Dogs Aint Predators

[klen]

reading this thread got me wondering.... can I ask this here? let me know if I should post a new thread.

But I have a labrador, she's 5. We are just getting our flock started this summer. I have a set up for the chickens. It's fenced off from the yard. It's part 6ft wood fencing and one side is going to be dog kennel panels. Is that enough to keep them separated? The chicks won't "free range". Their area is 20ft by maybe 30ft that the coop will be in. I live in a neighborhood and our property is fully fenced. I don't have problems with other dogs coming into the yard. Advice is welcomed.

 

[JerseyFresh]

It's my job to protect my birds so I plan for the worst. Fort Knox coop and secure run. There are probably raccoons and skunks where I live but I'm most worried about dogs. Kudos and respect to those who have or have trained their dogs not eat/kill your chickens. I know that if I were a dog I'd want to eat all the chickens I could catch. They're delicious!

 

[texasgal]

Quote:
I agree completely!

I've got dogs and chickens.. a couple close calls, but because of diligence, communication, timing, our dogs are never out unattended when the chickens are loose. I've lost upwards near 20 chickens from OTHER PEOPLE's dogs.. but none to my own.

 

[phasian]

Great thread. I also adore dogs-- have two Shar Pei.

With that being said, DOGS (& CATS) ARE PREDATORS. If a chicken happens into my fenced yard which is the dogs' territory, it is hunted down by my dogs, killed, and EATEN if I don't get the opportunity to get there first. They are trained, but only trustworthy if I am in their presence to prevent their killing instinct where small animals are concerned.

While dogs are domesticated, their essential nature is not remarkably different than wild dogs. The issues most people have with behavioural problems is due to the fact that many think of them as being furry people. Taxonomically, they are considered by zoologists to be predators.

I have lost large numbers of birds to marauding dogs that came onto my farmstead. Some of them ate the chickens, others did not. (I don't know how well they were trained or fed.) The fact that they killed them qualifies them as a predator. They hunted them down.

My previous dog did not engage in this behaviour. He would sleep in the sun with chickens leaning against his belly. He knew the chickens were off limits (he was also pretty elderly at this time 14-17.5 years) but would still chase down and kill jack rabbits at this age.....

 

[Naughty]

I have a dog that stays in the yard with my girls all day long - granted he is smaller than most of them. I also have roo that has flogged him a couple of times - he doesnt want anything to do with them. But my yard is very large so they are not trapped together - and he has a small area that he can get into that the girls cant for when he wants a break. My biggest problem is keeping the roo from hurting the dog! I wouldnt trust him with babies - but they are in a broody cage that he can smell and see them and hear them during the day - so he will be used to them by the time they are full grown and allowed out in the yard. Of course I will supervise him when that happens. all of my older hens are used to him. occasionally when he wants to get to the other side of the coop and they are in the way - he will go "bowling for =chickens" and go right through the middle of the crowd - but then he pretty much keeps to himself. And if my little dog ever acts remotely suspicious - I will separate them out - but right now he is also their protection - he will bark at anything that gets in that yard - even my dad - who he totally adores - can not get into that yard - unless I am there.

That being said - we grew up with an irish setter who was the gentlest dog in the world - didnt know he was a bird dog - lol - and he actually let a roo sleep with him in the dog house - but we had a younger dog that would occasionally chase the roo and get him running - then the setter would get into the chase - a mob mentality I guess. So I would never trust any large dog that could hurt them.

 

[flowergirl60]

I doubt my neighbors dog has been trained to be" chicken friendly", so I don't trust him.

 

[Chihuahuamom444]

I have chihuahuas and a collie that could live in my chicken coop and never harm a fly and I have a newfie/pyrenes that'll eat a whole chicken if I let him and has....so it depends on the dog, not All dogs will kill

 

[Judy]

When the chickens are let out of their yard, they share the property with our two dogs, which was 4 dogs several months ago. The dogs run off coons and such but ignore the chickens. When all 4 dogs were with us, we went a couple of years with no predator losses.

I don't disagree with Woodmort, though. I have said on here that you can train your dog to leave them alone, and we have. That doesn't mean the dogs won't turn on the chickens one day, or simply get overexcited and decide to "play" with them. They do retain their instincts.

 

[Knittycat]

klen, labs are bird-dogs. You'll probably have issues. Keep the birds confined when the dog is loose, keep the dog confined when the birds are loose, and you should be ok. They can be trained, but as bird-dogs, you have breeding to contend with. Good luck.

 

[onthespot]

I have poodles and maltipoos, and believe me, they are predators. Poodles are descended from hunting dogs, and aside from that, I feed them my chicks that fail to hatch, deformed chicks that had to be culled, and also various size roos as they grow out and are culled. Believe me, they know where their meat comes from and if they get a chance, they will process the birds themselves, LOL. I have a Shihtzu x Cairn Terrier that almost killed a nearly grown goose when she was only five months old, and four pounds. She had it cornered and was gouging out hunks of flesh from its back, above the tail. She's a predator, not a very skilled one, but a predator nonetheless. Some are more predatory than others. Some are absolutely incorribly predatory, not able to be trained out of it. Their drive is too strong. Some have zero or little drive, and their owners sometimes think they are great trainers because their dog is good around birds. 90% of it is hereditary and not training.

Here's one of my worst. Who HER??? Yeah, her... sweet ol' Mama Bear... She can catch a mouse in a six inch sprint. She can catch a chick if I drop it, before it hits the ground. She does come "off" if she hears me, but if she is on a mission, her hearing aid gets turned off for a few seconds is all... LOL and a few seconds is all it takes.