English Shepherd as Poultry Guardian

[centrarchid]

Feed currently used is a sheep starter / grower pellet and shelled corn. My chickens are up for that now, but may lose interest when it warms up.

 

[NatJ]

Feed currently used is a sheep starter / grower pellet and shelled corn. My chickens are up for that now, but may lose interest when it warms up.

Why don't you want the chickens eating that?

Wrong nutrients for the chickens?
More expensive than the chicken food?

 

[JacinLarkwell]

Why don't you want the chickens eating that?

Wrong nutrients for the chickens?
More expensive than the chicken food?

At least here, it's a few dollars more a bag for sheep feed since it goes through a copper removal process (sheep can't have copper or it will kill them in doses every other animal needs to survive)

 

[centrarchid]

The herd with too much over priced hay. Smaller hogget is open.

 

[centrarchid]

Honey and Pup Pup digging for voles. Dominique hens looking for greens and bugs. Buck brush goat has not found yet. She pounds that stuff down.

 

[centrarchid]

Fencing still needs to be tightened up. Flo is like a hog finding places that can be forced. The dogs already know how to get between any points inside and outside fence by running back through gate.

 

[centrarchid]

We preparing for first winter weather even moving pens and placing more vulnerable birds in barn. Pup Pup really wants to herd released birds as pens moved. She is getting better though. Two American Dominiques, hen and a cock, were put in paddock with sheep and goat to clean up spilt grain and disperse trampled into ground. The chickens are more scared of sheep than of Pup Pup. Chickens ran to Pup Pup because sheep would not approach then.

 

[centrarchid]

We had three raptors come through that I saw today. First was a Red-shouldered hawk that was talking a lot in display against neighbor. Second was adult Bald Eagle flying no more than 30 feet high. Chickens did not care and for once neither did dogs. Last was an adult male Coopers Hawk making a run on songbirds roosting in bamboo patch. Hundreds, I mean hundreds of songbirds are roosting in that stuff. I think a smallish owl is even staying in there most of the time. Going through there at night is a sure way to get pooped on a lot.

 

[centrarchid]

I'm going to get an English Shepherd on the cheap and train him up. Nobody likes his color.

 

[NatJ]

I'm going to get an English Shepherd on the cheap and train him up. Nobody likes his color.

Whar color is he?