Huskies and chickens

[WhoopiePie]

does anyone have any advice about huskies and chickens? my family has their heart set on getting a husky puppy sometime in the next few weeks/month or so. we've never had a dog because of me (i don't like them

i know that automatically makes me evil) so now they've decided i should get over it because they are all dog fans. now that i'm older, i guess a dog wouldn't be so bad especially if we raise it from a puppy to be obedient.... i mostly don't like yappy untrained dogs like my aunt's chihuahuas (omg i seriously hate those things).

do you think if we raise the husky around the chickens, it will know NOT to eat them? the chickens have been my favorite pets so far and i want them to get along with the dog. idk if the dog will intinctually want to eat my chickens because of the breed (i was kinda pushing for a toy poodle, not happening lol)

the plus side would be the dog keeping all the dang neighborhood cats away from our chickens (not a cat person either! ha).

thanks in advance.

 

[Katy]

I have two 1/2 huskys. They have very high prey drives and altho they don't bother our cattle or my cats, I can't say the same for our chickens. Every dog is different, so I'm not going to say it's impossible that it won't go after your chickens, but I wouldn't count on it.

Also if you've never had a dog before I think that breed is not a good choice. They are very high energy and require lots of exercise and commitment to not become a problem dog.

 

[Orchid]

I agree with Katy on both counts. Huskies are known for their high prey drive and they are not a dog for a first-time or beginner dog owner. I've had dogs my whole life and I'm not even sure I would want to take one on.

 

[Dylan's Silkies]

I've had several huskies and still have a 12 yo one. They are a handful through their entire life so I wouldn't recommend getting one if you haven't raised one before and especially if you have chickens. I keep my husky away from my chickens because even at 12 years old, his natural prey instincts will just kick in when he sees them. If given the chance, he will kill them all.

But with all that said, I LOVE huskies!!!

 

[ShadowRooster]

Just make sure you have a six foot fence, for the dog's and the chicken's sake. Huskies are great dogs for the right peaple, If you live in a colder place and run/jog/ski/hike. They WILL EAT CHICKENS. I would also worry about cats. Huskies were bred to be pulling sleds over long distances, so if a huskiy gets out, they will be in the next town over before you notice. Just make sure you read as much as you can about any dog before getting one.

 

[RiverOtter]

Quote:
Even if you raise a Husky with chickens, YES, it will still want to eat the chickens.

IF you were a very experienced dog trainer and dedicated yourself to making a project of it you might be able to pull it off.
That's a lot of ifs and mights.

Basically, it sounds like a husky would be a bad fit for your family. There are breeds that were bred to work WITH people and they are people oriented. The Husky is a breed that was bred to work FOR people and it's job is encoded in it's genes. That job would be to see what's over the horizon (you can point it towards your preferred horizon but you can't stop it running) and preferably feed itself. Anything except for another Husky-size dog is just meat as far as a Husky is concerned.
And everything that eats meat loves chicken!

 

[BlacksheepCardigans]

Please listen to those who say they are NOT a breed for inexperienced dog owners. Seriously. If you do this, I guarantee this will be the start of a long series from you that goes "Got the puppy - so cute!" "Puppy is biting everyone; what do we do?" "Puppy won't stop chewing the walls!" "We can't have the puppy inside anymore but she's digging a hole to China on her run" "Puppy got off run and killed fifteen chickens" and so on.

If you're planning on getting a puppy in the next few weeks, that means you're not getting one from a good breeder. That means you won't have any of the support you need to survive puppyhood either, and the puppy won't have a safety net when you finally get fed up and get rid of him or her. It smells like complete disaster to me.

There are a couple of good books to get to go through as a family - one is Paws to Consider by Brian Kilcommons and one is Your Purebred Puppy by Michele Welton. Welton's book has excerpts printed at yourpurebredpuppy.com.

Find a dog that fits your WORST day, not your best day. Everyone imagines that they'll be able to spend two hours a day running through the fields with a dog, but real life is that you're barely going to be able to give it ten minutes. Buy a dog who needs ten minutes of exercise to be happy and healthy. Don't buy a two-hour dog unless somebody in your house is a marathon runner and routinely does five to ten miles a day.

When you've chosen a breed, find whatever organization represents the best breeders of that breed. If you're buying an AKC dog, it's your local breed club for that breed. If it's a versatile hunting dog, find the NAVHDA breeder directory. And so on. Introduce yourself to breeders and get on someone's waiting list; plan on a puppy in the next six months, not the next three weeks. That way you know you're starting off with a dog who actually meets the breed description (for temperament and ability and exercise needs) and you have a breeder who can hold your hand through the process of having a dog for the first time, and who will intervene and help out if things start to go bad.

 

[welsummerchicks]

All dogs need to be trained not to chase and kill chickens. Merely 'growing up with them' will not do the trick. It is possible, that with some dogs, being raised around chickens will cause them to be less tuned into their 'lunchness', but it is not something I would ever, ever depend on. Not if I liked my chickens.

The lightbulb will come on, at some point, and the untrained dog, whatever its breed, will some day realize, that is lunch, and it tastes just like chicken.

Dogs not acting like dogs is about training the dog. Chasing fluttering animals is an instinct. Some dogs need more work on it than others, but they all need to be trained.

That said, Siberian Huskies and Alaskan Malamute dogs and Samoyed dogs(some people call them all 'huskies'), all pulled sleds originally, but they all, also were used for hunting, and were selected for being alert to those little fluttering motions.

Some people say Siberian Huskies have especially strong hunting instincts. That doesn't mean they can't be trained, but it does mean 'it's in there'. There have been several recent threads with people weighing in on the Siberian breed, as being particularly active, excitable, strong willed, and eager to hunt.

It is a breed I see rather often in shelters and rescues, especially considering that they aren't huge in numbers. I think they are 'too much dog' for many people. It's not just the hunting, it's the high energy, stong willed, sharp personality.

A sled dog racer once told me a summary of the temperaments of the 3 husky breeds - 'The malamutes will all start fighting the second you say, 'giddy up', the Samoyeds will smile, and start trotting, and trot until they get very slightly warm, at which point they will sit down, smile, and refuse to go any further. The Siberians, on the other hand, will be barking from the moment they wake up, will bark the entire time you harness, and will be flying the second you take the brake off, and will continue barking madly as they run you right off the edge of a cliff'.

I did look at all 3 breeds at several racing breeder's places before I chose. The Siberian pups started barking the second they were born, and never stopped, according to the breeder. In the puppy kennels, they were the ones that were yapping, howling, barnking, constantly. The Samoyeds were sitting there smiling, looking like little angels. They weren't, but they sure looked it.

Or as others say, 'It needs a job. If you don't GIVE it a job, it will find a job on its own, which you don't want'.

As a generalization, I'd say all the husky type breeds, all are better off in homes with very active, high energy, dominant, involved, and obedience-conscious owners. But I'd also say that there isnot a dog breed in the world, that is 'good with chickens', unless the owner supervises, trains the dog and confines his chickens appropriately.

I would suggest an American Eskimo Spitz, or a Shiba Inu, if the family likes the look of the nordic breeds. Those two are smaller dogs, and easier to handle than the bigger dog. No dog is free of hunting instinct, though. Training, training, training.

 

[HorseFeatherz NV]

I would not put a husky in a household with chickens. I would not have a husky with any animal that was smaller than it.



Should a husky join your family - make sure your chickens have a fort knox living and sleeping area.

 

[brownlikewoah]

I agree with everyone else.... don't do it. You'll be WAY in over your head. If this is your first dog, a Husky is one of the WORST breeds I could think of as a match. They have high prey drive, insane amounts of energy, and are strong willed, not to mention the mind blowing amounts of hair that come off these dogs. Don't give in to your family... try to compromise. Don't get a dog just because of the way it looks... ask yourself, why do you want a dog? what do you want to do with the dog? how much time are you willing to spend training? how much time with DAILY exercise? how much do you want to pay for grooming? Do you want an independent dog? a cuddly dog? are you ready to deal with dog issues that come up? what happens if the dog becomes people or dog aggressive? there is SO much to consider when getting a dog, and many breeds are easier to deal with than others. what sort of traits do you find appealing in dogs?