Dogs and Chicks

[magikchick]

I have 3 dogs. Two are mini dachshunds. Stormy my fixed female has been in maternal overdrive since I got the chicks. She wants to clean them and lays on her back in nursing posture next to the box. If the other dogs get too close she tells them to back off.

My golden retriever has been very courious. The other day I had left the door open to the back room where I have them. All At once Reno came tearing out like his tail was on fire. I ran to see what he had been up to. He had taken one of the 2 day old chicks out of the box and put it on the floor. The chick must have started peeping and he got scared. It wasn't hurt just a litte wet.

My other dachshund Kacee is still a puppy and just wants the chicks to play with him.

Marsha

 

[angelz_love]

I have two papillons ( a toy breed) one is a 5 month puppy and the other is much more mellow and 3 years old. I have to have my puppy on a leash when around the chickies but I found my chicken ( 6 weeks) saturday morning in the dog bed sleeping with the oldest! she, pardon the expression 'flew the coop' and decided it cozier to snuggle up in the bed with him. I love my mini city farm: 2 dogs, one cat - deathly afriad of the chickies, 1 lop eared rabbit, 1 jearsey wooly rabbit, 1 barred rock, 2 chickies (i forget theri breed, its like the rooster on looney toons..foghorn leghorn...i dunno)

I simply love seeing them all get along and coexist peacfully!

 

[pipermark]

I would suggest that right from the begining you let the dogs know that they are not play things and are to be left alone.

 

[Queen of the Lilliputians]

We have two dogs, a choc lab and a choc lab mix. When I brought home the box of chicks our choc lab greeted us at the door to say hi and sniff the box. I growled, "no! mine!" at her.. and I think I hurt her feelings! She was sort of sad that whole night, following me around and wanting to be kissed and cuddled. She has looked into the brooder curiously, but has not acted at all predatory (but I'm still being SUPER careful anyway), and actually that first night she was laying next to the box and growled when the cat got too close!

Our other gimpy dog acts interested but like it's too much bother to really check out. Overall for a house that includes 4 cats (no interest in the chicks AT ALL) and 2 dogs <plus two human children>, it's been much easier than I thought. I do keep the chicks locked in the bathroom at night, though. Don't want to have an accident!

-Meghan

 

[Barnyard Dawg]

Our two labs leave the chicks alone when they are outside. But I do use caution; they go to their tractor for the most part. Occasionally one will get out and like I said they don't chase or go after them but they are use to having adult chickens running around freely also.

 

[wlz77]

my 4 pound chihuahua heards up the babies .he makes it much easyer to put them away. but he says away from the roos they now peck at him if he gets to close. i think is thinks he part chicken

 

[millicent]

When we got our chicks, we let my cattle dog smell them often, and when they were big enough to come out we monitored them closely together, and now my dog Haiti is my hero because if the chickens are anywhere on the property i dont want them to be (ie newly seeded lawn) I tell her "Haiti, chickens back home NOW' and she rounds them up and sends them packing. gone are the days of me running around flapping!

On an interesting note, Haiti will not let one of my roos anywhere near the kids, even tho he is only ever near them by accident, just passing through...she heads him off.

 

[boilerjoe_96]

My beagle is the great brown/black/white hunter.... always bringing mice, voles, moles(she loves to dig them up). The cats(3 barn cats) catch mice, birds, chipmunks, even full grown rabbits.

All so far are afraid of the chickens. I have only let 2 of the roosters out while I watch, all 4 animals(3 cats 1 dog) at seperate times went up to sniff Rocky(BR Roo). Rocky eased up to each one...and then pecked on the nose... All animals went running and have since been afraid of the chickens. Rocky is only 9 or 10 weeks old, so he will still get bigger. i do not think my animals will hurt them... but then again I don't take the chance....

 

[pipermark]

Caution - most domesticated dogs do not kill predatorly, they kill in play, take it from someone who has lost 3 flocks, one that would have cost over 450.00 to replace. Most of the time you are dealing with out of control play behavior.

Once they play this game , I dont think you can ever get them to stop. I only allow my chickens out of thier pen when I am present because of Sasha.

I keep Sasha out of their pen with an electrical fence. One that she is constanly testing, I know this because, the fence has been there through 3 bird attacks.
1. one time the batteries ran out
2. branch falling broke the wire
3. Collar failed for some reason, replaced it.

Learned something to , turn the alarm off on collars. I think thats how she tested it. When she approached the fence and didnt hear the sound she knew it was playtime.

 

[kelli120]

I keep my sheppard mix close to the coop and he is very protective of them(and he loves to just sit and watch them play), but I HAVE to keep my rat terrier on the far side of the yard. The RT thinks she is "mother" to all animals. After she had her puppies and they were all placed in homes she was very depressed so I got her a kitten that a lady was giving away.

Within 2 days she started producing milk and was nursing the kitten, and now Kitty is about 3 years old and still shares a house with Bubbles and will pin Kitty down if she thinks she needs a bath! But now Bubbles wants to take care of the chicks, but I don't think things will go as well as before