If you free range, what makes that possible for you

[SunnySkies]

It's a great pyrns or staying married at this point. I'm sure going to miss my husband

I thought mine was going to flip his lid, but when I explained what an LGD is, and how it is not like having a pet, he relented. Making him help me clean up all the dead chickens helped too I also started refusing to be off the farm after dark, which put a crimp in going out as a family for dinner or whatever, lol. So I talked him into one, but I came home with two (they work better in pairs) and he said nothing. He was resigned at that point.

I do have Great Prys, but I also looked into Maremmas. I researched LGDs while waiting for our property to close. I wanted to get one after we moved in and went on about it for some months, but hubby had a cow, then I was pregnant in December and January and thus tabled it. But after I lost the pregnancy in February and had time to think about it again, I started researching again, and then we had the six week reign of terror wreaked by the local predators in June and early July. At that point, I was ready to raise any breed of LGD and started looking seriously. Took me about a month to find the ones I got, which isn't long, but I feel like I was led to these puppies.

They were born IN a chicken coop, so they have ignored the LF from day one. I have had a couple issues with them bothering the bantams, so I'm working on correcting that, and last night, the goofballs wanted to play with the meaties, so I had to stop that. The ducks were interesting for about 10 minutes and quickly corrected. They are outside 24/7, and when I can't supervise, they are kenneled or I lock up the special needs poultry. They sleep most of the day anyway, under the bushes, and I mostly have to watch them in the mornings, when they are high energy, and then again in the late afternoon and evenings, when they are most likely to try to play with chickens. They sleep overnight on our deck, overlooking the coops, and I already hear them barking at thngs in the night sometimes. LGDs can't protect if they are inside, and while it's very difficult to bond an LGD to the chickens, a good LGD will defend them anyway, just because they are on your property. My friend says hers even chase hawks away.

Once you get them, there is still a lot of training to be done, and you might still have some oops, just because they are puppies. I researched via some books, as well as two LGD groups on FB, and there are some yahoo groups too. The internet is full of lots of information on them. A good friend of mine has two LGDs for her poultry, and that has been very helpful. There also are some LGD folks here, which is great.

 

[aart]

Interesting thread...sounds like well trained dogs are the key, for those who know that training a dog can take a couple years.

 

[Wednesday]

I thought mine was going to flip his lid, but when I explained what an LGD is, and how it is not like having a pet, he relented. Making him help me clean up all the dead chickens helped too I also started refusing to be off the farm after dark, which put a crimp in going out as a family for dinner or whatever, lol. So I talked him into one, but I came home with two (they work better in pairs) and he said nothing. He was resigned at that point.

I do have Great Prys, but I also looked into Maremmas. I researched LGDs while waiting for our property to close. I wanted to get one after we moved in and went on about it for some months, but hubby had a cow, then I was pregnant in December and January and thus tabled it. But after I lost the pregnancy in February and had time to think about it again, I started researching again, and then we had the six week reign of terror wreaked by the local predators in June and early July. At that point, I was ready to raise any breed of LGD and started looking seriously. Took me about a month to find the ones I got, which isn't long, but I feel like I was led to these puppies.

They were born IN a chicken coop, so they have ignored the LF from day one. I have had a couple issues with them bothering the bantams, so I'm working on correcting that, and last night, the goofballs wanted to play with the meaties, so I had to stop that. The ducks were interesting for about 10 minutes and quickly corrected. They are outside 24/7, and when I can't supervise, they are kenneled or I lock up the special needs poultry. They sleep most of the day anyway, under the bushes, and I mostly have to watch them in the mornings, when they are high energy, and then again in the late afternoon and evenings, when they are most likely to try to play with chickens. They sleep overnight on our deck, overlooking the coops, and I already hear them barking at thngs in the night sometimes. LGDs can't protect if they are inside, and while it's very difficult to bond an LGD to the chickens, a good LGD will defend them anyway, just because they are on your property. My friend says hers even chase hawks away.

Once you get them, there is still a lot of training to be done, and you might still have some oops, just because they are puppies. I researched via some books, as well as two LGD groups on FB, and there are some yahoo groups too. The internet is full of lots of information on them. A good friend of mine has two LGDs for her poultry, and that has been very helpful. There also are some LGD folks here, which is great.

My husband wants me to just keep them locked up in the run. He said that solves the problem. The chickens are my hobby project and our biggest fight in years was during the weekend we built the coop together because it was a hot annoying project trying to construct the resin shed we were used as a converted coop together. Ill pay people for future projects because we don't do these projects well together. I think he blames me for dead chickens each time a predator gets them but he doesn't say anything other than suggesting i keep them locked up. So a LGD would be a huge mountain to climb with him since our last dog bit the babysitter and now lives with a family friend. Plus he blames the neighbors dogs for killing our chickens so any dog is seen as a bad thing right now...

Is your property fenced? Ours is not so I wonder if a LDG could be trained to stay around without a fence. Thanks so much for posting your story.

 

[SunnySkies]

My husband wants me to just keep them locked up in the run. He said that solves the problem. The chickens are my hobby project and our biggest fight in years was during the weekend we built the coop together because it was a hot annoying project trying to construct the resin shed we were used as a converted coop together. Ill pay people for future projects because we don't do these projects well together. I think he blames me for dead chickens each time a predator gets them but he doesn't say anything other than suggesting i keep them locked up. So a LGD would be a huge mountain to climb with him since our last dog bit the babysitter and now lives with a family friend. Plus he blames the neighbors dogs for killing our chickens so any dog is seen as a bad thing right now...

Is your property fenced? Ours is not so I wonder if a LDG could be trained to stay around without a fence. Thanks so much for posting your story.

Yah, I can see how it would be an uphill climb. Mine was afraid we would have another inside dog, only a hundred pound one this time, and our last dog had some serious medical issues at the end of his life. He ruined the carpet, and hubby spent 6 months, working nights, tearing out the carpet and installing new floors so we could sell the house. He was pretty adamant no dogs. (he doesn't help me with building projects now either now, after we tried building one together, lol, but oddly, he likes figuring out where the hens lay their eggs...which is a major downside of free range).

I have partially fenced property, because of the horses. I surrounded the entire property with a Stubborn Dog in ground fence system, as recommended by my local friend with LGD (Anatolian and Akbash), and so far, it works well. But I spend a lot of time training them to it and making sure they never leave the place or think they can leave the property. My neighbor's dogs roam over here (to my frustration, although they never bother the birds) and so far, mine play with them here and don't even try following them across the fence line, as I do have it set to sting them if they even try to approach the fence.

Yes, it is a couple years' project, but their presence seems to have diverted the predators around us now. Even if they never make a kill, not worrying a raccoon is trying to open a coop or wondering if a fox will make off with a hen in the evening has been totally worth the time and trouble I am putting in for the foreseeable future of training two very bouncy and large hairy, muddy dogs.

 

[Paganrose]

We free range our birds. Our property includes 3 acres of woods. We have hawks, coyotes, coons and turkey vultures to keep at bay. We occasionally loose a chick or a rooster.

We always make sure we have a spare roo or two. We also don't mess with or baby the roos- this means they ignore us unless food is involved. Most of our birds were raised by our free ranging broodies. Chicks we incubate are then given to a broody mama since we almost always have one during the season. The roosters learn quickly how to sound the alarm and will fight predators, while the hens hide in trees or brush.

We also have geese who prefer to spend the night in the chicken pen in the barn. We do have sturdy fences that hold our other livestock- the chickens choose to spend early mornings and evenings behind the fence. My husband and son often mark the fence lines and edges of the open areas with their own "scent".

We also have an older pit bull who wants to think she can be a gaurd, but inreality runs away with a yelp if a hen gives a small peck. But she does follow us around everywhere on the property. We have contemplated getting a blue heeler in the future to help with the sheep and gaurd the chickens.

 

[4 the Birds]

A fenced perimeter is the way to go if you free range. It gives the birds a boundary and it also provides a basic barrier for predators. Beyond that..... hiding places, other livestock, watch dogs, roosters are among things that will improve the odds of flock safety.

 

[Wednesday]

Ft. Bawks here I come. Just need a LGD in a machine gun nest and I will sleep better at night

 

[Mrs. K]

I live in rough country, and lose birds and it sucks. But I hate to pen them up all the time. It has been a hard summer, without a rooster. Lately I have been keeping them locked up pretty steady. Saturday, I was keeping an eye on a broody hen, and going down to the house several times a day, when I caught a coyote sneaking up on the girls. He got away, but now dh will do something.

Losing birds is a tough part of free ranging.... so I hear you. Some parts of the country are tougher than others. We have a dog, but it is big country, and predators are good at manipulating a dog.

Mrs K

 

[centrarchid]

Two dogs. They can tag team with scrappers and with dogs of differing habits, they can play head games right back on the smarter wild canines. My female goes in fast with bluster while male is quite and slips in behind and has demonstrated capacity for being brutal to those he catches. Trainup takes time. Fencing very much helps by slowing predator penetration of poultry yard and funneling them into locations dogs like to make run at them. I also make for lots of short and tall vegetation patches which can help direct birds ranging habits to areas dogs and I are most effective.

 

[SunnySkies]

predators are good at manipulating a dog.

That is why many ranchers run LGDs in groups of at least 2. Depending on the predator type and pressure, I have heard of ranchers running groups of up to 5 dogs per sheep flock, for instance. I know a sheep and goat rancher with 30 dogs, always maintining a strong core of dogs in their prime, with upcoming dogs and older dogs doing less demanding work.

Coyotes and coons often need two dogs to ensure safety; depending on coyote pressure, more than two may be needed.. Bears might be fought off by two large and confident, determined dogs, but a larger group would likely be better in areas with known bear pressure.

I was going to get just one dog, since I only have 7 acres. But I had more than one LGD person tell me that one is not enough. The dog can't sleep properly if he is alone in guard duty; with two, they take turns. The predators send in a diversion and distract the lone dog while another group sneaks around for the kill. If your dog is sick or injured, the predator pressure increases.

When my friend, who has a property very similar to ours, told me it was when she got the second dog trained that her losses dropped to zero, I started thinking about two. It just happened the breeder I found had a brother sister pair he hadn't sold that met my requirements. Once I get these guys trained and reliable, I can bring in a third in a few years so I always have at least one dog in the prime of its life with experienced dogs as backup.