Getting a few hens in AZ...my dogs, secure coop...advice pls

[reneepren]

Hello. I live in Chandler AZ and have a shady grassy back yard. I am thinking of getting a few hens. However, I have a German Shepherd and a Bull Terrier. And I have feral cats out front. Concern for how dogs will react to hens. Advice re/ training dogs, and secure coop? Hank the shepherd is a rescue and I know he dug out of his ranch in Vegas and chased neighbor's goats. But if I go out front to get paper with him off lead and say "no kitty," he will stop one foot from a cat and stare hard but not go after it. But would want coop he cannot break into...

 

[Zahboo]

I would use hardware cloth and welded wire overlapped and bury it 24" so that he can't dig under. Then, take the door and have good latches. Maybe have the coop raised so that they can run up the ramp and into the coop if he does happen to get in there? As far as training put the chickens in a crate so they are safe and the dog in a crate sothey can see each other but not touch each other.