HELP! My dog wants to eat my chickens!

[centrarchid]

Do both train dog and upgrade perimeter fencing. You have barely begun with the training bit and will need to get control over dog first. With respect to training, that is doable with likely any dog although effort can vary greatly. The fencing still needs to be addressed because other threats will not be your dog but they can be stopped physically blocking access.

 

[newbie32]

Thank you

 

[newbie32]

I just went outside to assess my measure of action and check on my little chickens. There are RED ANTS EVERYWHERE! I brought them bread yesterday and they only ate some and left the rest. Why are they not eating the ants?? I thought chickens ate any kind of bug.

 

[centrarchid]

Some ants, especially the red ones are nocturnal.

 

[newbie32]

Some ants, especially the red ones are nocturnal.

They are red ants, but so are crickets and they eat those right? Will they hurt my chickens?

 

[chickengeorgeto]

If you wired a festering chicken carcass to the dog's collar and harness where he or another dog couldn't get to it, then let the chicken rot off, all bets are canceled. However dog is almost sure to forever more be sick of the smell of chicken, and maybe you will be as well.

Disclaimer, I have never used this method but my grand fathers did and they both swore by it.

 

[newbie32]

If you wired a festering chicken carcass to the dog's collar and harness where he or another dog couldn't get to it, then let the chicken rot off, all bets are canceled. However dog is almost sure to forever more be sick of the smell of chicken, and maybe you will be as well.

Disclaimer, I have never used this method but my grand fathers did and they both swore by it.

That sounds like it would get my dog sick

 

[chickengeorgeto]

Ants are high in acid. OK, I know this because in the 5th grade I once ate some ants to impress a girl that I was sweet on.

Maybe your chickens think that the ants are bird resistant grain sorghum instead of bugs.

 

[Mrs Rebecca]

buy a roll of wire at least two feet high. Lay it flat on the ground all around your coop. Get some stiff wires and put a hook at the top, then drive them in to hold the wire in place. I used rebar on mine and hog ringed the ground wire to the run wire. Think something like tent stakes, only longer. This will help keep your lil' digger from excavating the coop.

Some dogs have a very high prey drive and never "get over it". You might not ever train him to leave the chickens alone. It's always worth a try though.

Here is the story of my chicken killer.

http://www.backyardherds.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=24453

You can also buy landscaping staples. They are giant staples made to hold down landscaping cloths or fabrics. I have had to put down chicken wire, to keep my dog inside the fenced in backyard. I just rolled the wire along the fence, in your case, along the outside of the coop, and then fastened it down with the staples. They work well for making sure the edges don't curl up. After fastening down the chicken wire, I tossed some dirt over and planted grass seed over it. No one else ever knew it was there.

 

[newbie32]

MRS Rebecca- I know which staples you are talking about, thank you I will look into it next time I go to town
Chickengeorgeto-.Acid or not I expected them to eat the darn things-along with ALL bugs for me. Now I will have to go kill the ants since my chickens forgot to be chickens