Need LGD.

[CrazyFowlFreak]

I have the following:
5ft fenced 150X50ft fenced in area. Chickens will be inside their runs.
I have raccoons eating my free range chickens.
I want it to stop. I have a Standard Poodle and a husband and a son who mark the corners of the 150X50ft chicken yard. Gross, I know, move on, it works.
I don't want another inside pet. I want a dog that will protect that 150X50ft yard and the chickens inside. This dog will stay outside all of the time, it will have a nice, insulated dog house, food, fresh water, kids to play with it, me and DH to love on it, provide vet care and love. But it will need to do a job. What do you suggest for us?

 

[discoveregg]

From numerous friends, I hear Great Pyrenees are fantastic herd protectors of any kind! I want one so bad

 

[watchdogps]

LGD breeds include:
Great Pyrenees
Anatolian Shepherd
Kuvasz
Komondor
Maremma

There are others, but these are the most readily available ones. Do some breed research and reearch on the training of an LGD before getting one.
Some generalizations about the breeds I listed:
G Pyrs tend to be the most human-friendly but they are also the barkiest.
Anatolians are less barky, not as solicitous of attention but a good one should not be aggressive either (my breed)
Kuvasz and Koms can be quite sharp, I wouldnt recommend them to a novice
Maremmas can be nice and they are a little smaller, but there are a lot of fearful individuals so use caution when selecting one

 

[9gerianMile]

I have an Anatolian/Pyr mix. He does his job exceptionally and the only predation we've had since he's been here has been outside his jurisdiction of pens (wandering chickens). He doesn't wander like a pyr, and he also doesn't bark as much. He has distinct barks for different events- tattling on the other dogs, deer, bear, etc. They're all different and it's easy to tell the emergent ones from the "deer, deer, deer, hey it's a deer." I doubt you'll be able to find a trained poultry guardian dog, so you'll need to find a good breeder, get a puppy, spend a ton of time training them NOT to play with the stock... Then in a year or two you can sit back and relax knowing your flock is safe... it's a lot of work, but I wouldn't trade my LGD for anything.
Here's Dierks at 1 year old:

 

[Mzyla]

Here is a number to someone I know and who's got litter of Great Pyrenees
I believe they are 11 or 12 weeks old now, but I could be wrong about the age.
Very competitive price

Dena 229.894.9964

 

[Mzyla]

And here is one lady in WV, but her prices are rather high....

CHESTNUT SPRINGS FARM
Blfd WV 24701
(304) 589-3972
http://www.cspringsfarm.com (Traditional Boers)
http://www.chestnutspringsfarm.net (Red & Paint Boers / Maremma LGD's)

 

[bigredfeather]

We have 2 GP's. They are great with the chickens and the goats. Our's is also great with the kids. Both of them would do whatever it takes to protect anything on our property.

 

[CrazyFowlFreak]

You all are so great, thank you so much!

 

[Bear Foot Farm]

What do you suggest for us?

I suggest you don't get any true LGD breed if you have less than 5 acres FENCED .

It's just asking for trouble when you can go to the pound and get most any medium sized "yard dog" that will chase coons away.

And here is one lady in WV, but her prices are rather high....

Those are Registered Maremma Sheepdogs that come with a five year pedigree.
They are about average in price for that quality of animal

Those aren't GP's/crossbreeds of unknown ancestry, bred by someone who just didn't want to get their dogs fixed, and comparing prices on them is like comparing a Chevy to a Ferrari​

 

[watchdogps]

Quote:
I suggest you don't get any true LGD breed if you have less than 5 acres FENCED .

It's just asking for trouble when you can go to the pound and get most any medium sized "yard dog" that will chase coons away.

And here is one lady in WV, but her prices are rather high....

Those are Registered Maremma Sheepdogs, and they are about average in price.
Many of those animals are imported from Italy

Those aren't GP's/crossbreeds of unknown ancestry, bred by someone who just didn't want to get their dogs fixed, and comparing prices on them is like comparing a Chevy to a Ferrari​

I agree about the car comparison, but disagree about the acreage needed. I have ASDs and they do fine even in a suburban space (the problems there are not exercise, they are barking at neighbors and such), and I know plenty who patrol half acre plots with no problem. In the small space described here, it would be good to get them out and get a good walk in daily, but thats all.