English Shepherd as Poultry Guardian

[fisherlady]

Hope the vehicle isn't too bad off.... will be interesting to see what comes in to the carcass

 

[centrarchid]

Somebody is sharing the carcass with four dogs. They are taking far more than they can eat as collected. I think they are caching the meat somewhere.

 

[centrarchid]

Deer carcass roughly half consumed. Dogs not wanting to share with crows nor the American Dominique football team. Dogs not patrolling as much based on game cameras. They are staying back to defend carcass.

 

[centrarchid]

Pup coming into heat. Not wanting to breed yet so got to get on the stick to have her isolated.

 

[aart]

Pup coming into heat. Not wanting to breed yet so got to get on the stick to have her isolated.

Oh.What.Fun.

 

[centrarchid]

Carcass will not last 14 days when consumed by four dogs, 4 American Crows, and 6 American Dominique cockerels.

 

[centrarchid]

A interesting mystery last night.

Pup brought to porch the carcass of a chicken. A white Leghorn hen / pullet with head area missing. I do not have such. Nearest neighbor does not have such unless he got it very recently. Another neighbor nearly 1/2 mile away might have them. I have heard massacres go on at his place more than once but I have not seen evidence for him keeping the birds free-range. My dogs do not get over that way at all as they stay on reservation very well. The football team (six Dominique cockerels) are suspects as well as they come up into yard where dead chicken found.

Will try to determine source and way it came to be at our house this weekend.

 

[fisherlady]

I like that she brought it in to you rather than sneaking off somewhere to eat it. Seems she understood it wasn't right.

 

[aart]

Will try to determine source and way it came to be at our house this weekend.

Wonder if pred that killed it brought it close to you?

 

[centrarchid]

Pup had intention of eating it. I voiced displeasure and she seemed to loose most interest in the carcass. In the end, I am OK with her eating it so long as parts do not left in areas I do not want them.

Another predator could have been involved. Remains are on upper size range that a Great-horned Owl carry any distance in flight. My owls do hunt over closest neighbor, but I do not know if they hunt over next closest neighbors. A fox could be involved as my dogs have stolen their caches many times before. Fox option does not fit well because they usually cache kills relatively close to kill sight in my experience. Another dog could have packed bird a long ways and forced to drop it by my dogs.

Closest neighbor with chickens does not appear to have them any more. That is a change in the last month. I do not recall him having leghorns of any sort. The next closest neighbor that is more than 1/2 mile away and well beyond where my dogs go does have one White Leghorn hen, but he said she is present and in good shape at time of my visit this evening. Next closest neighbor with chickens I know of is a mile away. Will approach them tomorrow.