My German Shephard ate 2 chickens!

[Cat's Coop]

Well, more bad news. Last night the door to my coop/run popped open with the assistance of 40MPH winds. So my chickens natually leave the coop/run around 5:30am to start free ranging. I woke up later that morning and found my GSD chowing down on another chicken!!!!! I mean it really enjoys them now because it doesn't leave anything behind besides the feet!

So for the past couple of weeks I have been training her using both negative and positive reinforcements. When unsupervised my GSD is in the front yard and chickens free ranging in the backyard. At night, GSD goes back to its dog mansion in the back while chickens are locked in the run/coop. After this episode I will now use a shock collar.

My goal is to eventually have the dog and chickens living together peacefully. I want my dog to protect from predators not be one!

 

[jerseygirl1]

My DH friend ALWAYS watches my GSD with my chicckens and tells that old story of tying the dead chicken around the dog's neck...................his father did it with his GSD when he was little.............I would never do it, but your situation reminds me of it

 

[Cat's Coop]

Did the 'dead chicken around the neck' work?

That seems extreme but I guess if it works.......

 

[Yardbirds286]

I had a GSD and it would go through a shock collar in two seconds. You have no choice but to keep them apart. Other wise I am afraid more will be lost, and that is no way to go. It just is what it is.

 

[nursesammy]

I have a border collie/ aussie mix [buck] as well as a pit [bella] and would you believe buck is the livestock eater. He killed a full grown momma sheep just last week. Bella just lays around and lets the guineas eat the ticks off her. She could careless.

 

[nursesammy]

Oh yeah forgot to mention. When my buck got ahold of one of my hens earlier in the year my dad mentioned the chicken around the neck thing. i never knew anyone who did this so i dont know if it really works but my dad swears by it. My hen made it.

 

[jerseygirl1]

Quote:
PM'd you

 

[noodleroo]

Sorry about your issue; I know its a delima; but there might be a solution...

Years ago I had a black lab hunting dog. Ducks-no problem; she'd retrieve like a pro. Doves were another matter. They apparently taste good and when she first started retrieving them, she seemed to think that we shot the doves for her to eat! The other hunting dog owners advised that there was nothing I could do once they decide to eat the kill. My vet suggested training her to eat ONLY what I gave her to eat and NOTHING else and only eat when I told her she could. So I had her 'sit' when I was ready to feed her, put the food down and say 'no eat' and then released her while I said 'eat'. This was not a problem; she was an easy dog to train. The true test was dove hunting. When I shot a dove, I would have her 'sit' and then I'd say "no eat" before I gave her the command to retrieve. It worked! Many people said it couldn't be done, but it worked with me and my dog.

I realize that your situation is a little different, but I just wanted you to know that it can be done...

 

[PhilErvin]

It goes without saying that when you have any animal you are responsible for their safety. We always had big dogs and knew that by nature they would attack our animals, they are a predator. So we just knew we had to build pens sturdy and protect them.
Some dogs can handle chickens walking around them and other dogs can't. We protect our girls and our dog has caught a few (no harm) but we just keep them seperate. I paid $850. for my Border Terrier and he's just doing what he was bred to do, I figured out how to have chickens and keep them safe.

 

[mrsjim]

I had a bird killing dog. He did not stop until he finished off the flock. Maybe what you need to do is let the animals take turns. One day let the chickens out, the next day let the dog out. As long as your cage is sturdy enough against your powerful GSD, that sounds like a solution to me. It's worth a try. With my experience, once they start, they don't stop until there is not a bird left. I lost my flock when I was in the hospital for two weeks. I thought my mom was joking, but she was not. The dogs were very proud of what they accomplished though. Good luck!