How do I safely introduce my dogs to the chickens?

[centrarchid]

slingshotandLAR, keep us posted with your dog's activities through the summer. Biggest challenges occur between 12 and 18 months.

 

[slingshotandLAR]

slingshotandLAR, keep us posted with your dog's activities through the summer. Biggest challenges occur between 12 and 18 months.

Will do....

This is not the first dog I've had

 

[slingshotandLAR]

It's been my experience they get better with age....

I'm not trying to suggest or even imply that the process is perfect, because it's not. Every dog will have problems and sometimes you need to approach a problem a bit differently to solve it.

Example: we had a dog that I would feed pecked eggs, she loved them and would even eat the shells. I would collect eggs and she would get the damaged ones, than one day our egg production took a sharp dive. We thought the chickens were laying in the woods or something like that. I starting really watching and found the problem, the dog! Lol she was going up the chicken ladder into the coop and taking the eggs one at a time and eating them, i couldn't believe it. A 60lb dog going through a 12inx12in chicken door is incredible. As soon as I caught her she knew she was in big trouble, that problem was solved that day.

Moral of the story it was completely my fault, I would give her eggs straight from the coop. She had no way of knowing I didn't want her to eat the eggs, until I addressed it. Hindsight tells me I was silly thinking she wouldn't take the eggs but I honestly never considered it. Even if I did I wouldn't have thought she could get through the chicken door.

I laugh about it now but that's a huge problem to have in reality, everyday is a learning experience.

 

[centrarchid]

Will do....

This is not the first dog I've had

Far from first for me used in this capacity.

 

[curtisbirds]

Lol my pitties are the same no threat to chickens but man are they poop vacuums

 

[prostar]

My mutt too. Ugh!