will grab them with their teeth and slide them right out. This, I know from experience. I used them on my kennels for sun control and my dogs love to grab and tug them out...they find it to be great fun

Horseshowmommy...great idea with the electric wire. It only takes one/two times and that would be it for the dog! He will respect that fence

We are using 6ft chain link fence. I am also putting the plastic privacy strips by weaving it threw each hole in the fence..