just joined

[acm2056]

hey all,
i just joined BYC today, I just bought 35 acres in Connecticut so it gets cold in the winter and we get a lot of snow some years and i want to get chickens and dif livestock. i happened to stumble on this and am very happy i have already just reading some ppls threads and some of the articles Ive learned a lot so thank you for all who are involved

I have a few questions and hopefully i don't get annoying i tend to ask a lot of questions helps me fig stuff out. 1) what breed do you all recommend for me to get my main reason is for laying eggs but i also want them for meat, my land has woods and hills and fields i am gonna be turning 5 acres into all produce and 5-10 acres will be the main area ill keep the chickens and other livestock i will be building a chicken coop 6'W x 8'L x 4' D x6' H. they mostly be free ranged. 2) i have 2 German Shepherds i am not sure how they will handle the chickens if they will try to kill and eat them was wondering if anyone had ideas on what i could do to bring get them use to the chickens or just fence the birds and not let the dogs near them? my youngest pup he got my goat and almost killed her not sure why i think b/c she wasn't able to follow his command when he tried herding and he was to young to know what to do hes 10 months old just worried he'll wreak havoc with the chickens. any advice is appreciated thanks all.
-Andrew-

 

[sumi]

Welcome to BYC

I'd suggest looking at the Breeds section for ideas on hardy breeds that appeal to you, there are boxes on the left hand side that you can use to narrow down your preferences. Also post in your state thread and ask the people in your area what their experiences have been and what they'd recommend:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/55/connecticut

On the dog training, there are a few discussions here that may help you:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/778988/training-a-dog-to-leave-chickens-alone

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/700017/how-to-train-your-dog-not-to-kill-chickens

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/732029/how-did-you-train-your-dog-to-leave-chickens-alone

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/...-to-get-along-with-chickens-or-can-it-be-done

If you are interested in talking to likeminded people about other livestock I'd highly recommend BYC's sister site as well:

www.BackYardHerds.com

Enjoy the site(s)!

 

[acm2056]

thank you for info much appreciated sorry for newb questions lol

 

[sumi]

No problem! We're here to help each other. We were all new once

 

[liz9910]

Welcome to BYC! Sumi has covered all the bases good luck to you.

 

[sourland]

Andrew, folks are here to answer your questions. Congratulations on your new home, welcome to BYC, and good luck with your projects.

 

[acm2056]

Thanks sour land there's a lot of them lol

 

[Webechickens]

Hello from east central Indiana! When we free range our chickens, we put our dog in her crate until we bring them in. Can't trust her. She's a hunting dog and kills everything that moves. lol

 

[acm2056]

Hmmm thats a good call both my dogs will chase down the wild turkeys and squirrels and will catch them and kill them and do try for deer as well good thought on crate thanks

 

[Chicken Girls]

I have 4 large dogs and the dogs had to learn to leave the chickens alone. i had the chickens in their chicken house and yard until my dogs understood that the chickens were part of our animal family. I did not allow my chickens to free range until the dogs began to ignore the chickens. Most dogs learn by watching their owners. I would take the dogs out to the chicken coop and let them watch me feed and water the chickens. i would talk to the chickens and the dogs began to get the hint about how to treat the chickens. Now my chickens free range and the dogs basically ignore the chickens.