HElp my dog started killing my chickens

[TheOddOneOut]

Yeah, sure, back in the day that dog would have been shot for killing chickens. It was brutal but a lot better than being killed. Dad saved his bird dog and it left the chickens alone.

Yeah, it was covered in blood and smelled for a few weeks. Out in its kennel. And yes, the idea came from a training book in the sixties and it was quite effective. So yes it was done, yes it worked and I doubt that anyone cares what kind of dog you have. Whether people want to do it or not is up to them so don't attack people for offering suggestions.

Well guess what? Now, we aren’t shooting pet dogs who make the mistake of chasing/hunting birds. This method is cruel, simply disgusting, and not at ALL helpful to suggest to the OP.

 

[LaFleche]

I am so sad, devastated, hurt... so many feelings. I’ve had my chickens for over a year. They always hang out together with no issues, my chickens will even rest close to my dog. Last week I woke up to find feathers everywhere and the legs of one of my chickens. I thought an opossum killed it and that the dog was just taking advantage of the meat. But today I saw on my cameras my 6 year old mallinois get into the coop area and grab the rooster I don’t know how he escaped but my poor Debbie she wasn’t that lucky I found her laying dead on the grass. I am very sad I don’t know what to do to change my dog’s sudden behavior and I also don’t know what to do with Debbie’s corpse (should I bury it?) I am beyond sad and confused Debbie was one on my super layers and a favorite . Please help me with any tips info whatever I’m too sad I’m literally crying. I put a lot on effort on raising my girls. She didn’t deserve to die like this.

Could it be that the rooster was abusing Debbie trying to mate and the dog intervened to stop him?

I have seen my dogs getting agitated and trying to intervene when an unwilling hen screams bloody murder. And a rooster is able to break a hens neck while trying to force himself on her.

I am sorry you lost your beloved Debbie and I think you should bury her where no critters can get to her.

 

[centrarchid]

Could it be that the rooster was abusing Debbie trying to mate and the dog intervened to stop him?

I have seen my dogs getting agitated and trying to intervene when an unwilling hen screams bloody murder. And a rooster is able to break a hens neck while trying to force himself on her.

I am sorry you lost your beloved Debbie and I think you should bury her where no critters can get to her.

I agree with much of your positions on dogs although what hurts your credibility with me in a big way is the statement in bold above.

 

[MissE]

I have an electric poultry fence around my coop in the summer. Early last spring, my puppy got away from me and managed to wound one hen enough that I had to put her down and defeather the back half of my rooster before a could catch the little jerk. It was a beautiful, muddy, day and I let the chickens out for a couple hours so the could get some exercise. The ground was still frozen so I couldn't hook the fence up yet. Once the fence was up, I wandered down there with the dog. One zap, and he won't even look at the chickens. Same with my other two GSDs. Never met a GSD I would trust around a chicken. Now they have a run attached to their coop, but the fence gives them a large area to roam for the nice part of the year.

 

[RainbowHen]

A correction collar is an effective tool. You have every right to be emotional. This is a very tough thing to go through I would highly recommend predator proofing your run.

 

[roosterhavoc]

Could it be that the rooster was abusing Debbie trying to mate and the dog intervened to stop him?

I have seen my dogs getting agitated and trying to intervene when an unwilling hen screams bloody murder. And a rooster is able to break a hens neck while trying to force himself on her.

I am sorry you lost your beloved Debbie and I think you should bury her where no critters can get to her.

Where are you getting this stuff from? You mentioned in another thread about heavy roosters snapping bones and injuring hens while mating according to vet findings. Come on. I have never once seen anything close. If a hens neck ends up broken it’s because the rooster kicked her.

 

[HappyClucker7]

I'm so sorry about your birds.
From now on, don't let your dog near your chickens unless he is on a leash. Put electric fencing around your coop, and don't let the dog out without supervision.
How is your dog's recall? If he doesn't come every time you call, you should definitely work on that.
You should also teach him the "leave it" command. There are lots of tutorials on youtube that will show you how to do that.

 

[LaFleche]

Where are you getting this stuff from? You mentioned in another thread about heavy roosters snapping bones and injuring hens while mating according to vet findings. Come on. I have never once seen anything close. If a hens neck ends up broken it’s because the rooster kicked her.

No, you got this mixed up.

I mentioned in another thread the vets findings on injured inner organs caused by violent and aggressive roosters and being heavy and aggressive the risk is higher.

And just because you did not (yet) yourself witnessed it happening it does not mean that it did not happen to someone else or with their animals.

Many years ago I have seen some of my own roosters accidentally breaking an unwilling hens neck when trying aggressively to mate.

And one of my own La Flèche roosters intentionally broke the neck of my own young Marans cockerel as I was just standing some feet away discussing his aggressive behaviour as he had been continually stalking the other cockerels and roosters for some days prior to this incident. I culled him the same day as this is a trait I will not have and even less breed in my flocks.

Talking to fellow members of the several poultry breeders associations and clubs I have been a member of, I learned that this sad experience is no exception but happened to others as well.

 

[LaFleche]

I agree with much of your positions on dogs although what hurts your credibility with me in a big way is the statement in bold above.

I wonder how you will so easily question the credibility of a fellow chicken breeder just because you obviously did not (yet) witness an incident like this yourself thus lacking the personal experience.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...ted-killing-my-chickens.1419728/post-23406291

 

[centrarchid]

I wonder how you will so easily question the credibility of a fellow chicken breeder just because you obviously did not (yet) witness an incident yourself thus lacking the personal experience.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...ted-killing-my-chickens.1419728/post-23406291

My assertion stands