dogs as gaurds for the flock

[ChickieNikki]

I have an almost-2-year-old Anatolian/Maremma mix. They're both mountain flock guard dogs. Mine was raised with sheep and lived with chickens wandering around. She spent her first year and a half in a pasture guarding the sheep. She loves people and kept leaving the pasture to hang out on the porch of the farmhouse. They gave her to us, and she is great with the chickens, and is a wonderful guard dog. She stays up all night, patrols the yard, barks occasionally, and patrols during the day as well. Our coop is open at night and we live where there are coyote, racoons and other chicken predators close by, and have never had a single chicken go missing. We also have not smelled skunk since we got her, so she's barking them away, too!

If you get a puppy, get a breed that has a very low/no prey drive. If you get an older dog, get one that has spent its life with livestock, especially chickens.

Good luck!

 

[bawkbawkbawk]

I don't know if she considers herself a guard, per se, but I've seen my Golden run our cats off when they get too close to the chickens. She seems to kind of understand that they are vulnerable and that we care about them.

And she knows she is not supposed to think about chicken dinner when she's with them. But then, we already knew that Goldens are perfect

 

[Andi]

I think any dog has the potential to let their predator instinct to get away from them. It might be as simple as a game of chase gone bad. I've heard, and it makes sense, that with a guardian type dog that is raised with chickens that the chances are greatly improved to have a coexistence.

My 3 dogs were all adults when I got my chickens, so I'm playing it on the safe side. My Golden Retreiver has shown no interest in the chickens what-so-ever, and we have allowed him to be out in the yard when the chickens are free ranging - while we are out there with them.

Because we knew the dogs would alert us of anything showing too much interest in the chickens, we decided to put the chicken coop and run right next to the kennel. Its worked beautifully. We are surrounded by neighbors with dogs and been alerted several times. Because the dogs are so close we haven't had issues with coons or hawks either (knocks on wood).

The 3 dogs we have are getting up there in years. Once they have pasted away I have every intention of getting a pup that will be more likely to be chicken friendly and raise it with frequent contact. I still won't trust it alone with the chickens. Its a mistake I'm just not willing to take.

Good luck with what ever you decide to do.

 

[ConchRepublic]

I'm thinking about once I get my flock a little bigger, raising a puppy that either just weaned, or is in the process of weaning, with the flock so that it grows up with the birds and MOST LIKELY (not a definite but a probably) would see the flock as his/her pack so that it will help protect the birds.


Also has anyone ever thought of using sheepdog tactics to bring in wandering free range flocks or to help bring them in at night? The idea came to me because I have a smart little papillion I might be able to train to do sheepdog-like herding, though she wont be any good when my new roo gets here cause it will be bigger than her lol.

 

[gsim]

An American Pit Bull dog is a quiet dog and can be out at night because of that trait. Whether or not one can be a good flock dog is the question. Males are very territorial and will mark all over the property. In fact if I have male dogs, I always install galvanized fencing around my evergreens to keep the dog from burning it up with his urine.

They may kill other dogs that intrude. They are not naturally hostile to humans and are not the best guard dog for anyone looking for protection from human troublemakers prowling around, unless that troublemaker turns on the owner, then the guy might as well be fighting a tiger.

 

[ruth]

Rex is always watching the sky for hawks:

Scarlett works the coop in the evenings when they return. She breaks up roo fights or will pull them off the screaming hens they tend to jump, she follows the babies around, and watches everyone get on the roosts:

The two German Shepherds are truly great dogs.

Addicus, our Great Pyrenees, is also showing traits of being a great LGD. He especially goes into work mode during the night by barking and patrolling the perimeter. We've learned to be able to sleep through his deep barks.

 

[Rafter 7 Paint Horses]

This is Sadie with some of the pups she has, that ready to wean now. She has her litters in the chicken house, she is a Blue Heeler/ Border Collie mix. This litter was sired by my Great Pyrenees. Sadie's puppies live with the chickens until they are ready to wean, then they move to the goat pen if they are not sold at weaning time.

This was there first trip outside in the run, they weren't too sure about it.

This is one of her previous litters that were sired by the neighbors dog, who dug her out of the chicken yard to have some "puppy love"
I'm so glad he doesn't bother the chickens either. With this litter, there was one Red Star Sex Link hen that insisted in laying her egg in the puppies "nest". I got an egg a day from under the pups.

Sadie lives with the chickens. I rotate her between the 2 biggest coops. These coops are open all the time, so the chickens come and go as they please from the coop to the run. When she doesn't have pups, I let her out for the day a few times a week so she can run and get all her excess energy out of her system. She loves to play fetch and to be loved on. She is a natural mother. She took care of a goat kid that I had to bring into the house one year. She has adopted and nursed puppies that were not hers.

We just got some bottle baby kids, and DH said we need to watch her, she will have them nursing if we aren't careful! She has dug a hole already big enough for the pups to get in with the kids, just not big enough for her.
Tonight when we went out to feed the kids, 5 of the 7 pups were curled up with the kids sleeping.
She passes this loving trait on to all her pups, but it is especially strong in the Pyrenees crosses.

Jean

 

[bawkbawkbawk]

Ruth - those Shepherds look like AMAZING dogs!!!!!

 

[catdaddy66]

Those shepherds ARE amazing! the best dog I have ever owned was a 9-10 y/o GS that was given to me after suffering years of abuse and neglect. He weighed 60 #'s when he was supposed to weigh 90 #'s +. He had an x-ray at the vet that revealed buckshot in his hindquarters from sometime in his youth. I brought him home, bathed, fed and brushed him. He soon relaxed and was the most dedicated protector of the family...he even growled at my brother once! That dog would even help w/ yardwork
Once we were cleaning up underbrush and we tried to pull some thick vines out of a tree. Woo (the GS) grabbed the vine by mouth and began helping us pull the vine! Think tug-of-war. We only had him 10 months and had to put him down due to kidney failure. His grave is in my oriental garden and is the only marked burial spot for any of my animals. We still miss him

 

[ruth]

Quote:
That's sad but it's great he lived out his last 10 months in a happy place - much better than his first 10 years. They are great dogs. Rex will go get the paper (from the mailbox) and carry in the groceries from the car.