My dog killed one of my girls!!!

[minna]

We broke our lab from killing the chickens, well, my dh did. Some ppl might think it is mean, so I won't post it, but you can pm me.

 

[LittleHouseDreams]

My Mom told me this morning that her mother and grandmother taught their collie to leave chickens alone after the collie had killed a chicken. She said they spent the afternoon with the dog and chickens and every time the collie went for the chickens she got a switch to the nose. She said the dog never harmed a chicken again and became a good working dog(even protecting the chickens as well as the other livestock.) I am going to use this method on Nelly I think. She is a smart dog and I know she can be taught if I am a good enough teacher. I am relieved to know that a dog can be rehabilitated after such an act and that all hope is not lost. Thank you for all your help and if you all have any more advice I would welcome it with much appreciation.



I just noticed that I finally hatched on this board! I thought I'd be a new egg forever! Yea!

 

[freemotion]

Consider using the "Cesar poke" rather than the switch. Same effect, but in the dog's language. I have seen my dog use this method on our cats, he pokes his closed mouth on their shoulder or neck if they are in a place he wants to be or if he just wants them out of the room. They skedaddle!

Hitting on the nose can create head-shyness and fear of you and/or your hands, less so on the neck or shoulder. Keep the dog on a lead until the lesson is clearly learned.

Remember, too, that collies are herding dogs and that poodles descend from hunting dogs, although retrievers. The mindset is a little different.

I wish you success! If you are persistant, you will be successful. Let us know how it goes.

 

[they'reHISchickens]

I trust our dog out with the chickens, but then she thinks she is in charge of taking care of them! When they were hand-sized peeps, one got out of the box and she scooped it up in her mouth. My son told her to drop it and she plopped it at his feet unharmed.
What is really strange is that since then, that chicken makes and effort and comes up to Cleo unafraid. Her name is... "Cleo's Friend"
We have a 100 lb Black Russian Terrier and she thinks her job is to take care of all living things here.

 

[basicliving]

LittleHouseDreams, I'm so sorry about what happened.

I do think you should work with your dog and see how it goes. You have nothing to lose, right?

This thread was very timely for me - we are looking to get a couple of puppies soon and I have been concerned about training them with chickens. We've had dogs in the past and spent a lot of time training them, but not since we've had chickens. I do believe the key to training any animal is to "speak their language". The video Freemotion mentioned can be viewed here www.youtube.com/watch?v=ps8g86khGFE
Good video. Thanks for posting it, Freemotion.

Penny

 

[SharonX]

I am so afraid of losing another of my 3 month old girls as my dog almost got one between her teeth as I screamed bloody murder and she backed off. I hollered so loud the neighbor called on my answering machine to ask if I was OK.

I had made a bad mistake that evening. I left for work at a department store and left the chicken stagecoach door open so the big girls could come into roost at dusk. I get home about 9:30 pm but with the time change it is dark by then now.

So that meant the lil girls could escape the stagecoach and did. Duh! So I came home to find none of my 7 lil girls in the coop, but the 2 older hens were in their roost, but the 6 month Silkie was missing.

I panicked and could not find my flash light, but went looking for them anyway. Then I stepped on my best girl, Bella -- the one I saved from curly toes and paralysis with vitamin therapy. She was doing very well and was normal when I left for work. Now she was injured -- by ME!

She screamed and I did also. Then she started acting seriously injured and crippled. I was heart sick. I grabbed her and got her inside the house in her cage with heating pad while I found the flash light and went to find the others.

Then I heard "crunch, crunch, crunch" and shone my light in the tree where a raccoon was having a meal of my lil Buff Brahma. I was sick again and went racing around looking for the others. I found two just huddled in the grass in two different areas. I thought I had lost my 6 month Silkie, but she was white so I saw her huddled in the back lot. I grabbed her and pushed her in the back of the roost with the hens and locked them in.

I was now in a 10 pm race to get them all in the house before the coon found another one for dessert. I had 2 more to go. I got the dog and she flushed one out of the bushes as I screamed not to hurt it.

She heeded me and backed off, but I would never trust her with the lil girls alone, so she stays in the house when they are free in the back. Two Tom cats act seriously disinterested and even afraid of them while one Tom cannot hold himself back from the glass door to get to them, so he never leaves the house.

My son and his GF came about then and were seriously upset about the little Buff Brahma. I now had only one Black Orphington left to find and in the dark, it was impossible. My son looked all over and then gave up.

At sunrise, I lept up and ran into the back yard and there the lil Black Orphington was wandering around the stagecoach looking confused and puzzled -- "Where is everybody? Where's my sisters?" I grabbed her and ran inside -- so thrilled to have her alive and back with the others. My son and GF were also so thrilled to see her.

I learned my lesson on that night and hope never to lose them again. I realize now I need another coop, so the old girls can roost at dusk while the young girls stay safe and locked up in the sunshine and balmy weather. I also need a CO2 gun for varmits -- not to kill, just to hurt them enough so they do not come over every night looking for a meal.

BTW: My stepped-on "Bella" was only bruised and limped for a couple of days. She is now perfectly fine. Whew...