Introducing chicks to our dogs :)

[hillbilly91]

His dogs are Labradors he said

I understand and read that but that doesn't mean they will kill chickens. That's stereotyping the breed.

 

[CannedMonster]

Seeing the dogs all the time will help the birds to get used to them.
But sudden movements and excitement, even from humans, will frighten them.
They won’t die from that though.
If that were true mine would’ve died a long time ago lol.
It’s constant chasing, stalking, playing that causes extreme reactions.
My friends dog doesn’t intentionally kill chickens but occasionally a bird would get over the 6’ dog run and the dog would play with it to death.
Dogs often want to play and they don’t understand that chickens don’t enjoy it and are frightened and also become exhausted from being chased back and forth.
And that will kill them without the dog biting them.
Some dogs just never learn to be calm around them even if it’s not their prey drive being triggered.

 

[jolenesdad]

No, if you have been handling your chicks, they won’t die from fear of the dog, but can get scared and injure themselves.

As with anything do it in stages. Arrange the brooder so they can see OUT and have your dog away from the brooder so they can see them before the dog is in their face. Do a couple distant interactions before doing anything closer. Keep them separate until the dog no longer has “aggressive” curiosity.

I would also suggest introducing them BEFORE the chicks can fly. Something darting past their face will activate all their instinct to retrieve.

 

[CannedMonster]

No, if you have been handling your chicks, they won’t die from fear of the dog, but can get scared and injure themselves.

As with anything do it in stages. Arrange the brooder so they can see OUT and have your dog away from the brooder so they can see them before the dog is in their face. Do a couple distant interactions before doing anything closer. Keep them separate until the dog no longer has “aggressive” curiosity.

I would also suggest introducing them BEFORE the chicks can fly. Something darting past their face will activate all their instinct to retrieve.

 

[RoosterThigh]

Hi

I'm not at all concerned about our dogs harming the chicks; they are very manageable, although they do get pretty rambunctious when they're excited.

My real worry is the chicks dying from fear. In the literature that came home from the school, it says not to expose them to dogs, because even a docile pet can frighten them enough to kill them.

I do know people whose dogs are around their chickens without any issues, but now my daughter is absolutely terrified about this. I promised her we will hold off on introductions for a bit, but I'm not sure waiting very long would be beneficial. I guess my way of thinking is if the dogs are "part of the landscape", they're less likely to cause problems.

We are fortunate that our chicks have their own room (spare bedroom) in an in-law suite - with two doors and a couple of rooms separating them from the "main house". It is now referred to as "the chick's room". Lol.
We haven't let the dogs in the in-law suite since bringing the babies home.

I appreciate any insight anyone can offer!

I have 4 dogs. 3 little ones of which i had to use a shock collar twice and he never bothers them. They even pack him picking at his hair and he leaves them be. The bigger dog is part lab/blue heeler mix she does great. I got her ti watch over the flock and she grew up with them, all 4 dogs roam free around them. I would not let any dog around baby chicks. I do introduce them through the crate.

 

[HuffleClaw]

Hello! First and foremost- Welcome to BYC!

Secondly:
Yes! You can absolutely do this. I have 4 medium sized dogs and they were fully grown when introduced to my chicks. My chicks were about 2 months old before the introduction to the dogs. My chickens were scared at first... but a week or so later- the chickens loved the dogs! You said your dogs don’t bother ducks? Then I’m sure you’ll have great success! I’d start out introducing them maybe 30 minutes at a time (supervised of course) with the dogs and see how it goes.
Wishing you luck!

 

[pennyJo1960]

I understand and read that but that doesn't mean they will kill chickens. That's stereotyping the breed.

It is knowing the dogs over 42 years and better safe than sorry probably not the place to debate this so I am backing out of the conversation

 

[HuffleClaw]

Okay I read you have labradors?
I used to have one named Jack! He loved my chickens, and never attacked them. Jack the lab even let the chickens climb on him or do whatever, wasn’t ever a problem! finger crossed it goes well for y’all!

 

[hillbilly91]

It is knowing the dogs over 42 years and better safe than sorry probably not the place to debate this so I am backing out of the conversation

I'm not trying to be rude and your welcome to your opinion. Just don't think it's fair to judge based on the bred instead on the reaction of the individual dog

 

[Melky]

I don’t have dogs that big or with birding instincts. I introduced my dog who is 10 lb. Papitese to the chicks in the brooder to teach her with barriers to watch, not talk, no touch. She was cute and really did not scare the chicks. Pretty soon I could count on her to watch my brooder to make sure they didn’t leave it while changing the waterers and feed. Since then she gets gated on deck if too curious and bothering them. If she gets too close my girls will chase off my dog or peck her. My dog is not left outside with the chicks without me with them so I can correct her if she follows too close. My dog does guard the flock and scare off wild animals. She has known my chicks since chicks one day old. I think I would not attempt if dogs do not first know basic commands and follow them even without the presence of the chicks. If they know basic commands and follow them reliably then I might try. When my dog was first out with them off leash, I brought leash with me just in case. I took treats as well. Now she is pretty reliable around my chickens. It takes patience and time to do it. If they show signs of chasing then would not have dogs loose around chicks. Chloe has always been around me when caring for them the exception is when I’m cleaning the coop because I can’t clean and watch at same time. Worst case here Chloe licks a hens feeder. She is very curious. You have to know how your dog will respond and their weaknesses. Chloe is now trained to leave feeders alone. Someone might think no big deal on feeders but chick waste could be everywhere for a hen. The risk to the dog is campylobacter and salmonella bacteria making them sick so they have to leave chicken supplies alone and chick poo. So be sure to give your dogs commands when around chickens so they know what to do.