No run yet:/

[Eastbaymama]

I was so lucky to receive a coop and 2 hens for free. I had been wanting chickens for a while so I jumped at the chance as they were looking to get rid of them asap. I have yet to build run for the hens and will do in the next few days.

I've been letting them out in our yard while I put the dog in the garage...so letting them take turns in the yard. How long should I be letting them out of their coop for since they don't have a run? I'm hoping to train our dog in the next few days to not go after the chickens. Our dog is very curious about them.

Thanks!

 

[HEChicken]

Congratulations on the new additions!

I'll start with the dog first. Have you exposed him to them? He is naturally curious but it doesn't mean he will be aggressive towards them. I have two dogs who are so good with my flock that I have them sleep in the run at night to make sure no predator considers sticking around. I have an auto door and the door opens at first light to let the flock out but although the dogs are unsupervised with the hens until I go down and let them out, it has never been an issue.

That said, I didn't "train" them to be this way - it is their nature. I had the chickens before I adopted the dogs, and a condition of any dog we got was that it must NOT be interested in chasing the chooks. For every success story, there will be a horror story where someone's pet dog has in fact killed their flock, so I don't want to give you a false sense of security.

I would start with putting the dog on leash and walking him around them. He will naturally be curious but a danger signal is if he is straining at the leash to get to them. They will naturally be anxious when the dog appears and will squawk and flap and run. This may spark his instinct to chase, so do have a tight hold of the leash at this point. If he doesn't respond with excitement at the squawking and flapping, let him get close enough to sniff and get to know them.

If he DOES show intense interest, my recommendation would be to never let him be around them, because it will only be a matter of time.....

Now to your second question. Chickens will enjoy being out just as long as you will let them. However since you can't supervise them for 12-14 hours per day, you'll just have to do the best you can. Perhaps you can set up a temporary run using electro-net fencing until you get a permanent run built?