Is my chicken playing?

[galanie]

Yeah I'd keep that silly dog away from my chickens if it was me. But then I'm not a "dog" person. I dont' see dogs chasing or 'playing' with chickens as being cute or harmless, I see it as a precursor to a chicken getting killed. Obviously that hen is not amused either.

 

[navasima]

Quote:
I have to agree and I AM a "dog" person.

 

[Crippledturkey]

My dog is fine with the chickens too she lets them peck at her food, drink her water but if a leaf falls the wrong way and the chickens dart screaming, she will go into prey mode quickly, and try to catch one, luckily she is an older dog and on a lead and can only go so far. She is a house dog, and only goes out for her duties. It takes just one thing to go wrong for a dog to snap and sadly it is not the dog, or chickens fault, it is ours.

 

[bloom_ss]

Yeah, like the other people said, that chicken is not enjoying herself. She is trying to defend herself in the only way she knows how. I would never let either of my dogs try to play with my chickens like that. It is funny to watch, but if the chickens ever run instead of ignoring or trying to defend themselves, they will be dead...maybe not intentionally, but dead none the less. With dogs, playing involves teeth and teeth + chickens = bad. Correction for your dog is definitely in order...the sooner, the better. I wish you the best of luck with your dog training.

 

[cmom]

It is cute but I agree with the other posts. I think she is annoyed with the dog and it could possibly affect her laying.

 

[haemony]

Please be careful. Do not assume your dog will continue to be harmless to your chickens even if he currently seems to be playing with them. Killing them can also be a part of how a dog "plays" with a chicken. It is in the basic nature of dogs to kill chickens and all part of the fun. My brother-in-law's dog let his chickens steal his food, peck on him, stand on his back, and he would sometimes herd them "playfully" and in a way that seemed cute to his family. One day the dog just snapped and got too worked up while "playing" and wiped out half of his flock. Not cute at all. Unless the dog is well trained, dogs and chickens are an iffy proposition, and even a trained dog can go rogue on a chicken.

 

[galanie]

Quote:
Exactly. Dogs are not "playing" with prey animals in a harmless way, no matter what your eyes are telling you. They are acting on instinct that this is an animal they should kill, but they aren't hungry at the moment. Or excited enough. I'd never, ever let any dog, even my own, "play" with my chickens.

 

[erinnyes]

My dog acted the same way with my chickens when we first introduced them. You just need to teach your dog that the chickens are yours, and therefore off limits. Correct her if she acts playful around them or even if she just seems to be watching them with interest. The only way she should act around them is calm and uninterested. Obedient dogs usually get the message fairly quickly, but with that being said, I wouldn't trust the most obedient dog in the world to run freely with chickens unsupervised!

Good luck!