my dogs and other predators

[yoonymoony]

hi-
i just got two little dachshunds. The first week i had them, they killed a chicken. i mean- a dachshund verses an almost fullgrown chicken. i couldn't believe it. We are putting up a chicken yard...they used to be free range. Will a four foot high chicken fence keep out two little dogs that are personally nice but very fixed onto getting dinner fresh?
Thanks for reading.

 

[SpottedCrow]

Dachshunds are diggers also..that's what they were bred for...so I'd make sure that they couldn't dig under and get a free lunch that way too.

 

[speckledhen]

Little dogs are sometimes the absolute worst, especially terrier types like Jack Russells. People complain about pitbulls? Try a pack of Jack Russells! Terriers especially will dig and they can be relentless on a killing spree. Someone who bought some young birds from me had a pack of the nasty little things tear open a hole in a fence and kill two of them and almost killed a third before she jumped on top of them. (nobody get on my case here, I'm making a point about small terrier personalities and chickens)
Fortify the bottom against diggers. Height may keep them out, but I've also seen little dogs actually climb a fence, too.

 

[Rte.66_chicks]

The dog that wiped out my flock was a little one, too, a dachshund mix, I think.

 

[yoonymoony]

Wow...thanks! I guess I can't let them loose by themselves...(the dogs) even when the chickens have a fence up. Do you think they would stay out if I tucked the fence in a little under the frame?
Thanks.

 

[Wolf-Kim]

Quote:
LOL. I remind people all the time that pitbulls are terriers, that's why they have the "tendency" to be dangerous, can you imagine an 80lb. jack russel terrier? Not a bad breed, you just have to be ready to deal with that "terrier tenacity," and most people aren't ready for an 80 lb. terrier. Just a fun fact!

As far as the dachshunds go, you have to remember that they are a hound. They were bred to hunt badger(LOL, still can't get over that). Even though they've been pets, they still have that prey drive. And as you can imagine, any dog as small as a dachshund bred to chase something as ferocious as a badger, the dachshunds are going to be stubborn little things when it comes the their "prey"(AKA your feathered friends).

My suggestion for you would be try introducing one pup at a time to the flock under strict supervision. With a "tunneling hunting dog," maybe keeping them seperate all the time is just asking for a future disaster(the day the find a way into the coop). Take one pup into the chicken coop at a time and give the pup a little spanking(and a BIG "NO") every time he get predatory with them. Predatory signs will include, an intense glare, a crouch(like a cat ready to pounce), a snap, even a bark, and of course a bite.

You need to work on them and the chickens. I'm not saying that they'll get to the point they could stay unsupervised with the chickens all the time, I'm just saying if you start now, maybe they won't go into a "slaughter" mode that one day in the future they do find their way in.

Also, when you introduce them, show the dogs you handle the birds, that the chickens are YOURS. Do it one dog at a time, and make sure the other is somewhere where it can't see or hear what's going on. Make sure you spank them for any predatory behavior towards the chickens, especially if they are outside the coop looking in.

It can be done! 2 of our 3 dogs have killed chickens before, 1 of those 2 killed 6(played and pounced them to death). I borrowed Adam's belt and the two of us dragged her back to the coop and spanked her. Same with any other dog here that kills the chickens. We haven't had a dog-killed chicken in years. The two oldest(ones that got spanked) have even taught the 3rd and newest dog to be GREAT with the chickens. We let the chickens free range with all three dogs, the two that killed usually just avoid them and the newest dog LOVES the chickens. He's learned from the other two that they are something to be protected, Niche(3rd dog) spends his days following the flock around like he's one of them. LOL.

I hope it all works out!
-Kimberly

 

[tiffanyh]

what would keep your chickens in the 4ft fence? They could "fly" over to.

I agree reinforce above and below.

 

[Cara]

As far as the dachshunds go, you have to remember that they are a hound. They were bred to hunt badger(LOL, still can't get over that). Even though they've been pets, they still have that prey drive. And as you can imagine, any dog as small as a dachshund bred to chase something as ferocious as a badger, the dachshunds are going to be stubborn little things when it comes the their "prey"(AKA your feathered friends).

I doubt that the modern Dachshund has anywhere near the prey drive of its ancestors. A badger hunter isn't typically going to make a good pet, and like many breeds its usefulness has been bred out of it. It would take a great deal of searching to find a Dachshund from working lines in this country. All dogs like to chase, but I don't think it's fair to portray the OPs dogs as ferocious badger-killers, unless you want her to lose hope before she's even started trying to retrain them.

It can be done! 2 of our 3 dogs have killed chickens before, 1 of those 2 killed 6(played and pounced them to death). I borrowed Adam's belt and the two of us dragged her back to the coop and spanked her. Same with any other dog here that kills the chickens.

How would beating a dog after the fact help teach them anything other than to fear you? There are actual training techniques that do not undermine your relationship with your dog and involving resorting to violence. Training and beating are two different things.

Sound aversion in particular is highly effective. When the dogs are doing something you do not approve of, shake a can of pennies or pebbles loudly, or use another object that your dogs hate the sound of (e.g an air horn). They'll associate the unpleasant noise with their behaviour, not with you. I do think you have your work cut out having two dogs doing this, but remember to work with them one at a time. The 4' fence won't keep your hens contained, it might just make it harder for them to get away if they fly over it. In the long run you're probably better off building them a secure coop, as even if your dogs are leaving them alone, other animals will not. Good luck though!​

 

[chcknrs]

My dachshund goes after my chickens, I scold her and tell her no, make her go to her bed, distract her with her toys. Nothing works, she is crazy for the chickens and she DOES want to kill them. I have tried to get her acclimated to them, it's not working. My lab and rhodesian are doing great with the chickens. I will keep working with the doxie, but don't hold much hope. She has the hunter instinct quite strongly.

 

[DuckLady]

We had a friends dacshund go after a chicken (After I told her NO dogs in with the birds and she did it anyway). After I pulled the dog out of the coop and tossed him away from me, my gander, Broose the goose grabbed the dog and wing beat him. When Broose let him go, my scovy drake, Gumby pounced on the dog and mated him. I rescued the dog after I quit laughing and picked myself off the ground.
GOOD Broose! GOOD Gumby!