My dog killed my chicks

[splum]

I get it now.
I have had a chinchilla for 15 years and he hasn't ever hurt her. I realize it's because she is up high. I will do the same with the chicks. Put them on a table he can't reach, besides my other safety measures.

 

[newmarch2014]

I have 2 dogs that are NOT chicken safe, they look at them like they are chicken nuggets. So we keep them completely separate at all times. I have one dog that showed an interest yet casualness about the chickens. She would stick her nose in the brooder but then ignore them in favor of fetch as then as they grew she would check them in the pen but then lay down and ignore them. It took my husband a year to convince me to give her a chance to see how she would do with them. We let them out with her, she sniffed them and went on her way for the most part. She makes a great flock guardian but she is the same temper with chicks as she is adult chickens. She has a very low prey drive but a huge work ethic (she is a herding dog) so her perceived "job" is to keep them safe (Though that does not stop her from doing drive bys to scatter them for fun or goosing them to send them airborne for sport). It is all in the breeding and prey drive of the dog. Usually a dog that cant be trusted with chicks is not trustworthy with chickens either. It can eventually be trained in many dogs but in that case I would never leave an unattended chance of interaction. Our run is predator proof with our own 2 dogs in consideration more than the possible coons or snakes or opossums. It is welded wire for strength, has a 2nd layer of chicken wire just to keep their heads in so that a weed does not entice them to stick their head out to be a temptation to the dogs when they are out, the wire is laid and buried for about 18 inches in case my digger dog decided to make it a project, the gate needs thumbs to get into it, etc etc. We hang a sign on the slider if the chickens are free ranging that says "chickens roaming" so someone doesn't accidentally let a killer among them. These precautions have resulted in safe chickens for over a year so it can be done. (though I left the lid off the brooder and the garage door open recently and this resulted in a heart attack for me) I am sorry you had to learn the hard way but now you know that you have to be more tenacious than your dog bred to be a "pest" killer, hard to overcome generations of breeding.

 

[Ol Grey Mare]

Daschies are badger hounds. Bred to go to earth in the borrows and catch badgers. They chase and kill prey. Yup, this dog will kill any chicken it can get too. Not his fault. It is bred into him. I am not surprised at all he managed to work his way into the brooder. It's his way. I have no doubt this dog is a fine pet and friend to the family. He just can't get past the instinct bred into the breed for decades. It would be unkind to try and change him or expect him to act differently.
Best,
Karen
Bellwether Collies 1995-2009, retired.

Exactly - unfortunately you have a breed that is going to be incompatible with prey animals - your best approach is prevention of any and all interaction between the dog and the birds and, as you have seen, his breeding is such that that prevention requires extra steps. His small size will in no way reduce the risk to adult birds.

 

[jmdarrow]

I have a doxie too. He makes me nervous around my chics cause every time he is around them he wines and lick his chops. I know I can't trust him around my girls. I have an extra crate that I put him in when the girls are out cause he is a fast little bigger and I know he's thinking snack time!

 

[rides2far]

Our female lab & male pit bull could care less about the chickens, however, my husband's hunting lab would really like to eat them. Go figure.

 

[jmdarrow]

Yup. My 12 year old pit could care less too! My doxie actually belongs to my 23 year old son. If he would move out, my problem would be solved! Lol. My son likes his "nest" a little too much..

 

[chickengeorgeto]

Our female lab & male pit bull could care less about the chickens, however, my husband's hunting lab would really like to eat them. Go figure.

My hunting lab could carry chicks around in their mouths all day without breaking a feather. In fact I kept a pigeon loft full of "Rock Doves" so that I could use them as live training dummies. Some lasted for years before the hawks killed the last of them

 

[kyexotics]

I just really thought I had the chicks secure and am disappointed.

If I knew how many times I've said that, I'd know how many ducks and chickens I have lost...We were seeing a predator almost every night and I was constantly making changes so me and the mrs didn't have to pull split shift all nighters and even then, we were too late on occasion...

Then we got Sarge and we haven't seen one since...



I pity any animal that enters his domain...Once he sees it, it's ballgame, even our 6' fences won't keep him in, it's not even a foot jump for him to reach top and pull himself over it...We['ve seen it LOL Actually trying to kill that habit as he follows us to house now! LOL We spend 10 mins locking gates and he spends 10 seconds scaling them...He's only 8mths, I'm only 5'4"and he stands and rests his arms on my shoulders as he kisses me...

 

[Saris]

I'm so sorry to hear that. We have our babies in a closet to keep my German Shepherd away from them. We've 'vtried holding them near her and she oh so gently tries to eat them. She's been popped a few times but if we didn't have the closet she would be doing everything she could to get them.

 

[newmarch2014]

I'm so sorry to hear that. We have our babies in a closet to keep my German Shepherd away from them. We've 'vtried holding them near her and she oh so gently tries to eat them. She's been popped a few times but if we didn't have the closet she would be doing everything she could to get them.

I tested my chicken safe dog on a leash the first time and was pretty positive she was being too agressive, lunging and such. When the DH told me to try it we let her be free, totally different attitude.