Dogs that kill weasels but not chickens?

[birdfunaddict]

I bred labrador retrievers for years and abutted one of their runs against my hen's run and coop area. Being bird dogs, they never once bothered my hens because they were so used to them. I was rural. Every week (if not night/day) I had the usual in our 1 acre yard for our area (backed up to 25+ acres of redwood forest)...black bear, mountain lion, deer, skunk, racoon, possum, bobcat, fox, eagles, hawks, falcons and feral cats. The labs were EXCELLENT at keeping most all at bay. The coons and possums were the worst for me in that area when it came to my girls. However, I sold all and moved to the valley in Santa Barbara County where the raptors, coons and weasels have been the worst. We have a TON of weasels and they come ANY time of day or night via the bunny and ground squirrel underground mazes. I have solar powered automatic openers with dual battery back-ups to ensure I NEVER have them out at night. My husband is a contractor so their coop is fort knox and they have free range during the day. The crows are amazing and keep all others away during the day since they nest in the tree populous surrounding our property. They take on anything they see as a threat...including the weasels.

 

[ThatUserNameAlreadyTaken]

Maybe there's no "best" breed for this, I don't know. I know that some people keep large guard dogs to protect themselves and their animals, and that they recommend specific breeds that are better than others.

For instance, so far I have never seen anyone recommend a Chihuahua.

I just figured people at backyard chickens.com would be most likely to have some experience with dogs that don't attack their chickens but do attack small predators like rats and weasels.

I wondered if anyone has had a rat terrier that didn't attack their birds?

If your area has raccoons and/or coyote .... I wouldn't recommend a rat terrier, for that dog's sake. No dog is safe from 'yotes, as they'll pack attack the largest and most ferocious breed. But, even solo, a coon will make short work of a small terrier.

 

[Maxine Green]

Start with an even tempered herding dog, and it works beautifully. I put my chickens up at night, sometimes I need to put them up early my gentle dogs herd them better and faster than I ever could.

Most importantly be aware of the dogs temperament, I have one with a very high prey drive that I keep near me when chickens, rabbits or kittens are out roaming, to keep every body safe. However when every body is still up in the morning and after being put up in the evening, he has full run of the place. I live in a rural area with raccoons, weasels, coyotes, and big cats roaming in all the nearby land and have never had an invader.

 

[ackie]

I definitely think locking them up at night - or teaching them to actually roost in trees, though I suspect that is either intuitive or it isn't - is going to be a much faster, cheaper, and easier solution than training a dog to cue in on weasels but not chickens. I would suggest keeping the birds locked up for a week all day and night and then start letting them out during the day. If they dont go back to the coop to sleep, lock them up for longer until they're consistent about it.

 

[bobbi-j]

I definitely think locking them up at night - or teaching them to actually roost in trees, though I suspect that is either intuitive or it isn't - is going to be a much faster, cheaper, and easier solution than training a dog to cue in on weasels but not chickens. I would suggest keeping the birds locked up for a week all day and night and then start letting them out during the day. If they dont go back to the coop to sleep, lock them up for longer until they're consistent about it.

Roosting in trees does not protect them from Great Horned Owls or raccoons, opossums or other climbing predators.

 

[Finally chickens!]

My daughter's Italian Greyhound was death on weasels and never even looked at the chickens. I have a Rat Terrier who is great with the chickens and kills mice. We haven't see a weasel in a while.

 

[ackie]

Roosting in trees does not protect them from Great Horned Owls or raccoons, opossums or other climbing predators.

I dunno I've lost more birds in pens than in trees as far as I can tell.

 

[Ancient]

It depends on the individual dog and training. I have several dogs but my one (border collie/husky /Bernese) spends hours a day searching the property for rats and vermin and kills them. He doesn't bother my poultry/livestock

 

[bobbi-j]

I dunno I've lost more birds in pens than in trees as far as I can tell.

I had a flock that roosted in trees for a very short time. Then I started finding headless chicken bodies under said trees. The GHO had found them and cleaned them out in short order. I’ve also lost chickens in coops and pens, but I can figure out where the predator gets in and fix the problem.

 

[ackie]

I had a flock that roosted in trees for a very short time. Then I started finding headless chicken bodies under said trees. The GHO had found them and cleaned them out in short order. I’ve also lost chickens in coops and pens, but I can figure out where the predator gets in and fix the problem.

oh I've definitely never found a dead chicken from those who roost in trees. (dead broody peahens, yes ), but I'm not willing to say there can't have been a situation where a loose chicken was killed and the whole body was dragged off because that's entirely possible.

I'm not saying it's fool proof by any means and I suggest against it if each of your birds has a name & is a pet, but i let my birds choose where they sleep, and i have a handful in trees and a handful in the coop where I close the door every night. And I keep an eye out when younger chickens start roosting loose, and if they're too low, I move them. There was an annoying couple weeks where 10+ birds decided that the fence right outside the coop was good roosting space and I had to move them all into the coop every night.