How do you TRUST your dogs with your chicks?

[Lifesong Farm]

I can trust my dog with any of OUR animals that are living. However if the animals are someone elses (neighbors cat for instance) or dead he will eat them. He knows his jobs and he does them well. He actually growled at me for accidentally hurting a chick (he was immediately reprimaneded and shown the chick). I have only had him hurt a chicken once and that was when my mean old hen tore into the juvies.

That said my dog is abnormal. I would crate your dogs when you are gone or lock them in the bathroom. I have had to start lmocking my boy in the bathroom because he has started suffering from seperation anxiety since his service dog training has begun.

 

[ranchhand]

Quote:
I would like to find a taller baby gate. That is what we have at our bedroom door way and they don't try to jump it or anything. I would rather put the dogs in the kitchen where their water (automatic, hard to move) is, but I would have to make a 'door' out of something that they could not go through or jump over. I feel a brainstorm coming. Thanks

They can drink from a bowl for the day, maybe put it down a few days early. I stacked baby gates in a doorway once, it worked but I was nervous about them knocking it down. If you have to, put the brooder in the bath and close the door. Try it all out ahead of time, checking temps, etc.

Oh! Another idea- we have an exterior screen door to keep the dogs in the kitchen as needed- it has the metal mesh on the bottom half to prevent scratching. Kinda weird, but we painted it and it looks fine!

 

[Alicia G]

Same here. I have a collie/lab mix he weighs roughly 80 pounds and he NEVER hurt any of my animals. Ducks, chickens, guinea hens, budgies, cats even rabbits and he never layed a paw on any of them. And he doesnt stalk or pant when any are around. He is very smart, he knows that wild rabbits are fair game (he often catches and eats them) but he never even gestures anything towards my rabbits (or any pet). I even had a siamese sable point holland lop and they were best friends! They would play together, the dog never was aggresive, actually most of the time Coglin (my dog) would roll on his back and let her climb all over him! And I had a call duck hen who ADORED Coglin! Would follow him everywhere and snuggle up with him, never once did he even try to bite her.
Now saying this dogs are predators, and should be socailized with other animals at a very young age in order to train out as much of the predator intinct as possible.

 

[Mommysongbird]

Quote:
Our little one suffers from anxiety too, not sure if it is actual seperation anxiety, but the vet says it is def. anxiety. That is why we can't crate him, he will either rip it apart or mess everywhere and have that all over. We came home one night and he was in the bigger crate and the pan that is on the bottom was not even in the crate any longer, he scratched so much he flung it out into the kitchen floor and pooed everywhere.

 

[schellie69]

I have a beagle mix you tell him baby and he is there to be a little mommy. I would put the dogs in the bathroom or another room my beagle jumps the baby gates all the time. I have 5 dogs I trust with my chickens not the chicks, and one dog that has to be kept away from the chickens at all cost. good luck hope you find the answer to your dogs and chicks.

 

[Mommysongbird]

Quote:
I agree with the training. I don't have a problem with them with our other animals, cats or rabbit (well if the cats try to run, then the dogs natural instinct kicks in) but they won't hurt them. The little one is actually scared of our rabbit. I guess the only thing we can do is try to socialize them as much as possible with the chicks and under constant supervision. When we are gone, the dogs or the chicks have to be put up.

 

[Mommysongbird]

Here are our 2 inside dogs

 

[Akane]

I stack baby gates in the doorway all the time. I wouldn't trust my dogs alone in the house with just baby gates though. If they really wanted to they could take them all down. I've gone right through them before. It was -30F out so we brought a rabbit doe and her kits inside, built them a quick pen on the dining room floor, and put up 2 baby gates (that comes to my shoulder) to keep the dogs out and a gate in another doorway just in case. Somehow a kit escaped the pen, went through the baby gate on the other side, and was caught by the cat. I heard the screaming, ran out there, and without even thinking about it basically just walked right through the baby gates. They were locked in as tight as I could get them to the point it dented the door frame a little and it didn't slow me down at all. The rabbit was saved but was unable to use one back leg for a month. Baby gates are more a psychological barrier to my dogs than a physical one. They see they aren't suppose to go in there and they don't want to expend the effort to try but reality is that it wouldn't stop them at all.

Personally I'd revisit crate training. There are ways to handle anxious dogs. Also those wire crates are crap. My dog just grabs the front and pulls and the whole thing buckles. She's done it to the highest quality one. The pans slide out of them all the time too. My dog also tore up the pan in one of the crates. I have random wire crate parts sitting around the house now. We went to all solid crates and ziptied the door latch because she managed to apply enough pressure to pop off the cover and release the springs and bars on one crate. We can't find the 2nd bar so that one is also useless. 4 or 5 crates later with some training and crate modifications she stays in her crate quietly until we get home.

 

[Rusty Hills Farm]

In a word: I don't. Not ever. Not under ANY circumstances.


JMO


Rusty

 

[arabianequine]

azalea & Mommysongbird

Make sure if you lock animals in a bathroom or whatever that there is always adequate ventilation and water. With the warmer weather coming on soon etc.