North Carolina

[Coop Scoop Boogie]

It was like a chicken soap opera at my house last night. I lost two chickens yesterday, likely the neighbor's dog. The pair apparently hopped the fence and got attached by that a*hole Boxer that stalks the fence One was my last purebred Brahma I was trying to pull eggs from (my roo is also a Brahma).

I checked on the remaining girls and discovered another one has gone broody. Need to figure out if I want to add her to the chicken tractor with the other broody...she will be hatching hers this weekend. Checked on the one in the tractor and noticed a foul smell so now I'm not sure if those will hatch this weekend after all...I need to get under her and see what's up but had too much going on last night to do it then. Shew!

Sorry about your two girls jumping the fence and getting killed.

I can't really blame the dog if it was on it's owner's property because
it was then protecting it's family from the " killer chickens", or at least
I'm sure that is what the dog was thinking. I have dogs to protect my
property too so it's hard for me to put blame on the dog doing it's job.
Maybe you could fence the girls away from that area so they won't go
over the fence????? I am sure you do your best for your girls.....we all do.
I am just so sorry that happened to you.

 

[cwhittington]

Sorry about your two girls jumping the fence and getting killed.

I can't really blame the dog if it was on it's owner's property because
it was then protecting it's family from the " killer chickens", or at least
I'm sure that is what the dog was thinking. I have dogs to protect my
property too so it's hard for me to put blame on the dog doing it's job.
Maybe you could fence the girls away from that area so they won't go
over the fence????? I am sure you do your best for your girls.....we all do.
I am just so sorry that happened to you.

It was on my property. I live on 19+ acres and it is apparently part of her patrol route.

Thanks for the sympathy everyone! I guess it makes more room for the new chicks, if I'm looking on the bright side.

 

[dutchbunny83]

Anyone going to the Mother Earth News Fair this weekend?

I heard chicken stock is on hold. I've got quite a few birds to downsize this Spring.
Garden's almost done, loving that we finally have some seasonal weather!

 

[jtbass2756]

It was on my property. I live on 19+ acres and it is apparently part of her patrol route.

Thanks for the sympathy everyone! I guess it makes more room for the new chicks, if I'm looking on the bright side.

I have heard so many instances of this situation, I don't have a lot of dogs to worry about but overall I have variety of predators...(in the country). Getting my coop built and because of this kind of thing, I plan to put an aviary netting over my run.... I'm so OCD about the chickens! Take care

 

[pondviewfarm]

Just to put the correct information out there....
Dogs that chase and kill chickens are in PREY DRIVE - this is the natural desire to chase, catch, kill, and eat prey. Many modern dogs have a truncated prey drive that does not include eating, so if a dog gets your chickens it may just leave the bodies around.
It is quite unlikely that the Boxer that killed the two chicks felt that it was "protecting" anything. It was just being a dog. Doing what everything inside of it is telling it is supposed to be doing.
That said, it is possible to teach dogs not to chase or to kill chickens.

Anyway, I've gotta get to work on the hoop house so that it will be ready for this batch of young chicks. Predator proofing is one of my big concerns too.

 

[doubleatraining]

Prey drive vs Protection is why I employ over 200lbs of protection!

 

[FVRM]

The one time I went to a chicken swap I saw some disposable cages made out of thin wood. Do you guys make them or sell them?

 

[pondviewfarm]

Prey drive vs Protection is why I employ over 200lbs of protection!

Nice!
What breed LGD is that? I have very little experience with LGDs but I absolutely love them and the work that they are bred to do.
Sometimes, I fantasize about getting one but I think it will be a while.

But yeah, these guys standing up to predators is not the same situation as the Boxer one. LOL. These guys could feel any mixture of prey, defense, pack, and fight drive when protecting the livestock on their property.

I would really love to hear more about your dogs. I am a dog nut.

 

[Kenneth F]

I am very sorry to hear about your girls.

If you'd like to suggest a dog trainer to the folks who own the a**hole Boxer next door, you are more than welcome to pass on my info! LOL

what type of dog training do you do? Obedience herd dog or ?

 

[Hollowoakfarm]

The one time I went to a chicken swap I saw some disposable cages made out of thin wood. Do you guys make them or sell them?

I'd love to see a photo of these!



On the prey drive bit...I have four dogs; three Mastiffs and a Great Dane. The Dane has a much, much higher prey drive than the other three, but he managed to get two of the other three to join him in killing my birds when the opportunity presents itself. Levi, the Dane, loves squeaky toys. The big, warm ones are more fun than the cold small ones I buy at the pet shop. When it stops squeaking, just go grab another if possible!

We've opted to quit raising turkeys because of that puppy, and have done some fence work on the chickens. Since I have bottle baby goats, I've come to the conclusion that it will be some time before they can be on pasture unsupervised, unless Levi is indoors and crated. I could never fully trust training on him with the extremely high prey drive he's exhibiting. The Mastiffs though, I'd retrain if I didn't have to find alternatives because of Levi anyway.

Animal interactions are amazing, as are what characteristics we've enhanced in the breeds we have spent centuries artificially selecting. I love it. (As long as my flocks stay protected for that puppy of mine!)