"Egg Sucking Dog"

[sparkles2307]

Our mini dachshund has the run of the farmyard each day while we are gone to work. The ducks started laying last week, and she's been eating the eggs! Short of penning the ducks up with the chickens (I dont want to do this because the ducks make suck a mess out of the pen and hog the water) what are some of the ways you have cured a dog of this behavior?

 

[SillyChicken]

Pen the dog up and only let him out when you can watch him. If he goes after the eggs, correct him. (I like e-collars for this kind of thing). Best way to stop the behavior is catch them in the act.

Would it hurt to spray bitter apple on the eggs? If it wouldn't hurt the birds/eggs, try that.

 

[sparkles2307]

I will try the spray. Thanks.

 

[oneflmanatee]

What about when the eggs hatch? He might get after the babies! Be very careful!

 

[sparkles2307]

She does eat the babies, we have to keep her penned up till they are big enough to not fit thru the fence! Shes a naughty girl. I am going to take one of the duck eggs that she poked a hole in b4 I got it away from her and inject it with hot buffalo wing sauce to see if that will teach her anything.

 

[viejachula1]

My schnauzer has been eating the eggs, busted him today. I went online and bought a half dozen wooden eggs, so I ca retrain my hens to lay in their coop where they should be laying, and then the eggs will be out of reach. We can hardly blame the dog for finding a little treat that is so tasty, and helping himself. I mean, they only see us talking them, so what can't they!?!? Lol! :/

 

[emunches]

I found out that my husband was giving the dogs an egg when he was going out to collect them. I should have first mentioned that he has no experience with livestock or poultry. So I got home and I saw him up at the coop, so I went up there only to find that he was throwing the eggs down for the dogs to eat. Oh did I mention that the hens were still running about. Of course they ran the dogs off so they could eat the egg. I explained to him that the hens would start egg eating, so he stopped. Then he just started handing an egg to the dogs to eat. Since it comes from his hand (I think) my dogs don't go after eggs, they just hang around and wait for us to hand them one. My parent's hunting dogs go out into their orchard and "fetch" eggs. They find eggs on the porch, in perfect condition. It's actually pretty funny. They will fetch their chickens also, unharmed. They are trying to teach them the difference between the chickens and game birds. The chickens have actually gotten used to them. They just squat down and let them pick em up. Our bird dogs have such gentle mouths that the chickens are not harmed or scared.

 

[BadScorpio]

That is a cute story.