Is my labrador safe with chickens?

[RRMSG]

We are new to chickens.
We have a large black labrador that is outside most of the time, and doesn't get to interact with chickens, and this is his first experience.
We have two chicks, but every time our dogs sees them he seems really entranced, following them wherever they go from behind the clear door, and occasionally barking at them.
We're worried that if we get a coop, and move the chickens outside, do you think they would be safe with our dog? Or would he be a threat?

 

[rosemarythyme]

Is he a potential threat? Possibly. Even if he's not thinking of eating them, just playing with them can easily be enough to harm a chicken.

How secure is your set up? A very determined dog can get through many types of fencing, or go over it.

How well is your dog trained? Does he know the leave it command and is that something you're able to work with him on?

 

[yickenscarf23]

Its really up to you. If he has any kind of prey drive I wouldn't trust him. As soon as the birds are running about and flapping he may go on the attack despite any training.

 

[chkva]

Labradors are a bird dog. It is their instinct to fetch birds for their owners. Some can turn this hunting aspect off and some can't. I wouldn't trust any hunting dog with my chickens because it is their instinct and the dog can't be blamed if it attacks, it's just doing it's purpose in life. We have a lab mix and she CAN be great, other times she thinks of the chickens as play toys, but I'm always outside with her so she knows not to cross that boundary. We have a 20 x 30 foot dog kennel connected to our chicken run for her so she can enjoy the chickens without being able to get to them.

 

[AquaDuck]

Are you talking about having the chickens fenced in and dog run loose? Or having them both go loose at the same time? If they're on either side of a secure fencing, they should be fine. How much he'll obsess over them, you really won't know until you've tried. I'd make the fence to the run overly solid just to be on the safe side.

 

[chkva]

Are you talking about having the chickens fenced in and dog run loose? Or having them both go loose at the same time? If they're on either side of a secure fencing, they should be fine. How much he'll obsess over them, you really won't know until you've tried. I'd make the fence to the run overly solid just to be on the safe side.

I agree with having a secure fence. My beagle is NOT allowed even in the dog kennel we have because she has a hunting drive that most would be amazed at or scared about. She actually catches mice for us when they come in the house (the downside of living in the woods), it ticks the cat off because she takes his prey!

 

[AquaDuck]

I agree with having a secure fence. My beagle is NOT allowed even in the dog kennel we have because she has a hunting drive that most would be amazed at or scared about. She actually catches mice for us when they come in the house (the downside of living in the woods), it ticks the cat off because she takes his prey!

Haha, poor cat! My Karelian Bear Dog catches mice too, if they're unlucky enough to be in the dog yard.

 

[jas humbert]

No untrained dog of any breed is necessarily safe with poultry. You need to introduce gradually with supervision and TRAIN them to leave the chickens alone. Do not leave them alone together when you are not there for a good long while yet.

 

[rascal66]

I never trust dogs with my livestock. At the end of the day, they are dogs and naturally are predators. Instinct still runs deep within them. Some breeds are better, but better to be safe than sorry. I learned the hard way. Had rotts trained to ignore the chickens. One day, unsupervised, they killed two pullets. :/

Not saying it can't be done, but there is always a risk.

 

[cmom]

My advice would be if you build them a coop, make it as predator proof as possible. Everything likes chicken.