my dog is worried about the chicks!

oldchickenlady

Songster
9 Years
May 9, 2010
1,285
9
151
Cabot, AR
Picked up my 6 day old SLW chicks yesterday. I brought them in and put them in the brooder I have fixed up for them, with their food and water and light. Of course I watched them for quite a while, I tear myself away to do other things...but always end up back at the brooder box looking at the chicks! Well, my Chesapeake Bay Retriever, Delta, is on chicken watch with me. When I do manage to tear myself away for a while, she will come to me and start acting like she is hungry or wants outside...but she wants me to go check the chicks! This morning she woke me up at 6:30am! I thought she wanted out, so I go into the living room and head for the door, but she stops at the brooder and looks in, then looks at me and 'woos' at me. Anyone who has had a Chessie knows what I am talking about when I say she 'woos'. It isn't a howl or a bark...it is a woo sound. She makes it when she is excited or happy. She interrupted a dream I was having about being at the beach! I was almost to the sand when she woke me up!
 
cute. be careful as mentioned. i trust only one of our dogs, around the chickens, the other, is watched closely and not left alone with the chickens.
 
My Rottweiler does the same thing lol. She ignores the outside chickens, but loves checking the inside brooder. I keep thinking she wants out, but then she leads me to the spare room with the brooder. If I pull one out for her, she sniffs it up, then is good for awhile.
 
I know what you mean oldchickenlady. I have a dog that thinks the chicks are hers. I kid you not. This dog wants nothing to do with puppies at all. When it comes to chicks, guinea pigs or even baby ducks she wants to take care of them. She will lick a baby chick till it's wet and I have to put it under the lights for it to dry. One thing that frustrates her is how to pick them up. She can't figure that part out......... lol. It's amazing to see. I think she is part English sheep dog....... you know, the ones that herd and maybe lab or something similar.
 
No she doesn't want to hurt them, she wants me to check on them! She will stand there and just look and sniff at them. Then she is ok for a while, but soon she is back at the box, looking in at them. From time to time, if I haven't been in there with them, she will come get me and take me to the box, like she is saying to me "Make sure they are ok!" She is 16 years old and never had puppies, so I guess this is where her 'mothering' instincts are coming out!
 
My golden retriever was fascinated with our new chicks so I picked one up and held it close so she could sniff it. Suddenly she opened her mouth and was ready to snap it up and gulp it down! I saved the little thing just in time. I think she thought I was feeding her. I guess we weren't "on the same page". However, one year later, she loves to watch the chickens as they free range and has learned to leave them alone. I even saw her protect them from another dog that came with my grandkids to visit. She is great with them now but I still don't know that I would trust her with babies..... Sounds like you have a sweet dog.
 
She is a sweetie...she and I are the only girls in the house, so we are close! If I could just take her shopping with me! My boys wont be caught dead with me in public if they can help it! They are going to be 20 in April.
 
My mail Aussie is the same way. He is father to all chicks. If I care about something then he does too.

If they are too noisy he comes and gets me. Every time I visit them he is at my side. He gives them a quick lick if he can.
I can put him and them together on the floor and he nudges them with his nose if they move to far off the towel.

My female Aussie does not care a bit.
 

New posts New threads Active threads

Back
Top Bottom