Dogs good with chickens

[sushicat2000]

Hi everyone! I really want a dog but I need a breed good with chickens. Any suggestions? Thanks!

 

[SFlChicks]

Our dog, Lacy, is a lot of breeds, but you can see the Ridgeback, and Vizsla in her. Given where she was found, the probably has some pit bull in her, too, but it's not dominant. If she was a hunter, she would be a bird dog. (No irony intended.) She has a very gentle mouth, is protective, and smart.

What size dog are you considering? My parents had a Shih Tzu that got along with them as well, but he was an older dog. Good luck!

 

[sourland]

The best dog with chickens is one that is properly trained regardless of breed.

 

[sushicat2000]

Thank you! I would love a medium sized dog and really like pit bulls but I'm not sure if they would do well around chickens. I've heard good and bad stories about pit bulls with chickens.

 

[sourland]

There are many on here who use pitbulls as flock guardians with excellent results. Individual temperment of the dog is important, but training is essential.

 

[landryschickens]

we had akitas growing up that did realy well- not as much hunter instinct or chase instinct as alot of shepards or hunting breeds, but not as much inclination to wander off or let the chickens, ect get eaten as some dogs- that being said, i agree with the previous post, it depends on the dogs temperment- but id certinly look for a gaurdian breed so you dont have to work around the dogs nature. I personaly havnt had good luck with pitbulls and livestock (although they do make great people dogs when raised with love ) they tend (in my experience)to play too rough- but our neighbor has a pit that we've babysat the last 8months that has been totaly great around the animals, she is TOTALY calm around them. It realy is the time invested working with the dog WITH the animals its expected to coexist with. I love my husbands blackmouthed mountain curr to death and he gaurds the pens, but if a chicken gets out its history. i wouldnt recomend ANY dogs bred to hunt birds or chase sheep or game- its just too hard to train them, they always have that instinct. so anyway thats all just my opinion, dont know if it helped! goodluck finding your future dog!

 

[cuppycake]

As others have said, training is key. Every dog is an individual and may not have a temperament typical of it's breed either. I would, however, take a breed's "purpose" into consideration when looking at dogs. Sighthounds (greyhound, whippet, saluki, etc) would probably be a poor choice as they have the desire to chase anything that moves, especially small "fluffy" things.) Same goes for most terrier breeds.

We have several dogs. I have Chinese Cresteds who I do NOT let around the chickens. They'd snap up a little chick in an instant but then get beat up by an adult chicken. They're tiny, but they don't seem to realize that. They think they can take on the horse too, LOL. My husband's dog is a Catahoula Leopard Dog, a breed bred and developed to hunt/herd feral hogs and cattle and pretty much any other critter you need either chased up a tree or subdued by baying and biting. Our houla has killed raccoons, rabbits, and once a coyote. What amazes me about him is that with almost no training when we first got him at 8 months old (free to good home ad, poor guy, better off now) he naturally took to our livestock. He shows little to no interest in the chickens, turkeys, or goats. He's a little afraid of the horse and donkey. The only thing he seems to get keyed up over is our rabbits, but he's learning to stay away from the hutches. That being said, I would NEVER trust him to be left alone with any of the other animals. He's a decently sized, powerful and headstrong dog and I never want him to be put into a situation where his instincts take over and he hurts or kills one of our animals.

 

[cdavis76]

I have a female German Shepherd that is excellent with my chickens....I let her go inside pens with me and she just lays down and watches them and has even herded them inside the coop at dusk for me. I could not ask for a better dog to have with my chickens.

 

[cary 1973]

you cant really say this breed will be good and this one will be bad as every dog is diffrent I have a pit mix who is awsome with my chickens and my pet rats. my lab is good also with them and my samoyed tollerates them but he watches over them its his job he takes serously. I suggest a puppy would be easier to start with teach it young no to the chickens but an older dog can work too you just have to make sure you take over the alpha postion right away and take time to teach older dog.

this is my pit mix with my chickens notice lilly is standing on candii, I just made our chickens part of the pack and the dogs execpt them.

 

[WFA]

I have a great pyrenese and he is awesome with our chicken, ducks, turkeys, quail etc... He runs around with them and never tries to harm them. He is a bigger dog but is just a great all around farm dog. We only have 2 acres but he owns them protects the flock very well.