english shepard dogs

[countrydream7]

have an english shepard pup about 11 wks old getting chickens in spring what should i do to have him be nice to chicks and afraid he is too small to be around my mini horses.

 

[dekel18042]

Congratulations on your excellent choice in dog breeds. Neither my English Shepherd nor my shelties have ever had problems when being introduced to poultry. I've had both guinea fowl and chickens.
One thing I did initially was the babies were in a covered brooder box so I let the dog sniff them and told them they were his to protect.
He's an amazing dog. Once he knows something is ours, it becomes his.
You might try putting the peeps in a crate and letting your puppy sniff them until he gets used to them and then have him on leash for a bit when he is around them until you know how he'll react before letting him lose.

 

[countrydream7]

good advice great idea thanks

 

[centrarchid]

Get an adult rooster now and keep it in close proximity to pup. Standard sized, not bantam or silkie. Then merge chicks with rooster ASAP in spring. Most roosters do well with chicks and juveniles and they can provide younger birds protection from raptors.


My preference is to break pup of bad habits with a bird that can fight back. May also help dog learn chicken lingo which helps with later predator issues. Having pup sleep in close proximity to chickens also strongly advised. You will need to watch dog until nearly two years old before it will truelly settle into a chicken safe mode.

 

[countrydream7]

this is my boy Dakota English shepard just turned 1 yr old in oct. what a great dog love him very much.. had him out with livestock at 6 months old never went for them or killed them so gentle he was with all.. he has lots of energy which I didn't think I cold handle but getting older now and is the perfect gentlemen so glad we have him makes our day ...very smart he is...he guards the property home and livestock..

 

[HighStreetCoop]

Congratulations on your excellent choice in dog breeds. Neither my English Shepherd nor my shelties have ever had problems when being introduced to poultry. I've had both guinea fowl and chickens.
One thing I did initially was the babies were in a covered brooder box so I let the dog sniff them and told them they were his to protect.
He's an amazing dog. Once he knows something is ours, it becomes his.
You might try putting the peeps in a crate and letting your puppy sniff them until he gets used to them and then have him on leash for a bit when he is around them until you know how he'll react before letting him lose.

This is basically what I did with my Mastiff and it worked out wonderfully. He'll give the girls a sniff (and usually get an indignant peck for his impertinence), but otherwise he's totally chill with them which is great.

 

[countrydream7]

wow nice glad it worked for u too.

 

[nantgwynfaen]

This is Gyp our beautiful Welsh Collie. He is amazing with all livestock (though a little afraid of sheep!). He is happy to have baby chicks dangled all over him. When he was a tiny pup he did chase the chicks and did kill one. We left it where he had killed it, covered it in Paprika, and he NEVER went near them again. He is extremely clever, quite amazing, the best dog ever. He has quite a fan club. I had to post a pic of him as his expression and face is so similar to your dog!