i think i need a dog--what breed is best?

[katemary63]

We let our chickens and ducks run free over the farm all day. We lock the ducks up at night. We have two livestock guardian puppies. They are 7 months old and are 3/4 Anatolian Shepherd and 1/4 Pyrenese. They are the best dogs ever! During the day, they are in a pen in the middle of the barnyard that the poultry can not get into.

I do not let them alone with the poultry yet but they run free with them when I am at the barn. One of the dogs shows no desire to chase. The other sometimes trots after a chicken but when I say "No!" he stops imediately. I do believe that they will be trustworthy poultry guardians when adult. I will not let them alone with the birds until they are well over a year. This is the advice I found from some good websites about training poultry guardians. It is a training process with which you must be consistent and diligent. One site I read said that one of her dogs, a pyrenese, had killed several chickens during his training, but that now, as an adult, he is 100% trustworthy and the best guard dog she has.

We also have a poultry farm near us and the lady as an adult male Pyrenese that is loose with her flock 24/7. I know dogs can be trained to guard poultry and can be trusted once training is done. That is my plan for my puppies, but it is a long process.

Here is another idea. We have a guard llama. He is locked up in a 30 X 80 pen with our flock of ducks at night. The fence is 5 feet tall and has no cover. We have never lost a duck from out of this pen in over 2 years. We have lost a chicken and a goose that were not in the pen at night. The goose was full grown and was carried over 2 tall fences to a distant field and eaten so I have to assume it was a coyote or stray dog. The llama is a very effective guardian for our flock. He also gets along with the dogs. They will all make a great team when the time comes.

 

[Beekissed]

This is the advice I found from some good websites about training poultry guardians. It is a training process with which you must be consistent and diligent.

So, there are poultry guardians!

Just kidding, folks! Don't get yer panties in a wad!

Kate, sounds like you are doing a good job with your pups! I don't think you'll be sorry. My GP has never offered to even sniff a chicken, but does give them a resigned look when she finds them dusting in her hole in the yard! Then she sighs and flops down beside them....its comical! I like the GP breed and mine is a Lab mix, so its the best of both worlds for me. She is a companion and a working dog, as is my Lab/BC mix. I'm blessed to have them both. I like the idea of having two, so they can work as a team.

 

[brookwoodpat]

I have a female German Shepherd and I trust her with my chickens and my parrots. It didn't take her any time at all to realize what is a family member and what is a wild creature. Wild birds are chased, chickens are not. Wild rabbits are chased, parrots are not. Chipmunks are chased, chickens are not. And I do leave her unsupervised. She's 2 1/2, was a rescue I got at 5 months and she only needed to be admonished once or twice and that was it. She is a "german" german shepherd (german, not american lines) and while she has a high prey drive for non family things, she is super responsible around kids/livestock and family members. If you get a thinking dog with herding/stock protection lines it is to some extend inbred in their make up and their intelligence. Of course, animals differ, even among breeds. Some dogs (like people) will be good examples of their background and some will be not. And this is a dog that has been raw fed (mostly chicken) for two years. Her worse trait is that she will eat the chickens food when she's in the mood for some chick starter.

 

[adoptedbyachicken]

Quote:
Actually there is, the Maremma. They started out as sheep dogs but rapidly became popular as a poultry flock dog, and work naturally at it. Hundreds of years of doing that work. I rescued one 2 years ago and he was the best dog I ever had. Sadly this spring he took on a bear that showed too much interest in the flock/barn area and she killed him.

EDIT to add I had got a pup for him to train up, the girl in my avatar, but sadly she was only 4 months old when he died. She is 9 now and starting to show some protectiveness. Good barker already but almost always backing up while barking.

 

[Eggseronious]

Great Pyrenees but the heat will create a problem! My neighbor raises them with Game chickens and cattle. The puppies have to be born and raised with whatever you plan on putting them with, this very essential.

If you can find a breeder that raises them with chickens this is what you need. A good breeder will replace them if they dont do the job.

 

[spiderman]

We have a lab and a German Short-hair pointer. The lab is just still young so she "plays" with the chickens if she can get to them. The German Short-hair however couldn't care less. But if she gets close to the pheasants, she'll point 'em, just like we're out hunting!

 

[mullers3acers]

Both of our dogs have been middle sized mix breeds. But like someone said it is your responsiblity to train it not to harm the animals on your proberty. Because once a dog gets the taste of chicken he will ondoubtualy go back for more.

 

[Promiselandfarm]

WE have a GP and it gets hot here. They love water!! Love to swim and will get in a wading pool. They also have the thick coats to protect them from the weather hot or cold. Do not shave a GP unless you have to(medical reasons) they will get sunburned bad. They have pink skin under all that fur. Also know that the GPs get big our male is 180 he is a guard and a pet. My children need to be guarded as much as my animals. We had two females GPs and then got Frank. Females were both sisters and both raised the same, one loved to eat chickens so she got spayed and went to live at my mothers house. Who has a neighbors chickens which visit her unwanted. So Joy guards Mom's horse and keeps those chickens out of her yard(they would come poop on her porch and eat her cats food). So not all GPs are chicken guardians. Other female was stolen when I sold her pups. So that just left me with our male Frank. He will not let anything get hurt around here or out of their pens without announcing it no matter what time of day. IF he barks it is because someone is not where they should be or something is after them. He tattles on everyone and keeps them safe.
I agree with someone else's posting about going to a rescue if this is the breed you want and make sure they have retrained them to be with chickens, ducks or the birds you have.
I would not get any type of bird dog Lab included...that is pure torture for them they want to get those birds for you it is bred in them. Irish Setters, English Setters, Pointers Golden Lab, Black or chocolate Labs, and many more types of bird dogs. They have been bred for a very very long time to hunt birds. Unless they are a terrible bird dog or have come from a long long line of dogs who where never used to hunt then you may be safe but I would not take that chance. Please do not think I am knocking these dogs because they are great dogs I was raised with bird dogs three sets(divorce gives you the extra set cause you are wondering) of Grandfathers raised various types of bird hunting dogs and so did my Dad.
A gun has less personal time needed to keep it and you do not have to feed it daily. You also do not have to worry about it sitting in the hot sun all day either. Although you do have to clean it and learn how to use it safely.

 

[Cara]

Quote:
Actually there is, the Maremma. They started out as sheep dogs but rapidly became popular as a poultry flock dog, and work naturally at it. Hundreds of years of doing that work. I rescued one 2 years ago and he was the best dog I ever had. Sadly this spring he took on a bear that showed too much interest in the flock/barn area and she killed him.

EDIT to add I had got a pup for him to train up, the girl in my avatar, but sadly she was only 4 months old when he died. She is 9 now and starting to show some protectiveness. Good barker already but almost always backing up while barking.

The Maremma Sheepdog, or the Maremma Chickendog? LOL It was developed in Italy to guard flocks from wolves and bears, hence the thick white coat like other LGDs. I don't know of any Italian chicken-herding culture that moved their flocks through the mountains to graze.

What dogs were bred for, and what people use them for, are often two different things.

 

[mtnhomechick]

Try a Labradoodle.