Jack Russell Terrier

[Lone Wolf]

Good to know. If I did get one I would not just let it free range with the chickens. I don't think that is really safe with ANY dog.

 

[dreamcatcherarabians]

I have 3 JRT's and I love them to death. And I'll never have another JRT when these are gone. They are sweet, lovely, cuddly and some of the best lap warmers around, when they aren't on your head, and they will kill a chicken or cat in a heartbeat. The chickens free range and the dogs have 'the dog yard' which is about 1 acre and fenced with chainlink and hot wire. They have dug under the fence, jumped over a 5 ft chain link and 1 figured out how to climb a tree that was near the fence. We poured a concrete footing around the bottom to stop the dig out, we have cinder blocks in front of all the gates (they're small enough to squeeze through that little gap between fence and gate), hot wire top and bottom and we cut the tree down. So far that's worked for almost a year.

Prior to that, one in particular though all 3 have done it at various times, they've gotten into the main area the chickens were in and killed more chickens than any racoon, skunk, possum, hawk, fox or any 3 combined, could have done. I lost an entire flock one year until we got all the holes plugged.

Now all the critters have developed the understanding that if you go in the dog yard, you're toast. I can't get there fast enough to save you, barn cat or chicken, and they go everywhere but there. Once in a while a chicken will fly over the fence into the dog yard and I'm down a chicken, but not too often.

I probably would not have gotten into chickens if I had realized just how bad/strong the prey drive in these little pups is. So the answer to your question is, Yes and NO. I would never trust a JRT with a bird, cat or any other prey animal.