My Yellow Lab & Chickens?

[Ms.Frizzle]

I have a lab/border collie mix, and frankly, I don't trust him when it comes to being around my chickens. He'll be perfectly fine for months, then out of the blue he'll kill one or more. I know border collies have a high herding drive, and from whatching his reactions in the past, I'd say its when the chickens get a little to vocal or flighty that triggers him to "play" with them. At night he is worth his keep, the hens are quietly sleeping in their coop, and we don't have any predator problems with him patroling the yard. What I'd suggest is if your dog is very well behaved, introduce him to the chickens with some type of off command ("leave it" for mine), watch how interested he is in them when your around, then go somewhere that you can observe him without him knowing it. Make sure its somewhere you can intervine fast if things get wild! But thats just me, and its just a suggestion.

 

[ARose4Heaven]

Hunting dogs, even well trained ones, are hunters. Our yellow lab has no training, and will not take a live healthy bird. Not, that is since we put up the electric wire round the chicken's pasture.
He is handy however when a chicken dies on it's own. He will whine and skulk as near the coop as he dare get. When I see this, I know to look for trouble in the henhouse. Sam knows that if he smells dead chicken, he's gonna get dinner.

 

[klen]

I also have a yellow lab. My chicks won't be here for another month, but I'm setting up the chickens run, so that they will be separated. My chickens will not free range because of the dog. They will have a large run area I hope they will be happy with. My lab is pretty lazy and won't jump over a 2 foot fence, so I'm hoping the 5ft fence and kennel panels will be good enough. Hoping the chickens don't decide to fly out and become lunch.

 

[00BlasterResto]

It may be a bit harder to get a hunting dog used to them, but IMO can be done.
For example my dog will not mess with my 2 cats, but other cats or varmint are not welcome in his book. He really seems to know the home team from everyone else.
I just took my dog out to let them out in the morning, put them away at night etc. They checked him out through the fence and he checked them out, the first few times they ran but after a while they almost seemed happy to see him. After a few weeks I went out and let the dog and the chickens free range for a while with no issue.
Every animal is different, but I think with a little time he should get used to them no problem.

 

[bldmtnrider]

Not all dogs are chicken killers and some that could be chicken killers just need a little extra training. Unfortuantely, some dogs have a higher predator drive due to breading or past life experiences.

Personally I think the hunting dogs are easier to train to deal with chickens than the standard house dog. They tend to have a higher level of training and listen/follow comands better.

I have a chocolate lab that I use for goose and duck hunting and decided to get some chicks in January. Went ahead and bought 2 extra "training" chicks that I was going to introduce the dogs (the lab and my GF's Beagle). Needless to say after sitting down with both dogs and letting the chicks run around (and some immediate and intense scolding) all of the chicks are alive and well. The only concern I had was about a 2 week period where the lab noticed that they were mobile squeaky toys and wouldn't stop bumping them to make them squeak. Now the dogs just sit around watching the chickens in the yard and occasionally get up to clean up any chicken poo.

The only thing that remains to be seen is how the lab will do come hunting season again, but for now all seems well. If you have a well trained dog, intorduce them to the chicks slowly, be firm, and the dog will figure it out. Once the chickens grow and become less fragile the dog/chicken interaction gets a lot easier.

You know your dog the best.

 

[racuda]

I have a yellow lab, also from field lines. She was 3 years old when I got chickens. To train her I put her on a leash and took a stroll through the chicken yard. The instant she looked at them I jerked on the leash and gave her a firm "NO". I did this a few times and then took her off leash. I kept an eye on her and scolded her for even looking at them. She has never harmed a bird and I trust her 100%.

 

[s914934]

I'm watching him close but I only picked the smallest youngest two of our chicks so I could catch them easier.

Willy kept licking his chops but he didn't make a move for them.

The funny thing was that after I removed the chicks from climbing up on him, I set them back on the floor and they hopped back up onto his bed and snuggled up under him. He was a little nervous when one started to peck at the pads of his paws but then they cuddled up to sleep. I couldn't leave them there but it was so very cute! He kept looking at me like, "What have you brought home this time? You are going to make me sit here and endure this, aren't you? It's just like when the 2 year old decides to give hugs. You realize I'm only a year old right?"
Please understand. My yellow lab is not a trained hunting dog. He is a trained family dog. He is trained to let our little ones sit on him, love on him and pull his ears. We may not have trained him to hunt but we trained him to take care with our children. I've never seen him with a bird. He takes any sort of treat so gingerly from me that he usually ends up dropping it because he holds it so tenderly when he takes it. I'm not too worried about him snatching one when I'm there. It's when I may not be there.

He did wonderfully this time. No eating the chicks this time. YAY!!

 

[bobbi-j]

the lab noticed that they were mobile squeaky toys and wouldn't stop bumping them to make them squeak.

That made me chuckle - I can just see it!

 

[Chopaka81]

I am laughing too. This guy looks like he could be my dog's brother. She has the same look when the grandkids love on him... LOL

 

[farmerchicken]

Thank you for posting this question. I would love to reintroduce my lab and my hens.

My hens will be 2 in August, when they were about 8 months old, I let my yellow lab play in the yard, while I was out there and the chicks were free ranging. Within 2 minutes my lab had my silkie in her mouth (thank god she was using her soft mouth) and carried her over to me as a present. She released the hen, who went running into the coop. That was the last time my lab and hens have been together. When the hens are in their run and she is outside, she never bothers them, doesn't even go near the run.

I would love to have her in the backyard when the hens free range, we are having hawk issues, but very worried about what she might do. She knows all of her commands and is listens really well, but I am worried that the natural instinct will take over. Good advice on the leash and pulling with a strong no. I am going to try that.


One very busy Mama to a DH, a DS, 4 turtles, 1 lab, 4 fish, and 3 hens all living happily in surburbia.