Got a new dog

[Chickfever]

I've read the posts about training dogs not to bother the chickens, but I'm wondering if anyone here has a bird dog that leaves the chickens alone? She's 5 months old.

 

[Bec]

I don't have a bird dog, but it will take a lot of time and patients on your end. I have a doberman who thinks he is a bird dog, he is slowly getting better but at a year old still has a lot to learn. I think that they just have a hard time getting past the flapping, running and noises.

 

[Mojo Chick'n]

Not sure about a full blooded bird dog, I have a beagle spaniel mix mutt (mostly has beagle characteristics) who loves the chickens. He looks out for them - sometimes he'll follow them just to see them run - mostly he does this with the guineas, because they're so easy to mess with - but he doesn't attack, just lays down and wags his tail when they scoot.

However, if my other dog, a yellow lab mix, comes near them, he growls at her - normally these two are inseparable, so long as Lily (lab mix) stays away from HIS chickens.

They both love the baby chirps the most - when I have a box of fuzzies they both whine to see inside.

I got the chickens when the beagle mix was a pup (maybe 2 months old) - the lab mix was about 6 years old. The beagle mix started out VERY interested in them, but he knows the word "NO!" and it didn't take many of those for him to learn that chickens are ok to watch, just not chase (or worse).

The lab mix was never much interested in them - but then she is a very lazy, self absorbed doggie, LOL. She probably figured with so many easy treats around, catching chickens would be too much work for her.

Good luck. I'm sure it can be done (training the pup not to chase or harm the chickens) it just may take longer with some dogs than others. I got lucky, hope you do too.

edited for spelling - dogs don't have tales - or if they do, they always mess up the punchline.

Peace -
Meriah

 

[Chickfever]

She's full blooded and is already pointing so I'm hoping she will do okay. Funny thing.....she got loose last night (this part DEFINITELY wasn't funny, I was out till midnight looking for her and found her in my backyard up the hill this morning). I had put her in our old chicken coop & run. When dh told me she was missing, I went out and looked again in the run & coop and there were two chickens roosting in there. Now the run door was closed and the fence was just bent a little where the dog climbed out. The neighbors heard the dog whining around 8:30. We figure the chickens went to roost, flew over the fence, walked by her went inside and then in her attempt to get out, she closed that door. The run door is the ONLY way they could have gotten in and the dog was the ONLY thing in the run that could have knocked that door down. So MAYBE there is hope.

She's so friendly and I'm in love

but NOTHING messes with my chickens.

 

[gaited horse]

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[SterlingAcres]

My father has an english setter that's good with turkeys. It's possible. Congrats on the new addition

 

[Chickfever]

This one is an English Setter. We had one before and she never even looked at the chickens.....of course she stayed tied up

and we gave her away because I was too afraid she'd attack my chickens if I let her go. She was 4 years old. I'm hoping since this one is young she might be okay. The only problem is that she has GREAT bloodlines so..... Did he have to train him/her to leave the turkeys alone?

LOL I'll get some pics when I can find my camera

. I never can keep up with it

but I think my kids move it around all the time

.

 

[mainchick]

please post pics!! I work with dogs!! I love dogs and chickens!! My golden Retriever is very good with my chickens and so are my chihuahuas. (The chickens far outweigh the chi's though.) You need to be firm and clear that the chickens are a part of the family and do not tolerate any kind of chasing or charging. The dogs learn very quickly!! Teaching the "leave it" command was very helpful in my house. Good luck.

 

[Small Town Girl]

I just got a 10 m.o. lab mix from the local shelter and I have been slowly introducing him to my 4 chicks. So far, he has been interested, but hasn't shown any aggression towards them. Mostly he wants to eat their poop.

My shar pei, however, constantly worries about the chicks and wants to go check on them all the time. She seems inclined to mother them, although she has sort of bitten at them once or twice. (It was more like something she'd do towards a puppy rather than something she'd want to eat.)

I would suggest exposing your pup to the chicks as much as possible and use positive reinforcement to let her know that the chicks are members of the family, not squeaky toys. BUT - given that she is a bird dog, I don't think I'd ever leave her alone with your chickens. Better to be safe, than chicken-less.

 

[featherfooted]

It's possible to have a purebred bird dog around chickens. We have an English Setter that is 11 years old and she doesn't bother the chickens at all. I didn't get chickens till 3 years ago and she has never bothered them even when they free range. She does keep the mice down in the coop (to her their are fast food). She is from hunting stock and will hunt anything from rabbits to dove, but has never hunted the chickens. I guess she knows that they are mine, not wild. Here is a picture of her and the chickens.