my dog just killed all of my chickens

[shellyjimrye]

OMG!!! I love the above post! Well said!

 

[EsKezzy]

sorry for your loss. I'd be so upset too.

We have a dog with hunting/chasing instincts. He has a wonderful disposition and is great with children, but he is a dog. (he actually was almost an assistant dog but was having a few trouble spots in his training and was released from the program). When we got guinea pigs we were VERY nervous. Our dog doesn't do too much when we are watching but would get into all sorts of trouble when we were gone. We had to keep him in a kennel when we were out until just recently. Now we just make sure that all bread products are put away and all doors/cabinets are closed.

When we got the piggies, we let him see them in our hands and often told him NO when he got too close to them. Slowly letting him smell and see them. Now, he pretty much ignores them. We don't let them out when we're not watching them (more for fear of them getting lost or hawks getting them) but their cage is open at the top (the indoor cage) and he's never even tried to get them,

I'm still learning about introducing the chickens to him. So far he's been allowed in the doorway of the room they are currently in. He can sniff the cage. When he gets closer, we say no. Right now they are so small and I can tell he's curious about them and they are a little tempting. He'll probably be a little afraid of them as they get bigger and can peck him, but we plan on doing the slow introduction that others have suggested.

he's happy to have another type of animal poop to eat (so gross!).

 

[write2caroline]

I am so sorry for your loss.

My dog killed two of our first 3 chicks during week two. They sounded like his squeeky toys and it happened in an instant. He has never harmed any of the grown chickens. I also had a bunch of pullets that once they feathered out I let out into the run and the barn cats, I thought, would leave them alone, as they have all the other chickens decided that these were fun to chase and I lost 12 or so before I learned the horrible truth. These cats sit with the chickens when they are laying eggs and have shared the coop on rainey days but I have never had a problem. Babies are irresistable to predators and can bring out the worst natural instincts.

These are hard lessons in learning to care for chickens.

I have learned I have to lock up my chickens every night to keep pesky predators away and thankfully, my neighbor(s) who last summer "allegedly" killed a bunch of my best hens
is/are in jail, so hopefully they will be safer during the daytime.


Just do the best you can. Losses happen. Keep them clean,, freshly watered, and dust the coops with diatematious earth from time to time and you should avoid most of the problems.

Good luck in the future. Again, I am sorry for your loss.

Caroline
I

 

[donrae]

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After breeding collies for years (retired now) I have a theory about that. I think the smaller birds (creatures) which flutter, jerk, squeak, pip, squawk, etc. awaken the prey instincts in a dog. The larger ones may awaken a protection or gathering instinct instead. I am sure there are many exceptions, but I think it makes sense as a general train of thought.
Best,
Karen

I so agree with this! Young birds are exciting! They're noisy and fast and when you chase them they flutter around and squawk and when you grab them in your mouth they make the coolest sounds and flail around and are like a squeaky toy come to life..........until you break them and they're still and quiet. Then you have to go find another one to play with.......and another.........

That's exactly what my dog was thinking with my pullets last year. And yes, I asked him and he told me lol. Never ever bothered a grown bird so I thought he was okay with juveniles. Won't make that mistake again.

 

[kacklinkelly]

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After breeding collies for years (retired now) I have a theory about that. I think the smaller birds (creatures) which flutter, jerk, squeak, pip, squawk, etc. awaken the prey instincts in a dog. The larger ones may awaken a protection or gathering instinct instead. I am sure there are many exceptions, but I think it makes sense as a general train of thought.
Best,
Karen

Amazing - thank you for that. Did I mention she is collie/shepherd mix?

 

[3riverschick]

Quote: Interesting. well, you could try and acclimatize your dog to the birds. Put her in a wire crate where she can be near the chicks and smell, see them. Then put some chicks too young to be frightened by a dog in a wire crate right next to the dog. Try giving the dog a dose of either Benadryl or Rescue Remedy herbal calming solution about 5 minutes before you introduce the chicks. Watch and see what happens. Let the dog learn it can be next to the chicks and not be excited. Figure out some other baby steps you can use to gently encourage your dog to be gentle around the birds.
Collies and shepherds are both herding breeds. However, they have three different types of herding behavior. A smooth collie is a drover and will drive the flock somewhere. A rough collie is a gatherer and will gather the sheep and pen them for the shepherd. A German Shepherd is a circling herder. It circles the flock on the perimeter to keep the animal together. So your dog has three different herding instincts bred into it . Well two, actually, if you know whether the collie was either rough or smooth coated. I believe that this is why collie/shepherd mixes sometimes have a problem knowing how to respond to creatures they should know how to handle of they were purebred one or the other breed.
Try watching your dog and choosing one of the temperaments the mix is known for. Encourage that set of talents and see what happens. The collies greatest hallmark is their sagacity. Their ability to learn from experience and build on that experience to do a better job. (i.e., wisdom) Try encouraging that in your dog without getting upset. Collies have a reputation for shutting down if yelled at. They want to please. Shepherds, some will get stubborn if yelled at.
Try using a clicker training system with you dog. It may help ground her in which type of response you desire if the dog isn't sure how to respond. You can clicker train your chickens to do tricks. This dog trainer has a tested method to train chickens in order to teach dog trainers how to be better clicker trainers.http://www.legacycanine.com/workshops/chicken-camps.html

Maybe you can use the method on both your chickens and your dog.
Best,
Karen
( The first litter we bred in 1995 was fathered by a service dog sire who was descended from a line of chicken-herding collies at Earlcrest Kennels in Florida( long since retired). The Earlcrest collies were rough collies, as I rememeber. Their job at the poultry farm was to wade thru the baby chicks and keep them from piling up in heaps and smothering the chicks on the bottom. These collies were so careful. They did not stampede , chase or alarm the chicks. Just carefully walked thru the brooders and kept the chicks from piling up. The male I kept from that litter was a smooth collie, Pappy, who was my chicken herder. If a chicken got loose, Pappy would herd it up against the side of the run and hold it there for me until I came to pick it up and put it away. He was a good boy, and lived till 12 yrs. old.)

 

[kacklinkelly]

Thank you for taking the time to provide all this information. Our girl is 13 years old. She has one
eye due to glaucoma surgery 2 & half years ago. We were told it is likely to come back in the other
eye within 6 - 18 months of the surgery. She gets drops daily in her good eye. She is our joy.

Once the chickens came into the picture, she seemed to get more life in her.
She is just a love sponge and follows me EVERYWHERE. Loves to be at my feet. I almost thought
her behavior towards the chicks might be a jealousy thing for a while.

When she was young and we were training her, we had a devil of a time getting her to stop biting
everyone's ankles. She tried to herd EVERYONE. She is the type that does not like loud noises.
She will go into her kennel when voices get raised in the house even if not at her. She has
"trained us" to speak more carefully and lovingly with each other even when angry.

Those are funny and wonderful memories now.
We cherish the days we get to have her with us. We were told she likely has anal sac cancer
by our vet. We opted not to put her through surgery due to the glaucoma, age and how agressive
a form of cancer it is. We know we are on borrowed time with her and she can "play" all she
wants with chicks. It's up to me to keep everyone safe. I love seeing her vibrant again. Even
though it's intermittent. Thanks for letting me be a sap.

 

[poofkiss]

I sadly can relate. The first time she killed a rooster who was wickedly mean and he was attacking me. My dog is a Siberian Husky, predator is her nature. I have a huge fenced yard for her and then the chicks have acres to free range on. This past Easter, my malicious neighbors opened the gate to my yard. Only 2 of my 10 survived, including the loss of my 3 yr olds Phoenix that we had since she was a day old. I bought older hens for my remaining 2 and things settled down. Two weekends ago while moving things to my new house, it happened again. I thought I had created a 'safe' area to escape my dog on the chance of her getting out/being let out. I was wrong. I lost everyone including my babies who were offspring of my original 10. I ended up finding 2 of my 7 babies and 1 hen who suffered some severe injuries. They are currently living in my bathroom until I finish moving.
I can't change my dog, I am working with her to attempt not to react to them. I feel like I am making progress but recognize she is a dog. I miss my flock but will rebuild and use the lessons to my advantage. The reality is, they had no where to hide/escape. I realized a large flaw in both designs and will address it at our new home. Good luck and know you aren't alone grieving lost chickens.

 

[deesmilkman]

I dont suggest this on a old sick dog, but i have a jrt and i have a wireless fence it shocked him on low setting twice ..it beeps 10 seconds before it goes off i just used the training mode made it beep when he showed intrest in the chicks no shock now they can jump on him he just rolls over.

 

[Ruso]

I am extremely upset. My mom and I just went out to check on the chicks the last time for the night before bed and they were all dead inside their little home. somehow my dog found a way in the room and around all of the precautions we set up. he must have broken the chicken wire set up we had so nothing could get in (and they couldn't jump out). I feel so terrible. They must have been terrified. I'm not sure what to do now ): I feel a bit defeated after spending all that time and energy on those little babies just for them to die in 2 minutes. I feel like a bad mommy. I'm not sure what to do about my dog. I'm just a mess.

I need suggestions. My mom wants to get more chicks but I will not do it if my dog will kill them. That would not be fair to those poor chicks to even chance it.

I have a Siberian Husky, I love her sooo much but she would kill any chicken/rabbit/pigeon she gets her paws on

Sorry for your loss.