My chicks are afraid to go out!

[Brindlebtch]

Go ahead and let them stay in for the day and maybe by tomorow they will have forgotten the trauma somewhat, being chickens.

Show them the grass again in the morning.

I think you are doing the right thing with your JRT, but I would leave the shock collar on for a few weeks so you can have the opportunity to *reach out and touch him* should the occasion arise.

I have trained several Jacks for agility and you can overcome that hunting instinct and don't ever let anybody convince you otherwise!

 

[ranchhand]

Quote:
There was no question in the original post regarding the dog!

Let them take their time, they're pretty young and are probably terrified now.

You can add as many as you like- I prefer to add about the same number, at the same age and size. That way they get all mixed togather and no one gets singled out.

Good luck!

 

[babymakes6]

I am sorry about your birds! Yes, I agree, Jack Russel's are a very intelligent breed and CAN be trained to leave your chickens alone. However, I don't think it would be safe to leave them alone together, unsupervised-which I am sure you know!
BTW

 

[cockadoodledean]

I have changed the title of my post to try to get away from the dog focus. Thanks to the member who PM'd me

 

[cockadoodledean]

Quote:
LOL! Yeah, we need new batteries so we can leave on on each dog. Thanks!
I was thinking their memories might fade, with such tiny little brains but I wasn't sure!

 

[ranchhand]

Chicks do tend to forget pretty fast- by watching to see who ventures out first, you'll have a chance to see what pecking order is being established.

 

[Critter Crazed]

Sorry I didn't answer your questions I just wanted to clear things up that your dog doesn't have to be a chicken killer for the rest if his life.

I would wait until the chicks feel safe enough to go outside on their own. If they don't go outside in the next 2 days or so then I would put them on the grass myself because they might not think it's safe at all!

Good luck and tell us what happens!

 

[BroomFarm]

I've trained, or helped train, Labrador retrievers, Beagles, various pointers and even a poodle, but still, our very well-trained dog got a couple of chickens, recently. The remaining 6 were terrified, like yours are, for a couple of days, but we finally got them over the trauma with their favorite treat...CHERRIES! We tossed a few just outside their little run and they forgot all about the dangers of a little white terror.

Yes, our chickens are absolute nuts when it comes to cherries. We have a sour cherry tree (Montmorency) that we harvest and can pie-filling from, but there are always plenty of extras that we give to the girls. They go bananas for cherries. OK, that was bad.

With that being said, I would like to bring to light that using a training collar to shock a dog for bad behavior is not correct. Per the manufacturer's instructions, and the recommendation of any qualified trainer, a collar is best used to reinforce proper behavior.

You teach your dog the behavior w/o a collar, then, when he knows what is expected of him, a collar is used to apply a "stimulus" (low setting) that is removed when the behavior is performed properly. The dog is rewarded for doing something right. When used to punish, a collar is only effective because the dog becomes fearful of anything that is doesn't already recognize as good behavior.

With proper supervision, your chickens and your dog can all be part of a happy extended family.

 

[cockadoodledean]

Here's my update...The 2 golden comets came out but only if I was in the fenced area (awwww...I'm their mama!), the rest are still chillin' in the coop. I tried broccoli to lure them--I'll try cereal tomorrow. Thanks for that tip!
The dog came down to see what was going on...2 firm "NO"s and back to the house he went. And just so you all know, he was praised for leaving the area

I do believe in positive reinforcement, but I also believe certain situations need negative reinforcement. I don't want to get into an ethical discussion on raising dogs here, we're all different, we all have different dogs and different things work for each of us-just like our children.
Hopefully the 9 buff orps come out tomorrow (now I'm singing the Annie song in my head).
Tomorrow, tomorrow, ...

 

[jelmer]

you should probably let them theyl go out by them self