German Shepperd killed chicken

[Lily21]

We have a German Shepperd dog that will be 2 in November. He was raised since he was 5 months old with our chickens. I have caught him once trying to play with one of our Faverolles that is blind. I scolded him and he never has tried that I know of to play with them again. He is a big lug and is a very calm dog. We had a Silkie Bantam that went blind but was doing well each day. I would bring her out to the grass area so she could eat and she would always make her way back to the coop where she felt the safest. My daughter saw her by the dog in an area where she does not normally go and 5 minutes later my husband came home and said the dog has a chicken in his mouth. We look out and he is on his back playing with her, he broke her neck. He did not tear into her at all. The other chickens scatter when he comes near, but she and the other girls that are blind, (we have 2 Faverolles that are blind), don't run from him. We have an in-ground fence and the dog cannot go by the chicken coop, but the chickens are free to go wherever they want. They also try and eat his food and he chases them away when this happens. I always scold him when he does this, but I can see his point in not wanting them to eat his food. He is not a savage killer, I think he just wanted to play with her

and didn't mean to hurt her. Am I right in my assumption?

 

[enola]

If he was guarding his food and the blind hen wandered near, that could be the motive. Even my chihuaha would attack a chicken that wandered near her food bowl.

 

[Lily21]

No she wasn't near his food when the incident happened.

 

[tcstoehr]

No one will ever really know that but the dog himself. But it doesn't really matter since playing = killing. You have to treat this as a hostile dog situation.

 

[bobbi-j]

I'm guessing that you are right in assuming that your dog was just playing with the chicken and not trying to kill it. Your best bet is to try to contain the two other blind chickens so they can't get near the dog. (How is it you ended up with 3 blind chickens in the first place?) Even better if all the chickens were kept from the dog, but the blind ones for sure as they can't get away if the dog decides to play with them, too.

 

[Ol Grey Mare]

No one will ever really know that but the dog himself. But it doesn't really matter since playing = killing. You have to treat this as a hostile dog situation.

Agreed - motive doesn't matter as the end result is the same regardless. You need to rethink your management of the animals involved and look at it from preventative steps - meaning if resource guarding by the dog is the issue you need to arrange things so that he doesn't need to do so -- keeping the dog's food and the chickens apart is going to go a long way for all involved to live more happily together. It is even more important when you take on the responsibility of special needs animals as you have to be doubly sure you take the steps to prevent their impairments from being a safety hazard for them.

 

[Lily21]

We ordered the 3 Faveroles from the same company and they all have eye issues. They were my daughters 4-H project. I know other people who have ordered from this same company and they also have a blind Faverole. The feather coloring is totally off on these birds also. The Silkie was not blind when we got her, but slowly started having issues. My husband thinks that the dog did her a favor since she is blind and says she was suffering because of it. I closely watch the dog all the time and make sure his is behaving but I can't be there 100% of the time. When I am gone I leave the chickens in the run where they are safe.

 

[bobbi-j]

Wow - I hope you notified the company and got your money back. I know I'd never get another bird from them! It sounds like you're doing the best you can to keep the chickens safe, though, and your dog from getting into trouble. I know it's not always possible to prevent things from happening. I agree with your husband that the dog did your chicken a favor.

 

[LI chickie]

I have a 5yr old WGSD and she has a very high prey drive. My chicks are 4 weeks old. I've only let My dog sniff the chicks twice now. I took her sheep herding and she's very good but typical GSD traits of being mouthy. She play bows at the crate but she could easily hurt or kill them so I'm proceeding with caution.
Sorry you lost your chick I'm sure it was an accident.

 

[drumstick diva]

It's true that you can't watch your dog every minute but, that is why either he needs to be locked up securely or they do. Dogs + chickens = dead chickens, whether he wanted to play or not is a moot question. The chicken is still dead. Special needs animals have to have safe areas to be in or should be confined where they are safe. Poor thing didn't even have a chance to run or hide. Your sighted chickens wouldn't do much better if he intended to play with them. His sheer size alone makes him a liability