My dogs killed my chickens!

[all-cracked-up]

Anyone have any luck breaking dogs from killing ckickens with electric fence/shock collar? My dogs killed all sixteen of my chickens and now I have to start over!

 

[Robin'sBrood]

 

[TXmom]

Oh, I'm so sorry...that stinks!

We're almost done with the coop and run, and we just bought the electric fence stuff to put around it. I know we're planning to surround the coop/run with at least 2 strands of hot wire...1 at like 6 inches above the ground, and the other I'm not sure..maybe 18 inches? We HOPE it will keep out dogs, cats, coyotes, etc.

 

[magikchick]

So sorry to hear this. It can be heartbreaking. I've been lucky that my 3 dogs accept the chickens like one of the family. I don't think a shock collar will work once they kill like that it's nearly impossible to break them. You best bet is to secure the chikens and dogs away from each other.

 

[CityClucks]

Crap. I'm so sorry - I can imagine how your heart must have dropped and your stomach rose when you realized this had happened. Even if someone gives you "foolproof" advice to train them, I would never trust your dogs alone with your clucks...EVER. Sounds like you have more than one pup, so the pack mentality will take over, and the chasing and killing drive will be stronger in a couple together than it may be in one.

I am so sorry!

 

[rizq]

Most dogs can be broken of it if done correctly. HOWEVER, I would never trust them (or any dog) anyway. I train my dogs to leave my chickens alone, but they never any contact anyway. Training them to leave them be is more of an insurance policy, just in case ... and it is not a policy that I would want to test.

The problem with dogs and chickens is that dogs are predators and chickens are prey. That is just how it is. You can teach your dog a different set of behaviors, but you can never really trust that he will not fall back on instinct.

I am very sorry about your chickens, that would be so heartbreaking

I would strongly recommend working on training your dogs to leave chickens alone. Using a shock collar to create a negative association, while not the nicest way, would very likely be the most effective way. The problem with shock collars is that if they are not used exactly right, the dog learns the difference between collar on and collar off so you need to be careful and train properly so the dog does not know the correction can only come when the collar is on. My strongest recommendation would be to keep your dogs securely separated from you chickens, even after they are trained. It is really the only foolproof way to keep your chickens safe.

If you need more specific advice on training the dogs, feel free to PM me. I am a certified trainer and am willing to help you out if I can

edited because I cannot spell

 

[mjane]

I'm sorry this happened to me too but it was coons that did it. We have 27 chickens and all I have left is a couple of jersey hens and one female duck without her mate. I'm restarting too. Once dogs have a taste for chickens don't know if you break them of the habit other than making it a predator proof run and coop.

 

[Ms~Silkie~Girl]

I am sooo sorry!! That is what i am afraid of, i have one dog and am getting chickens very soon, 26 of them

 

[rizq]

Quote:
They can be retrained. Some dogs take more effort than others, but it can be done if a person has the know-how (or is willing to learn it) and the determination. But again, I would still never trust any dog with any chickens. It really is unfair to expect a dog to continuously behave so contrary to his nature and then blame him when he messes up (this is not directed at the op, btw ... just a general comment). People tend to forget that ALL dogs are predators and that they are not furry people (also not dircted at the op

)

 

[PortageGirl]

It's possible, but not anywhere close to easy. Never trust them again that's for sure. I've utterly trusted my old Cocker Spaniel years ago and the German Shepherd that we got as a puppy that learned total respect from the day he was weaned, also my 2 different Australian Shepherds... they never started the 'game' of chase-the-chicken though, they never got the chance, and they learned early that the chickens were just part of the scenery. Once they see the birds as giant squeaky toys, that are just so FUN to chase, it gets very, Very, VERY difficult.

If you can't fence the chickens IN and the dogs OUT, you need to walk each dog on a leash, and sharply correct any attempt to 'play' with the 'cool flappy toys'. It will take lots of time and lots of effort though. I think I'd consider which you want more. These particular dogs or chickens. It's hardly fair to either to expect things to be wonderful.