New to chickens - what do you think?

[rebecca10782]

Quote:
Just so you know, there is an incredibly large number of sad posts on this site from people who were CERTAIN that their dog would be fine with their chickens, and indeed he WAS for some months or years, and then one day, not so much

Dogs are predators, chickens are prey; it only takes one atavistic brain-cell firing at the wrong moment to end up with a pile of feathers and a dog that's now learned that chickens are tasty.

Just a thought,

Pat

Yep, we rehomed our rooster with a friend with a large farm. It was a perfect home, they free ranged all day and got along with the dog just fine. But one day, he was trying to play with the rooster and scratched him very badly. He died. Even if a dog doesn't want to kill them, you have to be very careful. We don't even leave our Golden Retriever alone with ours. He is the sweetest thing, but he likes to chase them playfully sometimes and I don't want to risk him going too far and accidentally hurting one.

 

[Debo's Chickens]

Thanks for the comments Rebecca.

I had originally left the option open for getting more chickens down the line, but in the end, I decided that 3 is really all I need. My coop is only 3'x4' & the run is 3'x6', so it really isn't big enough for more chickens. I let them roam around the back yard for at least part of most days, but still, I don't want to have too many chickens for the coop & run space for those days that I'm not around or the weather is just too crappy for them to want to be roaming around. So far I'm happy w/ my 3 . . . so I just need to watch out for dreaming too much

And I had high, high hopes for my dog in the beginning also, but I heeded the warnings of those here & decided to go about things much more cautiously. I sought the advice of some dog training people I respect, who gave me tips on how to start to introduce the dog to the chickens. The chickens never came out of the coop/run for the 1st month I had them here. During that time, I worked w/ my dog a lot & when I finally did let them out (I described the initial encounter a few posts up), my work seemed to have helped. I believe that if I had not done the work I did in that first month, the outcome would not be the same. He did show some intent interest in the beginning, but I worked w/ him in a positive manner & now he respects the chickens & ignores them mostly. He's not really playful, except w/ humans who can throw a ball

, so I don't see him wanting to "play" w/ the chickens. But in any case, I don't allow him around the chickens unsupervised, so I'm still taking it slowly.

I know some wouldn't risk it at all, and I respect that, but it's important to me to try & to understand my dog's limits. I feel like the chickens are so much happier being able to roam around. They find their favorite foraging areas & their favorite napping areas & it gives me so much joy to see them happy & content. I couldn't have that if I never gave my dog the chance to prove to me that he understands my wishes & respects my authority. The job of reinforcing that understanding & respect never ends, and I understand that. But I'm happy w/ the way things are progressing and that gives me the motivation to keep working at it.

 

[Lunachick]

Good luck with your chickens! I think you're doing the right thing in being cautious with your dog. If you are out there watching when the dog is there, you're doing good. Just be careful, dogs can be unpredictable when chickens are around, you never know. Just a word of caution. Puppy will be good one day, and then turn and get a chicken the next.

Your chickens are cute I hope you have a lot of fun with them and I hope your dog turns into a good guardian for them.

 

[Ejosman]

hey, i'm new to BYC and chicks but i love them. i want to raise my own chicks. how do i start? i need your advice and help.

 

[sumi]

Welcome to BYC

It would be better if you started your own thread, instead of bumping up a 5yo old one

If you look on the left side of the screen when viewing this section (same with the others), you will see "Start a new thread". Click on that and start typing.

To answer your question: There are articles on raising chicks, feeding, flock maintenance, diseases etc in the Learning Center. I highly recommend you start there. Have a browse through the Breeds section to see what's available and give you an idea of each breed's characteristics. Once you have an idea what you want, you can get chicks at the feed store, from a chicken breeder or hatchery, or from a private seller. Have a browse through the Buy ~ Sell ~ Trade section as well. But before you do that, you will need to prepare somewhere to put your chickens when you bring them home. If you are getting chicks, you will need a brooder and once they are old enough to live outside (after about 6-7 weeks) you will need a coop for them. There are a number of designs for both in the Coops section. Size wise aim for 1-2 sq ft per chick in the brooder and 4 sq ft per chicken in the coop (and 10 sq ft in the run, unless you are planning to let them free range).

Have a look through the Frequently Asked Questions section for chicken related Q&A (post 2) as well. There are a lot of handy links there. If you have any more questions, feel free to ask. We're here to help. Enjoy your chicken adventures and keep us posted!

 

[drumstick diva]

Zombie thread - 5 years old