Dogs and Chickens

[RaZ]

I've been following this thread since it started. I'm concerned about my 3 dogs and my chicks and ducks. At day 2, my Golden Retriever had a chick and it died. I think she was trying to bring it to me. The chick was not bitten or harmed in any obvious way. I think it either suffocated or died of fright. As the chicks got bigger, she just watches.

My catahula/blue heeler is only interested in keeping the ducks out of her pool. She has no interest in the chicks unless they get too far apart and then she herds them back into a group. Once grouped, she lays down and watches.

This evening had an odd turn, my 11 year old Samoyed, who is so laid back, chased the chicks. He didn't harm them, he just wanted the stale crackers that I threw out for the birds.

I keep a close eye on my critters and how they interact; what I've observed is that as long as the birds do their thing, the dogs mostly ignore them. But if the birds get flighty, the dogs get alert. And I keep them seperated by moveable fencing just in case.

 

[mrszlopez]

i agree that this is something that just depends on the dog. i dont think there's a specific breed that does well, just a dog with a certain temperment. i have a 3yr old female pit bull who is awesome with the babies inside as well as the big girls/boys outside. she is also good with our goats & sheep.

 

[brandislee]

They're right- it depends. If you have a dog and are concerned about getting chickens, just keep your chickens secured at first and observe how your dog reacts to them, but let him see/smell them. If you have chickens and are considering getting a dog, avoid, as someone else said, the hounds, terriers, and hunters. Also be wary of untrained herding dogs, as many are very high energy and, lacking training to use their instincts properly, may simply be too rough with the chickens. It seems to me, based simply on annecdotal evidence on this site, that German Shepherds do really well with chickens, though. Great Pyrenees I think have also been recommended highly as dogs that will be good with the chickens and potentially even protect them.

My dog is a border collie- while she isn't terribly persistent about it, it's obvious that she REALLY wants to get at the chickens. Whether it's to play with them, chase them, herd them, or eat them, I don't know and really don't care to find out. She paws and whines at the fence any time we're out there, and will sometimes lunge at it. She's been around them since they were chicks (they were in the dining room their first few weeks!), and almost bit one's head off while I was holding it, so I haven't let her near them without a fence in between them since. But like I said, she isn't frantic about it either- she hasn't even tried to dig under (or climb- border collies are pretty famous for their fence climbing ability) the fence or anything, and if I'm standing in the open door of the coop or gate she won't try to run past me or anything. She's really good whenever I tell her "leave it" or "get back" or "wait." I'm definitely not complaining about her behavior- I never planned to free range my birds anyway, and since I know she's not a risk (like she's not going to bum rush the fence when I'm not looking) it gives me a little peace of mind having her around, because I know that simply having a dog deters predators (a little- I wouldn't rely on it).