mice, a small dog and big chickens?

[mudvstheory]

Still planning my flock of Delawares. I feel like they may be big enough to deter hawks and crows, and even eat mice. Except a bald eagle showed up. It's hard to be upset about that, but I guess the run has to be covered. I was thinking about a big LGD anyway.

Anyway, I was reading about orchards and voles, which are darn close to mice. Since I am allergic to cats, a dog might help. Something small enough to be wary of big chickens, yet determined to get the rodents without hunting lessons from me. Maybe a jackapoo, which is jack russel and poodle, if I could find one that will hunt some. A dachsund from a working line? Active enough to love squirmy mice, but small enough that a big chicken is a lot to face.

Or can I just let the chickens after the voles? Do big chickens help control rodents, or just eat the occasional?

 

[chfite]

My chickens have killed the occasional vole. I don't foresee voles as being pests for chickens so long as they cannot get into the feed.

Chris

 

[StruckBy]

Voles really won't even go after your feed...they are primarily insectivores. I've never figured out what it is about young trees they find so appealing. Your chickens will also kill & eat them given half a chance. I would be VERY careful about what dog you get. Most of the small dogs that are interested in hunting will have no issues taking on a large chicken. Certainly Jack Russels won't...I had a friend who referred to hers as the little white devil dogs. They killed (one on one) full grown raccoons, porcupines, cats, had attacked a black bear, coyotes, etc. Most of the ones I've known since had the same drive, just less access to prey. Doxies from hunting lines aren't much better. Anything crossed with poodle generally does NOT have the coat type to be suitable as an outdoor dog and will need a lot of maintenance even indoors.

 

[conny63malies]

My mini dachshund doesn't care about size. She will go for things bigger than her. She strikes fear in our 45pound basset even though she is only 8 pounds her self . The thing is many doxies have a high prey drive. Most dogs that will go for varmint will also go for chickens. My pug as we know will go for possum(but not our basset) I will introduce our basset to our future chickens and poultry but will keep the two little dogs away.

 

[Mahlzeit]

If you get the dog as a puppy you can teach it very early on that chickens are off limits. I have a german shorthaired pointer from very strong hunting lines and this breed is a bird hunting breed and he know's chickens are off limits. He is very strong willed so it took some work but it worked.