My dog killed all my young chickens. :(

[cjschickens]

So sorry to hear of your loss, if I lived closer I'd give you a few chicks for free !! What breed of dog was thus ? We have a saint Bernard and she doesn't even bother the birds. then again she's so big and heavy she probably can't run as fast as they can fly !

 

[AMA Chick]

I am mostly upset at myself for not securing the run and the young chickens good enough. I just want to figure out if there is someway to keep this from happening again. I want chickens and love my stupid, dumb dog. Any ideas?

The dog was just being a dog.
I think the solution for your problem (keeping it from happening again) is very simple: NEVER let the dog outside unattended. PERIOD. Until your chickens run is completely secured, the dog should not be out unsupervised.
You should also apologize to the dog for hitting it upside the head with a dead chicken.[/quote]



Was thinking about my earlier post, and realized it sounded pretty harsh:/

I also wanted to say, I'm so sorry this happened to you, and I DO HOPE you can forgive the dog, b/c it was just doing what dogs do....

Now that you know the dog will/can do this, you are better prepared to keep it from happening again.

I know how heartbreaking it is, I had 6 chickens killed recently, by an unknown animal, and of course, it got my favorites

So... All either of us can do is try our best to strengthen our coops/runs so nothing and no one can get to our chickens!

Good luck to you....

 

[DragonflysCoop]

We had a GSP who was an excellent bird dog, but could never be trusted. She killed 15 birds one day in less than 20 minutes. My husband accidentally left the door open when he went out and didn't discover his mistake in time. Some dogs are ok with birds, but others are not. We've had dogs in the past who wouldn't even go close to the chickens and one who would let the chickens peck right at his feet. Ultimately, we had to choose between the chickens and the GSP. The chickens won and she went to a nice bird hunter's home.

 

[EricMd01]

it sounds like you had the collar turned WAAAAAY too high. I use a remote collar for proofing certain behaviors with my youngest GSD. I use it on a 2 and his only response is an ear twitch. I've used it myself and it's no more painful than a good zap of static electricity.
Shooting a dog with a BB gun is a good way to end up with a severely injured dog, including loosing an eye

Also keep in mind humans have a much lower pain tolerance than dogs. What might hurt you won't hurt your dog as much.

I once saw a dog with a horrific injury to the groin area and he looked totally unaware and was trying to play all the while literally sqirting blood with every heartbeat. Idk any human that could take that pain.

 

[EricMd01]

Btw the dog was taken to the vet and is fine last I saw him.

 

[3riverschick]

I had just put the young chickens out in the new main coop with my rooster and hen last weekend. They apparently got out and were free ranging. Umbra was loose in the backyard. She's been off leash before with the young ones loose and minor supervision without problems.

When we got home from services we found all 5 babies dead. She actually ate a chunk out of one. The rooster and the big hen were hiding in the coop unharmed. Alijah beat her upside the head with one of the dead chickens and we put her in her crate.

Will she always be a chicken killer now?
Does that fact that we had to give her heartworm treatment Tuesday have anything to do with the sudden killing things? She killed a squirrel a Wednesday.
The rooster didn't protect the young hens because they had just been introduced into his flock? The rooster has beaten Umbra up a couple of times so she stays away from him and the big hen.

I am mostly upset at myself for not securing the run and the young chickens good enough. I just want to figure out if there is someway to keep this from happening again. I want chickens and love my stupid, dumb dog. Any ideas?

--------------------------
Hi,
We had a collie hobby for 15 yrs. Collies out of our bitches have/had careers in
12 different performance venues. Yes, your dog will always be a chicken killer now.
They are fluffy, squawky things which move in a jerky fashion. Just the thing to attract
a dog's prey drive. Is your poultry yard roofed? Do so. Either with tarp(if you don't have
varmints) or with chicken wire ( if you have wild varmints).
Don't blame the dog and don't hang a dead chicken round its neck like some folk advise.
I had several types of working collies come out of my kennel. Had one boy descended from a
chicken herding strain who was great with poultry and would round them up and "hold"
them for me until I picked them up. Had another which would "point" birds like a pointer.
Still another here which has a much sharper temperament. Like a police dog. She would
kill them if she could. One day the chickens got out and I didn't know it and let this last girl
race out into the backyard. I heard squawking and ran out.There she was, with a bird in her
mouth. She's a daughter from the "pointing " collie. I yelled, "Drop that bird!". And she did.
What a scene! The bird just had some ruffled feathers and was fine.
I put her in the dog run and put way the birds. I would never let her in with
the birds now. She has too high a prey drive. Her sister had a successful career mushing,
lure-coursing, and in weight pull. So you see it depends on how the dog was bred. You can
only do so much to tweak that instinct. Upside is, there are probably other areas where
your dog excels! Treasure them, cultivate them and just keep him away from the birds.

Most of all, do not let your dog live in disgrace. To a dog, unity and harmony in the pack
is the most important thing of all to it. Dogs live in the moment. They do not see the future,
nor do they remember the past as humans do. That "harmonious synergy" of the pack is
more important to the pack member than mating, food, or life itself. Do not blame the dog
if you were not there to witness the event. Unless the dog is deeply intuitive, it will not
associate your displeasure with the event. And will be confused about why you are angry.
My collies would associate , but I specifically bred them for extra deep intuition and a flexible intellect.
Buy the slim dog book called "On Talking Terms With Dogs: Calming Signals "
by Rugaas, Turid. Here: http://www.abebooks.com/ It's written by an expert and will show you how
to communicate to your dog with signals it understands. It is not willy nilly advice but proven
ways to let you dog know what you want. And calm it down if you want. Your dog wants to
communicate with you. It is essential he try to understand you in order to increase the
harmonious synergy of the pack. Get the book and give him a better chance to succeed.
Calming Signals comes in an ebook and is also in its 2nd edition:
http://www.dogwise.com/ItemDetails.cfm?ID=DTB527
Excerpt from Dogwise webpage:
"This new revised edition is a “must have!” Even if you own the previous edition the photos
and examples along with the writing are worth it. Turid has a wonderful gift of making
everything so easy to understand and relate to…(she has made) an enormous contribution
to mankind in our ever-increasing knowledge of “man’s best friend”—our dogs. Pamela Dennison"
Here is a companion DVD to the book:
Calming Signals: What Your Dog Tells You DVD
http://www.puplife.com/collections/...s/calming-signals-what-your-dog-tells-you-dvd

Best Regards,
Karen
Bellwether Collies (1994-2009)
Waterford English Light Sussex from 2012.