Hubby's dogs killed wife's birds - no more chickens or different dogs?

[DuckieG]

I, too, can vouch for the hot wire solution; we have the electrified poultry netting. The key is getting the maximum charger that your wire/net will allow. We have a cattle charger on our netting and NOTHING touches that fence twice. My dogs will not even look at the chicken pen and to my knowledge, only 3 out of 8 (all rat terriers, not known for being the most trainable critters) actually touched it, the others just watched the other 3 get nailed. If you live in town and you do put a powerful charger on the fence, make sure you mark it as electrified on all sides.

As for the possibility of training dogs, all of our dogs live in the house and happily coexist with my son's guinea pigs, never unsupervised but they do get the idea of what belongs to family and what doesn't. Our ducks also wander the property during the day and since they were in the brooder in the house as ducklings, even our most aggressive, relentless rat killer is downright maternal toward the ducks. The dogs do not run loose unsupervised, though.

 

[ChanceRider]

Quote:
That's exactly what I did... completely lined the bottom of my run with 1" x 2" welded wire, screwed into the wood on the run. I've done the same with my larger meatie and duck runs as well. I'd rather go through the trouble and expense of doing it this way than having losses or worrying when something will dig its' way in.

I personally don't use hot wire or netting as we're prone to frequent power outages, some that last as long as a week (as in this past December!).

 

[LyonFuzz]

Quote:
Couldn't have said it better. Dogs are not disposable...they are a huge commitment. It isn't right to just dump your problems into someone else's lap because you don't want to deal with it. Chances of 3 large breed mixed dogs getting adopted is next to none in reality. Step up to the plate and handle the situation responsibly by reinforcing the coop, putting in an e-fence, and training those dogs. It's the right thing to do. Best of luck!

 

[Pal of Mr Betty]

Thank you all for responding to my post. I don't disagree with anything I've read. In my original message, I relayed the gist of the conversations I'd had with my friend after the incident. I was relying on all of you to impart your years of accumulated knowledge regarding their situation (sometimes I'm not taken very seriously as I'm considered kind of chicken/animal crazy). Speaking of that, Chicken Obsessed, your rant was spot on (don't get me wrong - I loved 'em all). In my eight years of having chicken pals, dogs have been the ultimate undoing of my birds. Thank goodness, though, they were not my own. I've had two rescue corgis that avoided the birds; maybe it was because of my bad a** rooster, Mr. Betty, or maybe it is because something in the herding breeds is more accommodating of livestock, but also, when you foster or rescue, you're able to find out a lot more about the pup before you make the life commitment to them (like walking them past the local duck pond to see if they chase birds).

All your information will be relayed to both my friend and the neighbor who built the coop - he has chickens, too. I left her a message encouraging her to register with the site to learn more. And I don't think the dogs are going anywhere. Although she is still not talking to them.

Thank you all again,
Jude

 

[PandoraTaylor]

Bury your wire and pour cement slab for the base/foundation of the run, then when the cement is cured, Pour 12" tall walls of icement then when you finish the run, you can fill this 12" with sand, dirt or whatever you like and the dogs can't dig in.

ETA: It makes like a subbase for them.

 

[cobrien]

Hi, So sorry to hear this. I have also lost a chicken to a stray dog, it was heartbreaking.

I am in Oakland, too! feel free to email me to chat.

Since they now have dogs and no birds, I think it would be best to work with the dogs and reduce their aggression toward the birds, build a better setup and try again. It is likely that the dogs will never be able to be left alone with the chickens but think it is quite possible to reduce their prey drive. There are some affordable professional dog trainers out there who could help, or there are very cheap group training classes through the East Bay SPCA in Oakland. Professional advice can be very valuable. I have 2 dogs and know dogs very well, but have found on occasion my lack of understanding of the dog's mind has lead me to make some behaviors worse, and professional advice got me back in the right direction.

As a last resort, I am a believer that shock collars can be very helpful in a situation like this - namely preventing the suffering of animals whether it is birds getting killed or terrorized by dogs or dogs being put up for adoption. The collar delivers a mild uncomfortable shock, not painful, and it can very quickly eliminate unwanted behavior. I offer this advice knowing some won't agree and accuse me (a vegetarian who takes sick chickens to the vets) of animal cruelty, but I stand behind this advice, and I offer it having witnessed first hand what the collars can do and also having been advised by vets and professionals that it can be a useful tool.

Finally, not knowing the design of the yard/coop, I wonder if there is a way to keep the dogs fenced away from the coop entirely for double protection. The electric fence / buried hardware cloth are also good ideas. You also need to make sure the hardware cloth on the coop itself is VERY well secured - no staples. I would put the 1/2" hardware cloth on the framing, stapled down, and then put another piece of lumber over it and screw it in.

I have a sturdy coop and 2 dogs that are so good with the chickens that I can let loose together in the yard, even unsupervised. You are welcome to visit my set up although I'm not sure my coop could stand up to 3 shepherds (my hardware cloth is only stapled, and I'm still in the process of installing the hardware cloth skirt around the perimeter.

With the right training I think most dogs can get to the point where they can be with chickens when supervised, but it will take a lot of work and possibly professional advice. What the heck, maybe contact Cesar the dog whisperer, I think the network folks would love the story angle, maybe you can get a real pro!

Good luck,
Colleen

 

[babyblue]

A strong coop and a 6 sided run with an additional apron and three strands of hot wire 6 inches apart will keep just about anything away. It may sound expensive, but perhaps you could just build smaller, like for just two or three hens instead of a huge flock and it would keep costs down.

 

[chickens+dogs]

Thanks to everyone for replying to this post. You have given us some great ideas. My hubby was more angry about the the dogs killing our birds than I was. I was more sad than angry and I really hated losing my chickens, especially since they were very young and one of the hens layed their first egg the very day the dogs decided to have their way with them! I had just the weekend before added a guinea hen and male pheasant to our crew. I'd had him since August and he was so happy when I put the hen in the coop. He immediately started following her around!

Our dogs are also dear to us and though getting rid of them entered our minds when the tragedy first happened, the dogs aren't going anywhere. And the thought of dropping them off at a shelter never entered our minds. If anything, we would sell them. We have one nearly 9 year old mixed breed, shepherd/lab, and nearly 5 years old brother and sister full breed black german shepherds from a royal line. They all share March birthdays.

We've had chickens for going on 2 years, but until recently when we constructed a new coop in the back yard, the dogs were never let near the chickens. We thought the chickens were safe as long as they were encaged. We've learned from this experience and I will have chickens again, as soon as we make new plans to build a sturdier coop.

 

[little_grey_bantam]

chickens+dogs :

Thanks to everyone for replying to this post. You have given us some great ideas. My hubby was more angry about the the dogs killing our birds than I was. I was more sad than angry and I really hated losing my chickens, especially since they were very young and one of the hens layed their first egg the very day the dogs decided to have their way with them! I had just the weekend before added a guinea hen and male pheasant to our crew. I'd had him since August and he was so happy when I put the hen in the coop. He immediately started following her around!

Our dogs are also dear to us and though getting rid of them entered our minds when the tragedy first happened, the dogs aren't going anywhere. And the thought of dropping them off at a shelter never entered our minds. If anything, we would sell them. We have one nearly 9 year old mixed breed, shepherd/lab, and nearly 5 years old brother and sister full breed black german shepherds from a royal line. They all share March birthdays.

We've had chickens for going on 2 years, but until recently when we constructed a new coop in the back yard, the dogs were never let near the chickens. We thought the chickens were safe as long as they were encaged. We've learned from this experience and I will have chickens again, as soon as we make new plans to build a sturdier coop.

I know how it was. When one of our rescues killed my favorite blue hen, I cried. I wasn't sure what I wanted to do but once it fell over, it was alright.
As for "selling" your dogs, remember, if they end up with someone who tires of them, the same fate will happen (they'll end up at the shelter, or passed around and around to new owners). Sadly, mutts and certain breeds go through this. As for the royal German Shepherd lines, what line is this? It makes me sad to think people breed animals mainly for money and then sort of white lie about it (mainly intentionally or ignorantly)... just so you know, just because you breed Champion dogs together does not mean they are going to be champions... there is only a percentage of ability (confirmation and what not) passed down to the pup. Now if ya showed the dog, than it would make it actually worth something. AKC papers ONLY mean its purebred... it does not mean it is genetically free or close to it (which a reputable breeder will breed for). Even if you LOVE your dog and you breed for the LOVE of your dog, it does not make it right... unless you're doing the right thing by showing, training and getting them tested. People who post up wanted ads for stud are 99.9% not reputable, just wanting to breed their dogs

no good reason. Hence, why we spend millions killing dogs a year. People think dogs all need to have a chance to breed, but in reality, no they don't. People like that are just Backyard Breeder. Anyone can stick a boy dog and a girl dog together and make puppies. Now sitting there, conversingly (not a word lol) and figuring out all the stuff that goes to produce sound dogs in mental, physical and genetic health takes a lot - a reputable breeder probably loses money in producing the breed

Sorry to burst the bubble, just wanted to let ya know and maybe shed some light. I'm not one of those insane animal people, but I sort of get disgusted with "breeders." Especially the suffering they cause (sometimes not intentionally).

The way it goes is that life produces a lot of obstacles... learn from them and you'll succeed and overcome! If ya build a better coop, it means you learned from them! And you will be a lot happier. If you have the time, you can always train your dogs. It doesn't take much, surprisingly. Just takes time and patience and sometimes a little more intelligence than the dog LOL mainly to outwit it. Sometimes it will take some money, but nonetheless lol do what it takes right???​

 

[chickens+dogs]

Thanks for your advice on dog breeding. I've read a little bit about it, and exactly what you said is what I've been reading. Our dogs are not show dogs and we didn't get them to show or breed. However, the thought did enter my mind, which is why I did a little reading on the subject. The more I read, the more I don't want to be involved with that process. We just wanted dogs for protection and companionship. Now we're working on figuring out how to sure-up our chicken coop so we can have chickens again. Then we'll plant a couple of vegetable beds, give the dogs more training and lay some brick in the back yard so we can sit back on our patio, play with our dogs, and eat fresh eggs and veggies!

Oh yeah, and get up and go to work 5 days a week (aargh!) Retirement ain't comin' soon enough!