I need help ~ what type of dog is best to be around my chickens?????

[magikchick]

I have 2 min dachshunds and a golden retriever. What I found is the chicks I get and raise are not touched. They love on them and treat them as part of the family. The few I brought in as older birds were chased all the time. I got rid of all of the older birds and just get chicks to raise now, no problems.

Marsha

 

[birdnutz]

I think the personality of the dog is more important then breed type also. My mother had a german shephard that was great with chickens.(mine ate them.) My father in law had a rat terrier that was great with his chickens.(I haven't gone that route) My german shepherd/golden retriever is great with my birds and pretty protective of them. I don't think he does a good of a job protecting them as a good guard dog would. But not wanting to eat them makes him special in my eyes.

 

[Bubba]

I have to disagree with the its not the breed issue.
It has ALOT to do with it.

Certain breeds have been bred to KILL LARGE ANIMALS.
Certain breeds have been bred to PROTECT ANIMALS and/or PROPERTY.
Certain breeds have been bred to RETRIEVE.
Certain breeds have been bred to KILL SMALL ANIMALS.
Certain breeds have been bred to be USELESS

Really thou, the breed is the most outstanding factor. You can get lucky but it is just that LUCK. Most people do NOT realize most older dog breeds have been bred to ignore livestock (The ones that didn't were killed) It's alot of the newer breeds and breeds made to kill rats, foxes, mink, birds etc that are the problem animals.

If you go with a protector breed (One breed to protect livestock) you are much less likely to have problems.

You need to realize a german shepherd is not made to hunt animals. Look at the name Shepherd. It is made to protect animals from all intruders, it is alert, it is intelligent. The same can be said of a golden retriever and lab. They are made to retrieve birds WITHOUT harming them. Most labs will just catch a bird and walk around with it in its mouth all day long without harming it in the least (The bird will think otherwise.)

While good training can go very far, it is not the final factor. The owners attitude helps alot, also raising the dog around the birds as a puppy helps.

You can train a dog it's WHOLE life, it only takes one bad day or your dog being jealous to set it off. If it doesn't have those tendencies to start with you are that much safer...

Bubba

PS Choose a breed made to protect and your much less likely to have worries later.

 

[ruth]

Quote:
Hi Bubba - I agree and thanks for the kudos on German Shepherds - so many people have only bad stories to tell about them so I was reluctant to make my post recommendation. Rex is my first GSD and I have been so impressed with the breed. I think I said something in my original post about it not being all about the breed because so many people have both good and bad stories about every breed so you're right to say that training and the owners have a lot to do with it.

I've seen other posts/threads on here about dogs and I always tell them that I wouldn't trust any dog (even Rex) to be left with chickens just because it is "well trained". Sometimes "well trained" means only in your presence or until something sets it off. (That white tiger that attacked the magician that had raised it's mother and it from cubs and even slept with it is a good example of "well trained").

Rex guards the chicks just like he's guarded baby kittens, our family and the neighborhood kids he plays with - because it's in his nature - he is, as you pointed out, a Shepherd. However, I want to point out to anyone considering getting a dog like this that they have to be prepared to give it lots of room and/or exercise and it has to have a job.