how to protect my chickens

[Ghostbelly]

coyotes have attacked my chickens so i want to get a dog to keep them away i'm planning to get a German Shepard puppy which i will train to not eat chickens should i get a different breed? advice appreciated.

 

[Chikyn]

I don;'t know if it's a good idea to get a dog, even if it;s trained. My friend had two chicks and their heads were pulled off by a dog that was specially trained to protect chickens

 

[Shelshanam]

With any livestock/farm animals you should probably get a dog who is breed to protect livestock, and even then sometimes they are not great with chickens/poultry.

Tonight I myself had to question if my livestock guardian dog had attacked a hen and I finally came to the conclusion it wasn't him. He is a Great Pyrenees and Marema cross. His primary use is protecting my herd of goats but he does alert to anything coming around the rest of the property. He has been really good with my chickens and I've watched them jump on his back and peck on him without him even moving. But he is still young so I had to check to make sure and thankfully I found no signs of feathers around him or in his mouth. And now I'm thinking the hen left the property or was plucked up by something from above.

Look into a livestock guardian breed for your best bet, but like I said even then you have to watch/help guide them to learn they can't play with poultry.

Good luck!

 

[chicknmania]

We trained our dog not to kill chickens. That's the first thing she did was kill one. She's a shepherd/ chow/ rottweiler mix.
But after a few days of no-no nos! she learned she was supposed to protect them, not eat them. And that's what she has done ever since.
I worry about the next dog we get though, because you never know how they'll be. In the meantime try talk radio turning it off and on at various times throughout the day and night. It can be very effective. Human urine or hair is a good deterrent too.

 

[little_grey_bantam]

Remember, adding any dog to your "farm" is a lifetime commitment. A life is involved -- make sure you are ready for the commitment. Other than that, enjoy!

 

[little_grey_bantam]

coyotes have attacked my chickens so i want to get a dog to keep them away i'm planning to get a German Shepard puppy which i will train to not eat chickens should i get a different breed? advice appreciated.

German Shepherd Dogs tend to have a pretty high prey drive -- while they can be raised alongside birds, they can be hard to handle as well -- they require a lot of work. I know my Reed and Diesel get that "look" but Reed is a working dog with a nice working drive and Diesel is a not so well bred dog with a "nice" drive as well (they love chasing things). You should pick a breed that fits WELL into your family is what I always encourage people. Of course, you can always train dogs to not "chase/kill" chickens, but it will require constant work and you will always have to keep that in your mind. I try to avoid "accidents" if I can help it oppose to giving blind faith. Dogs will be dogs just as boys will be boys

Also, Please also check for a good breeder -- I always tell people that if they get a good dog; you'll pay a ton, BUT it's worth it in the end (less health issues = which if you had any could equal a LOT of money to fix health issues). I know I spent $1200 for my Reed and I know he has less than 1-2% of having hip issues. On the other hand, many people I know spend $100-$400 on a puppy... a few years later, $2000 for hip replacements LOL

 

[cracked egg]

I use 3 different ways, the radio set on a am talk station, electric fence that is turned on at night, and dogs. I have a wiemeriemer/lab cross, a Chihuahua/min pitcher, and a new miniature Aussie. The wiemeriemer is used as a hunting dog. She killed one bird when she was a pup,she was disciplined and hasn't touched one since. I can leave all three of the dogs in the barn and never worry about them hurting a bird. Occasionally the Chihuahua gets pecked at and in a tussel with a bird over table scraps.
For coyote,once I find them around the place, I get rid of them.

 

[Ghostbelly]

we had german shepard before she would kill the chickens but she did keep coyotes away. i'm thinking putting a muzzle on the pup and putting her by a chicken telling her no whenever she wimpers or growls, any suggestions for training a dog not to eat chickens?

 

[chicknmania]

German Shepherd Dogs tend to have a pretty high prey drive -- while they can be raised alongside birds, they can be hard to handle as well -- they require a lot of work. I know my Reed and Diesel get that "look" but Reed is a working dog with a nice working drive and Diesel is a not so well bred dog with a "nice" drive as well (they love chasing things). You should pick a breed that fits WELL into your family is what I always encourage people. Of course, you can always train dogs to not "chase/kill" chickens, but it will require constant work and you will always have to keep that in your mind. I try to avoid "accidents" if I can help it oppose to giving blind faith. Dogs will be dogs just as boys will be boys

Also, Please also check for a good breeder -- I always tell people that if they get a good dog; you'll pay a ton, BUT it's worth it in the end (less health issues = which if you had any could equal a LOT of money to fix health issues). I know I spent $1200 for my Reed and I know he has less than 1-2% of having hip issues. On the other hand, many people I know spend $100-$400 on a puppy... a few years later, $2000 for hip replacements LOL

Depends on the dog. I trained our shep mix not to kill chickens seven years ago. she was seven years old at the time. She never killed another chicken in all that time, or even thought about it. They were (and are) her friends and neighbors, you might say. I never had to work at telling her no, after that first week. She knew. Now she's too old to much care about killing anything. . But she still comes out to visit them, and she still protects them.

 

[chicknmania]

Just keep at the no-nos, the muzzle, leash, and rolled newspaper handy. You will know when the dog loses interest if it ever does. Animals DO learn to recognize other animals as pets, and belonging to the same household.