dogs and chickens

[happytobeme]

I just want to say that my brother has a boxer and she thinks the baby chickens are her babies...and she is really good with them
she keeps them i the yard..it's awsome to watch her with them.

 

[centrarchid]

Look over this option. It would be far less cruel and probably less costly than a shock collar. http://canterlc.com/StopChickenKillerDogs/site/pages/home/

I used to worry about our dogs with the chickens...but now I feel really good about them being together.... and... it is the dogs snitching the chicken's feed that is more of a concern.

Margo50-- Your dogs and chickens can live together in harmony......
RDMiller1437-- Welcome to the BYC forum!!

I like but would like to see more details. Not enough shown for novice to learn from despite Pulliam clearly having technique down.

 

[dolly85]

I have two cocker spaniels. This breed as most people know were bred to flush birds! Now they are mostly kept as family pets but the hunting instinct remains quite strong. When I first got chickens I inevitably lost a few due to my kids letting the chickens in the yard while I wasn't home. Sooooo what I did was put my dogs on a leash while the chickens were out free ranging. I made them sit and lay while I scattered treats all around them. The first few times they were trembling with excitement and the need to chase, however each time they "locked eyes" on them I would poke their sides and say NO. Once they were able to ignore the chickens on leash I introduced them off leash. If they took on a predatory stance and began to stalk the chickens I'd say their name loudly with a NO. I'd call them back to me and have them sit and stay. After a few weeks of working with the dogs daily I began to trust them and now after three years those original hens and my cockers get along awesome! I've found each time I get new chicks I have to spend some time retraining the dogs. There is something about a peeping little fuzzy that catches their attention. It may also have something to do with them being unfamiliar and the dogs don't know that they are pets, not food. It only took a few days for them to warm up to my 22 week old pullets and they share the yard gladly together. I've never needed to use a shock collar, a well trained dog and a little patience goes a long way.

 

[Aeropennchick]

I am using a spray bottle with a few tsps of apple cider vinegar in it as a deterrent for my hound. Two of my three dogs had no problem with the chickens, but my hound is an anxious mess about them.

Whenever she shows too much interest in the chicks in the brooder, or whines by the cage, we start with a "NO" and follow it with the spray if she doesn't back off. I think she's getting the point!

I would not recommend the shock collar if you aren't familiar with its use - that takes a lot of training to use properly, and can hurt your relationship with your dog if you use it improperly. We have one for our hound and it took us six months of training before we allowed her the shock. We use it for off-leash hiking in areas where there are deer and bears.

 

[marlo1968]

I just recently got my chickens and I have two dogs, a chihuahua and a black lab/hound mix. My chihuahua got very excited seeing my young girls, little chicks, whimpers and whines when he sees them. He ran at the older chickens a couple of times, then saw that they are bigger than him and quit. My lab looks at the babies, cocks his head picks up his ears and watches....with the big hens we had an interesting event. The day I brought them home I was taking them from the traveling pen in the truck and putting them one by one into the nests, one hen got loose and of course I couldn't catch her, but Buck (my lab) was watching her closely, so I thought I'd give it a try, I told him "get her" and he chased her into the horse pen, I told him stop, and he did. He proceeded to herd that lone chicken back to the coop listening to my commands, never bit at her or tried to, turned and trotted back to me when she went into the coop. Please don't misunderstand, at no point did I believe that Buck would hurt the chicken, he's the type of dog that a small child, my grandson, can sit on, pull his ears, tug at his mouth or pull his tail and even kick at and Buck doesn't budge, fuss or even look in the direction of my grandson. My dad had a fox terrier that never chased the chickens we had when I was younger, but my Sheltie did chase and did kill one (happened to be dad's favorite, a polish hen). So I think it depends more on the prior obedience training your dog has had and maybe some breed history/use could play a part. My lab, lots of obedience training, same for the fox terrier, the sheltie didn't have much training/manners, and the chihuahua I think just figured he doesn't want any part of something that outweighs him. On another note, my lab loves "cleaning up" behind the chickens, which has prompted me to buy charcoal biscuits for his treats. When I catch him at it and get onto him, he sulks away as though I have ruined his whole day.

 

[Peanutsmom]

I have a pit bull and I am working with him to behave with the chickens. The first week we had the chickens the weather here was cold and the chickens spent the first week inside the house in my boy's crate (he doesn't sleep in it it is used for travel). He got to sniff them. He just would smell them and sit next to the crate watching them. Now that I moved them outside into their coop. First thing when I take him out in the morning to check on the chickens he runs to the coop and looks at them. When I open the coop do clean things Peanut is right there with me. He tries to get into the coop but doesn't do anything to the birds just watches them. Also, I have a pen that I am using to let them out of the coop until they are more used to me catching them to let them free range in the backyard. He sits there watching them. Our neighbors have chickens that were the first chickens he ever seen when their rooster just stood there when we passed them on our walk he ran from them. I am just using praise with him when he is good around them and when I do have them free range in the yard I am planning to have him on leash so that I can better work with him and control him until I can see if his behavior lets him be in the yard with them off leash. This is something I discussed with his teacher.

Here is a picture of Peanut on the night we brought the chickens home.

 

[nzpouter]

It can be done... you need consistency, time and common sense. Always remember you got 3 species to educate.

 

[Margot50]

Three species?
Ah.. You mean my husband?
I was glad to hear Dolly's story. My cocker is the sweetest of dogs but sometimes he does do the dog instinctual mind freeze and goes atavistic with me. By the time the chickens are grown he will be fine as they are bigger than he and he is basically a wimp but I will follow the good advice here and use early introduction and careful leash training early on. My mutt dog's first encounter with chickens was unfortunately on a walk at the farm I mentioned n my first post. We were keeping our chickens in a horse trailer at the time and came upon them unexpectedly. Amber dashed around and chased one under the trailer before I knew what was happening, to emerge, after a bit of screaming by yours truly, with a few feathers hanging out of her mouth. The chicken was fine, if a bit traumatized. Amber has since been taught now not to chase hens but I suspect chicks will be another story. She has however figured out that she likes eggs. If she finds one on the ground she nabs it and slinks away. Luckily the cop will be elevated.

 

[Margot50]

coop, no cops involved....

 

[So cal chickens]

i tried the shock collar and it worked and i have a three yr old german shorthaired pointer who likes to chase them but after three vibrations with the collar he left them alone i used to have two boxers and they knew they were not allowed to go near them if i said a stern 'no' to them good luck.