Need guardian but not LGD.

First, THANK YOU for not getting an LGD for chickens. Not only your neighbors, but likely you as well will be much happier for that decision. They don't actually bond with poultry, they only guard them peripherally, when they aren't taking them out themselves.

Now, what you can do - 2 acres is not that much land. Put electric fence around the whole thing. I don't even bat an eye at putting electric fence around 2 acres at this point
Specifically to rotate your birds, Premier 1 has electric poultry netting. https://www.premier1supplies.com/p/...MIg5GF3vWG2wIVAkOGCh0Vtg-rEAQYAyABEgJGOPD_BwE

About dogs - do you already have a dog? If so, any sporting goods/hunting supply store sells bottles of scent. Get the raccoon one and train your dog to bark at that smell. Even if you have a chihuahua, if it will tell you where a coon is, you can then take care of it.

If you don't have a dog, get the bottle of wolf urine (yes, that's a real thing). "Mark" your territory. This keeps a LOT of predators away - see, predators don't let other predators in their territory. Wolves will actively hunt and kill fox and coyote, who instinctively know this. If you are a fellow (or, if you're a lady, it's just a bit harder) you can mark all on your own, too. It really does help keep away everything but feral dogs.

If you want a dog, any herding breed I've ever had will protect my birds because they are mine, and they take care of what's mine. But keep in mind, every pup needs taught. I've lost one (and only one, but still one) bird to every pup I've ever raised. Dogs take time and training, but raised well, nearly all of them will protect birds - the rare dog because it likes them, the owner-attuned dog because they're yours, and most any dog because ... predators don't let other predators in their territory.
I buy copies of this book to give to anyone who gets a dog from me (I foster) https://www.amazon.com/Dog-Talk-Training-Through-Canine/dp/0312117787
 
RiverOtter is correct, as I have also worked extensively over years with many dog breeds, and everyone is told to get an LGD "breed" when most of these "breeds" are actually mixes, and raised different in their native countries regions ect than breeders here try to tell and sell you on. "Great Pyrenees" for instance (the white dogs most commonly known as now), are actually mixes in this country from others who imported not knowing they imported crossing three or more different breeds. Marama are less dilluted but still usually mixes of two breeds. I forget what the name of the third white dog breed is, but these dogs all have different distinct habits if are kept well.. being great detourants at times, but needing many miles to roam daily as exercise, then the amount of food, social interaction with humans and other dogs. best kept in groups of two, to four on small homestead for even decent results (they actually cannot maneuver or run well rarely catching predators that I've seen run right around and past a single dog or maul the dog because it cannot especially keep up stamina in heat at all (they are from cold climate with it like telling a husky to run a marathon in Florida sun heat and humidity), which you can see is terrible for especially small acreage. These dogs are ment to roam over open lands of miles with goats sheep alpaca ect, and I've rehabbed many that were escape artists from small lots, ending up put on chains or in lil enclosed cages because they escape hating being kept alone and neglected because breeders routinely tell people "a single dog is fine in tiny yard with six chickens or couple goats or couple dozen sheep, but just ignore it's presence except for feeding (doing this to a six to ten week old pup btw when most purchase), "so it will think it's a sheep/it's family is the chickens". Lol

Then when people like me get them and ask about backround, once the animal has mauled or killed a chicken cat dogs horses cows goats sheep neighbors and or owners children, the people realize the now completely unsocialized dogs not so good to keep around. I had I neighbor, aside from using copper sulphate in his watering holes for his sheep (yeah..), let his wife spend terrible amount of money on this poor pup from local breeders that told them "just put it with the sheep and ignore it completely, just pour it's feed out when filling feeder and back away never letting it touch you or look you in the eye even, it'll think it's a sheep". Well.. that didn't work, as the puppy ran off up to our property constantly and the sheep would be everywhere getting killed in various ways before id release my pittbull/border collie to round them up and sit at break in fence to hold their dog dozen or so horses and hundred or so sheep in till he got home and fixed fence. His wife was made because "we ruined her LGD pure working stock dog, and didn't let him do his job", because my dog would have to bully him to get him back through fence and held him there from getting back out, actually shooting my dog several times where the dog stood fast at her post (I didn't find out till later she had actually shot the dog, digging out four bullets and stitching seven bullet holes total). Their dog without ours around now, decided to pair up with a coyote and startef killing horses sheep cats small dogs of theirs and neighbors, until it packed up with seven other great Pyrenees and started becoming real dangerous and it mauled the owner one day and another neighbor shot it after the owner did and it just kept chewing. Many many many similar stories personal and just general I've heard of much of the same and worse involving kids.. if your going to get an LGD get Anatolian Shepherds, otherwise I'd say just get terriers Collies and Shepherd bredbr generally depending on size of area and animals guarding (old small solid wire haired terrier breeds, border to rough Collies, and german shepherds,I've seen n heard actually consistently working best).
 
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Get a llama. And then warn your neighbors to keep their dogs off your property, because a llama WILL kill canines that invade their area. I've heard accounts of them protecting flocks of birds, I've seen them protect flocks of sheep and goats. There wasn't time to get the stray dog that was harassing the lambs out before the llama got to it. Just be prepared for the possibility of disposing of dog, coyote and fox carcasses, maybe others as well.

They're quiet, though they do make an alarm call. Not the constant yapping of a dog, just a yell, and they hum when they're concerned about something.
 

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