(1) Are you new to chickens / when did you first get chickens? -Yes, I have never had chickens before. I don't even have them yet. Within the next couple of weeks I plan on building a coop and purchasing chickens. I am really looking forward to it. (3) What breeds do you have? -I am very curious about breeds. I live a block back from the River, Lots of very tall douglas firs -very shaded area. Im not sure what variables to consider in choosing breeds. (4) How did you find out about BackYardChickens.com? -A family friend just purchased chickens after years of not having them and said she had learned a lot from this site. (5) What are some of your other hobbies? -Anything outside, photography, cooking, tea and coffee, fellowship (6) Tell us about your family, your other pets, your occupation, or anything else you'd like to share. -I have a 4 year old dog, Hondo. I am concerned about his interactions with the chickens. We adopted him and his paperwork said he had killed a chicken before. If anyone has any advice about dogs and chickens I would love to hear. -I am 23, my husband and I have just moved into a place where we can put down some roots. I am really looking forward to having space to tend vegetable and flower gardens and have chickens!
Greetings from Kansas, Nakalan, and ! Pleased you joined us! What are you looking for in chickens? Eggs? Meat? Both? That makes a lot of difference when it comes to breed selection. Below is a handy dandy breeds chart you might find useful. There are also a lot of threads on BYC devoted to raising dogs and chickens in harmony - type in a search with those two words and see what pops up. Good luck to you and have fun in your research! http://www.ithaca.edu/staff/jhenderson/chooks/chooks.html
Thank you for the link! I will certainly check it out! Thank you also for the advice in exploring BYC, I appreciate it! I mostly want chickens for the eggs!
Is that your dog in the avatar photo? German shorthair pointer??? The fact that he has already killed one chicken means he should never be left loose around them. He needs a lead on him so you can control his behaviors. For instance if he gets hyper the closer you get to the chicks. just turn around with him and walk the opposite direction. Do this as often as necessary until he quiets down- then you can bring him closer. There are many threads about training a dog to live around poultry without mauling/eating them. Do a search if you can't find them. I tend to think he killed more than one chicken if someone turned him into a shelter
Hi and welcome to BYC from northern Michigan I am sorry to say that Drumstick Diva is correct, once a dog has killed a chicken they are very likely to do it again. build a good sturdy run and keep them separate for your bird's protection.
