It's a sad day in our home.

[Chickenfan4life]

In fact, when I found my fav. chickens dead, I was yelling/screaming/crying so loudly I think the whole neighborhood might have actually heard me. Did I mention the 5 other dogs that have already killed chickens as well? They are no exception. When I have my own property, I will not have such soft-hearted exceptions to dogs as my parents do. I don't know where in the family I get it, but I am very truthful when I say that I will do anything to protect my chickens. Even if it means killing "man's best friend". Sorry for the rant. Just needed to get it out of my system.

 

[Lifestudent]

I am so much the same that it is creepy. My dad's ugly, stupid, spoiled, worthless, Labrador got into the coop and killed 5 chickens and left them scattered all over the place, uneaten. Just played with!

I was literally begging my dad to either get rid of the stupid dog or just kill it! But, no, my dad kept her. And, hardly a month later, she killed 5 more chickens. They were in the same state as last time: uneaten, just killed and left in the yard! Well, I was fuming now. I was ready to grab a rock, a metal pole, a chunck of wood, anything, break her head open with it! I know, I know. I sound evil and violent, but I just hate dogs that kill for pleasure! Ever since then, me and that dog, never get along. I literally never do anything affectionate with that dog. The most I do is feed her because that is my chore. If it was up to me, that dog would be dead or in the pound.

It will cost you a lot of heartbreak if you keep the dog. She will just kill more chickens, just like that dog that I just wrote about, and it will be even worse the second time around. I am sorry for the situation.

We've already solved the problem of her killing chickens. Keep in mind that your dad's lab, like our springer spaniel mix, is a bird dog. It's in their nature. We have a 6' chain link fence between our dog and our chickens now so she can't kill any more of them. Tomorrow afternoon we're getting a replacement rooster. Next spring we'll get some more baby chicks. In the end we'll have even more chickens than we had before hand.

 

[LR Gamefarm]

i have had several dogs do this to me except i caught the dog doing it before it killed a bunch putting her on a chain or in a pen would be best to keep her away from the chickens but i suggest a pen instead of a chain dogs seem to get aggressive and start to bite people i had a dog on a chain a couple of months ago for killing chickens and when we would go to feed it or even get in his range he would grab you by the pants leg

 

[Chickenfan4life]

i have had several dogs do this to me except i caught the dog doing it before it killed a bunch putting her on a chain or in a pen would be best to keep her away from the chickens but i suggest a pen instead of a chain dogs seem to get aggressive and start to bite people i had a dog on a chain a couple of months ago for killing chickens and when we would go to feed it or even get in his range he would grab you by the pants leg

Our culprit/problem dog, is chained up because she runs away and kills chickens. After we chained her up, she became dangerously aggressive. Dad conidered getting her put down, but just wont. We even tried doing a pen. No difference. I don't even trust the lousy dog. I know she is a lab, she is actually a German sheprador, LabXShepherd. She is 75% Shepherd and 25% lab, so I was wrong saying she is a lab. She is really a german shepherd, according to the DNA tests. Dad thinks she is "herding" them. I don't think so!

 

[jdywntr]

We've already solved the problem of her killing chickens. Keep in mind that your dad's lab, like our springer spaniel mix, is a bird dog. It's in their nature. We have a 6' chain link fence between our dog and our chickens now so she can't kill any more of them. Tomorrow afternoon we're getting a replacement rooster. Next spring we'll get some more baby chicks. In the end we'll have even more chickens than we had before hand.

I'm glad to hear that you were able to find a solution. I'm sure that adding a new roo will help you and your wife to heal.

 

[Lifestudent]

Our new rooster met with a little resistance from our hens. This one only went after him a little, but one of the others was sitting on his head till I picked her up. No, I didn't punish any of our hens for challenging him. They seemed pretty calm when I put him in the coop before closing it up for the night.

 

[bobbi-j]

I am so much the same that it is creepy. My dad's ugly, stupid, spoiled, worthless, Labrador got into the coop and killed 5 chickens and left them scattered all over the place, uneaten. Just played with!

I was literally begging my dad to either get rid of the stupid dog or just kill it! But, no, my dad kept her. And, hardly a month later, she killed 5 more chickens. They were in the same state as last time: uneaten, just killed and left in the yard! Well, I was fuming now. I was ready to grab a rock, a metal pole, a chunck of wood, anything, break her head open with it! I know, I know. I sound evil and violent, but I just hate dogs that kill for pleasure! Ever since then, me and that dog, never get along. I literally never do anything affectionate with that dog. The most I do is feed her because that is my chore. If it was up to me, that dog would be dead or in the pound.

It will cost you a lot of heartbreak if you keep the dog. She will just kill more chickens, just like that dog that I just wrote about, and it will be even worse the second time around. I am sorry for the situation.

Sounds like that dog needs some serious training. Of course, that takes time, dedication and consistency. They don't just train themselves. It's no surprise that she's become aggressive since being tied up. Does anyone exercise her, work with her, pet her, or interact with her in any kind of positive manner? If not, your dad would be doing her a favor by putting her down at this point.

We've already solved the problem of her killing chickens. Keep in mind that your dad's lab, like our springer spaniel mix, is a bird dog. It's in their nature. We have a 6' chain link fence between our dog and our chickens now so she can't kill any more of them. Tomorrow afternoon we're getting a replacement rooster. Next spring we'll get some more baby chicks. In the end we'll have even more chickens than we had before hand.

A good bird dog doesn't "go after" chickens. They are bred to retrieve birds, with a soft mouth, not kill them. We have a registered black lab that is our flock guardian. He's out with them all day, every day, unsupervised. He was taught from day 1 that you don't mess with the chickens. I will admit, when I first got chickens, it didn't occur to me that I actually needed to train the dogs not to mess with the chickens. We've had a couple that would kill them given half the chance. One would chase, catch, and carry them around until they were dead. So, I built a run for the chickens, but didn't put a top on it. Dog figured out that if he ran around and around the run, the chickens would panic and fly out over the top of the fence. Jumping up and catching them was even more fun than running them down to catch them! Another time, we let the chickens out to free range before leaving for church, thinking we'd be home in an hour. Ended up going out for lunch afterward, came home to my whole flock dead and laying on the doorstep. Pup retrieved and carried them around until they died, then went and got another one. I am completely to blame for the behavior of both these dogs because I didn't bother to train them otherwise.

OP, I'm glad you found a solution to your problem. I think it is harder to train an adult dog that was there long before the chickens showed up. It can be done, but will take more time and patience.

 

[Chickenfan4life]

Sounds like that dog needs some serious training. Of course, that takes time, dedication and consistency. They don't just train themselves. It's no surprise that she's become aggressive since being tied up. Does anyone exercise her, work with her, pet her, or interact with her in any kind of positive manner? If not, your dad would be doing her a favor by putting her down at this point.

We do take her on walks when no one else is out (which is rare) because she likes to attack other people and dogs. We cannot afford proper training, and do not have the time to train her. I myself really do not spend much time with her because she will knock me down, jump on me, on, if she gets in a fight with another dog, I know I will get bitten. She has already close-to-killed another person's dog. They were nice enough to let it slide, not suing us or anything. Good neighbors, they were, to excuse that kind of thing without hesitating... I just don't spend much time with Miska, and neither does dad or anyone else. He mainly keeps her chained up and only wants her as a guard dog, which I think is cruel. She should just be put down, it would be much kinder. But that is so sad to think about...

 

[jeepguy982001]

sorry for your loss. I went hunting yesterday then my girlfriend called and said 2 of my chickens where killed by the dogs. I get home today and 1 of my other chickens is missing my yards fenced in and i haven't found a body. So i put the dogs in the house and hopefully my other chicken will show up tonight.

 

[bobbi-j]

We do take her on walks when no one else is out (which is rare) because she likes to attack other people and dogs. We cannot afford proper training, and do not have the time to train her. I myself really do not spend much time with her because she will knock me down, jump on me, on, if she gets in a fight with another dog, I know I will get bitten. She has already close-to-killed another person's dog. They were nice enough to let it slide, not suing us or anything. Good neighbors, they were, to excuse that kind of thing without hesitating... I just don't spend much time with Miska, and neither does dad or anyone else. He mainly keeps her chained up and only wants her as a guard dog, which I think is cruel. She should just be put down, it would be much kinder. But that is so sad to think about...

How very sad for that dog. I wonder if your dad realizes what a liability she is. If she attacks the wrong person or dog, your dad could be sued and held liable for damages. The owners of the dog she almost killed must be very patient people. I certainly wouldn't let it slide. Since is seems you're stuck with her, I still think that training would be a good thing for all of you. You don't need to be a professional. You do, however, need time and patience. There are resources available for you to learn basic training of your dog. I agree that making a dog live on a chain for most of its time is cruel. Sad to think about putting her down, but I still think it would be the kindest thing for the poor dog. Very wise of you to not put yourself in a situation where she might get into a fight with another dog. You don't need to take a chance on getting injured. I would suggest that if she ever does get into a fight, DO NOT try to break it up. You could get hurt badly and a human life is far more important than that of any dog.