Might be getting a dog. What about the chickens?

[cluckmecoop7]

We might be adopting a 1-2 year old Plott Hound named Skye from the shelter. I have 13 chickens outside.....what should I do about it? Any tips and tricks welcome!

 

[Folly's place]

Good for you!
No dog is going to be safe around chickens without lots of training and supervision, on leash. Having the dog and the flock physically separated will be essential, for however long it takes, maybe forever. Is there previous history about this dog? Information is always good, whatever you can find out.
She (?) has a nice face, and good looking color.
Mary

 

[HeathenHavenHomestead]

We might be adopting a 1-2 year old Plott Hound named Skye from the shelter. I have 13 chickens outside.....what should I do about it? Any tips and tricks welcome!
View attachment 2805344

The best thing you can do is keep him leashes around the chickens.
There is a lot of information on the internet about introducing dogs to chickens.
Do you free range or use a run?
When introducing you might pick up the clicker method as it’s easy and quick for dogs to learn with a consistent sound. I would suggest trying clicker training for basic commands before starting on using it during chicken training that way the dog has a clear understanding of the clicker before being introduced to chickens.
The first thing to start with is having the dog on a good collar or harness - something the dog CANNOT slip out of or worm it’s way out of.
A martingale collar is good for this they make many without the spikes on the inside.
Take the dog around the chickens but far enough away that if the dog lunges it cannot get a chicken. Assess how the dog responds. Excited? Uninterested? Eye lit up light Christmas lights (not a good thing)
If the dog turns away and seems uninterested clicker and treat immediately.
If the dog is excited and causing unrest walk away.
the clicker and treat are only for behaviors you want to see.

keep in mind this dog will be coming to a new environment and it might be better to wait a month or longer before trying to introduce your dog to the chickens as everything will be new and scary but exciting and the dog might not respond immediately how you want to a new environment.

I would suggest looking into clicker training and maybe watch some videos on how to do it properly.

I would also give the dog a period of new home adjustment and NEVER leave it off leash or unattended around the chickens.

I have made the mistake of leaving my own dogs around our chickens thinking “they did so great while we were outside with them” we came outside an hour later to find half our flock slaughtered, 1/4 never returned from the woods, 1 died in our arms from injury and the remaining 10 still live after returning from the woods hours later. The dogs are no longer with us. It was our fault but they would have never been able to live safely together.

if you have any issues and decide the dog is no longer right for your family the shelter should have in their contract that you can return the dog no questions asked.

 

[Folly's place]

Our current dogs were never trained to leave the birds alone, and we manage by having excellent fencing to keep them apart.
Puppies that we've raised in the past have learned to be 'chicken safe', but not the two we have right now.
Mary

 

[cluckmecoop7]

Good for you!
No dog is going to be safe around chickens without lots of training and supervision, on leash. Having the dog and the flock physically separated will be essential, for however long it takes, maybe forever. Is there previous history about this dog? Information is always good, whatever you can find out.
She (?) has a nice face, and good looking color.
Mary

Thanks for the info! She's a girl.

 

[cluckmecoop7]

The best thing you can do is keep him leashes around the chickens.
There is a lot of information on the internet about introducing dogs to chickens.
Do you free range or use a run?

I use a run.

When introducing you might pick up the clicker method as it’s easy and quick for dogs to learn with a consistent sound. I would suggest trying clicker training for basic commands before starting on using it during chicken training that way the dog has a clear understanding of the clicker before being introduced to chickens.
The first thing to start with is having the dog on a good collar or harness - something the dog CANNOT slip out of or worm it’s way out of.
A martingale collar is good for this they make many without the spikes on the inside.
Take the dog around the chickens but far enough away that if the dog lunges it cannot get a chicken. Assess how the dog responds. Excited? Uninterested? Eye lit up light Christmas lights (not a good thing)
If the dog turns away and seems uninterested clicker and treat immediately.
If the dog is excited and causing unrest walk away.
the clicker and treat are only for behaviors you want to see.

keep in mind this dog will be coming to a new environment and it might be better to wait a month or longer before trying to introduce your dog to the chickens as everything will be new and scary but exciting and the dog might not respond immediately how you want to a new environment.

I would suggest looking into clicker training and maybe watch some videos on how to do it properly.

I would also give the dog a period of new home adjustment and NEVER leave it off leash or unattended around the chickens.

I have made the mistake of leaving my own dogs around our chickens thinking “they did so great while we were outside with them” we came outside an hour later to find half our flock slaughtered, 1/4 never returned from the woods, 1 died in our arms from injury and the remaining 10 still live after returning from the woods hours later. The dogs are no longer with us. It was our fault but they would have never been able to live safely together.

if you have any issues and decide the dog is no longer right for your family the shelter should have in their contract that you can return the dog no questions asked.

Thanks for the info! We'd probably start with Foster To Adopt or Slumber Party anyways. I'm so sorry about your flock

 

[HeathenHavenHomestead]

I use a run.

Thanks for the info! We'd probably start with Foster To Adopt or Slumber Party anyways. I'm so sorry about your flock

A run will make it much easier since they won’t ever be in direct proximity.
The massacre was our fault. Took awhile to get over it they were only 10 weeks old but they killed all our favorites and the one favorite that lived attacked our daughter so he was eliminated.
Making new favorites but at a distance so we’re not so attached.

 

[Folly's place]

Make sure your run is really safe! A motivated dog can get through many 'safe' fencing options.
Mary

 

[Lacy Duckwing]

What I did with my dog Sterling (a husky/lab mix) is I'd walk him on a leash by my chicken run. I'd tell him "No, you can't have it. They're mine." and put my hand over his eyes and turned his head away whenever he looked at them with that "I want them" look. At first he'd try still looking at them, but I wouldn't let him. Also, I wouldn't look at them either.
Now, Sterling can even be running around loose, and not try going to them through the fence. I'll even have Sterling right next to me while I hand feed my hens through the fence, and he does good. I'd NEVER trust him around them should they be free ranging, and/or if I wasn't around, though.

Something that was very helpful with Sterling: My chickens wasn't scared of him. Something that is very hard on training a dog around chickens (and some people might not realize this) is when the chickens are scared of dogs. A chicken who is scared of dogs, will do that scared cluck, and either run or flutter away from the dog. That will excite the dog, and cause them to want to chase or play with. My chickens were raised around a huge dog because the person I got them from had a Bernese Mountain Dog. So, my chickens (mainly my Jewels) would hang out right by the fence like he wasn't there at all. (Sterling tried getting Jewels once, and she didn't even flinch. That's how good she is.)
So with introducing any dog to your flock, maybe, if possible, getting your chickens used to other animals. With my bantams, I had them around goats. Then, one day, a dog came around that was known to attack birds their size. And because they wasn't scared of dogs, my bantams free ranged while the dog hanged out nearby. No problems whatsoever. Don't know if you'll be able to train your flock, but from what I've seen, it does help with training the dog if the flock is already trained.

Good luck!

 

[cluckmecoop7]

Thank you so much!