My (beloved) dog ate a second chicken yesterday.......

[DAFox]

I have one really determined EE, even when I kept clipping her wing until I was afraid to clip anymore. If you can put a roof/fencing on your chicken pen, that would be good. Do the birds go in the front yard? My GSD, on a tie out, was able to catch chickens because it was somewhat close to a wall on one side. The EEs were attracted to the danger, I think...or just really stupid. I was home both times when it happened, so the birds didn't get hurt. The first time, I thought that was a freak accident. The second time, I realized that he was learning to corral the chickens and getting them to react and move the way he wanted. GSDs are herding dogs, after all.
Dale-Ann

 

[savingdogs]

Yes, I'm sure my little EE pullet was a fun game to herd around the yard before Bandit killed her.....and the fence she flew over was six foot chain link, partially covered.....I didn't realize these birds were going to be able to fly like that because my BO and RIR cannot even come close to going over this fence. My Orloffs have however so I knew it was possible and my muscovy hens could make it over easily. So I really only have to trim the wings of about half my flock.

 

[ginbart]

Well I had to see a pic of one so if anyone wants to see what they look like you can go here. http://www.dogbreedinfo.com/karelianbeardog.htm

I thought they would be bigger. LOL This was an accident and no one is to blame. The dog was doing what the dog knows. Sorry for your loss.

I applaud you for working with dogs.

rancher hicks, if you can't say anything nice don't say anything at all. That is not what this is about.

 

[PurpleChicken]

Cool looking dog.


My previous comment about raw chicken being good for dogs is both lighthearted and the truth. I used to have a Coon Hound that on occasion would get hold of one of my quail and she would be in her glory. I swear the act of catching one and eating it would make her feel like she won the lottery. Another time we were raising a bunch of standard meat roosters and a few got under the barn and wouldn't come out. I sent Sandy in to get them and she did. She flushed them out and kept one for herself. Hey, we were gonna eat them anyways. She just beat us to the dinner table. She walked around for days with her head held high.

None of my dogs ever ate any of our pet chickens and the chickens have no fear of them. I've read posts here how people get rid of dogs for eating chickens. If Jake (my Pit/Pointer) mix decided to eat one of my chickens todays he would get some sort of "advanced no eat chicken training" but I'd still love him just the same. Of course if my flock decided to eat him well, I'd be eating fried chicken for a few weeks.

 

[shareverwonder]

My fiance's pit bull has killed two of our chickens. Both were only a few weeks old, so not such a big loss. The dog has gone after my Leghorn rooster, picked him up and ran through the yard with the roo in his mouth. Good thing we caught him or my Leghorn would be history too. Our chickens are totally free range so when the dog is outside the chickens aren't. We have to divide the time up until we get a run built for the chickens. Dang dog.

 

[NeeleysAVLChicks]

Quote:
Ehhhh, unfortunately the truth isn't always "nice" or what people want to hear and what Rancher Hicks said is the truth. If you plan to have two species co-habitate, one naturally being a predator and one naturally being prey, its your responsibility to make sure they are kept in such a way where they are both safe.

Savingdogs, I'm sorry about the loss of your chicken. Please be aware that while clipping wings will deter the fence hopping, its by no means a guarantee. Deer netting is cheap, easy to install, found at any home improvement store and will keep your chickens from flying out of their enclosure.

 

[sfw2]

Quote:
Cool! That looks a lot like our chicken killer husky mix, Zoe. Acts a lot like her, too. We adopted her from animal control about six years ago. We've yet to find the fence that can contain her. We have netting over the chicken run, to keep them in.

Good luck keeping your birds and dog separate!

 

[theFox]

Quote:
+1

There are some birds that if their feathers are clipped seem to have little trouble still getting out.

I think those ones come with springs for legs.

 

[savingdogs]

I need to get some of that netting. The EEs are only four months old and still real slender... Maybe when they fatten up they won't be able to get their butts off the ground.....
I not only have the KBD dog here, but four other dogs (much better behaved!) and we foster strange dogs from the humane society, usually two extra dogs live here. I am very much aware that dogs will always be predators and chickens prey, and any errors are my fault, not the dogs. I cannot let ANY dogs get a taste for chicken, even more so in the case of the foster dogs who are here to get evaluated and socialized as pets and placed in the appropriate home, and homes in the country are usually so good (except for those chicken-eater types!).

I'm a big girl and can take criticism regarding not protecting my birds. I agree! I would not have posted this story here and not expected a few comments such as I've recieved, especially when I mentioned this was the SECOND time....... I did think more people would think I should get rid of her, that is why I put "beloved" in the title. She is terminally ill for goodness sakes and I can just keep her inside mostly.

She will no longer have access to the birds, they cannot get to where goes out, but I'm still concerned that if they can fly out even with clipped wings, they will be killed by something else, we do live in the forest and have these above-mentined foster dogs. I'm kicking myself that I did not move Bandit the second I saw that one of the EEs could fly!

My husband had just built her this big beautiful yard though, you see, so moving her out of it and back on the tether for potty breaks just didn't come to mind right away..... but it was never meant to be hers forever.

I love the netting idea and will have to explore where I can get me some of that. We have some chicken wire right now as a temporary fix.

Ginbart thanks for finding a KBD picture and yes, she looks very much like that dog, not big, Bandit weighs a little over 50 pounds. They were originally used for bear hunting in Russia and that is why they have that independent nature, they were supposed to make decisions for themselves. She certainly knows how to handle coyotes (we don't have bears). If anyone is thinking of getting one as a pet I would very highly suggest they think about a different breed, I've known more than 300 foster dogs and she is the most difficult dog I've ever known. Huskies would be much the same without her issues although I've only known this one representative of the breed.

And yes, Purple Chicken, Bandit very much agrees with you that raw chicken is very good for her!

 

[Montana cluckers]

We just lost our tenth chicken to our schnauzer. He loves chicken! Unfortunately I can't seem to make the chickens understand that they need to stay out of his back yard! The pullet was mauled pretty badly yesterday and finally died today. I'm really sad, because I feel guilty and she was starting to lay really nice eggs. oh, well. a dog will be a dog.