Mowed Trails to Facilitate Poultry Guarding Dogs

[centrarchid]

If you are like me and use dogs to protect free-range poultry, especially where dogs can operate on both sides of the fence, then consider mowing lanes to provide trails to direct dogs on patrols. My dogs can canvas property a lot faster when following trails versus same area without trails. Cut trails so ground dwelling bad guys must cross at least two trails before getting into birds. My dogs when patrolling run lanes and can readily line out scent trails and then bee line to bad guys. Same trails are also good points for scent marking that predators note as penetrating property. Another advantage is that predators have a hard time not using the same cut pathways making to they are more likely to run into dogs.

Initially I cut lanes for birds and to help keep fencing hot. Now I cut trails beyond where birds go for reasons stated above.

 

[cavemanrich]

Great Idea. I'm sure it works well because animals will take path of least resistance. People do same. I shovel paths in the snow in my yard during winter. My dogs utilize these runways always. The snow does not have to be deep.