Official BYC Poll: What Kind Of Relationship Do Your Dogs & Chickens Have?

[BYC Project Manager]

Thousands of people love dogs. Thousands of people love chickens. And, thousands of people wonder how they can make their two loves get along with one another and live together in peace. So in this poll, we would like to find out: What Kind Of Relationship Do Your Dogs & Chickens Have?

Please place your vote above, and elaborate in a reply below if you chose "Other".

Further Reading:

• Introducing Your Dog To Chickens- Tips & Tricks
• How To Protect Your Chickens From Dogs
• Dealing With Dogs Who Kill Chickens

(Check out more Official BYC Polls HERE!)

 

[morganalefae]

My chickens tolerate my lab, my lab won't rest til he has "counted" each one by smelling them and not in the most gentleman like way if you know what I mean. although now I must know y'all ever seen a annoyed hen get tired of being sniffed and chased a lab lol

 

[Swbertrand1]

No dog here, but we have a cat that gets along well with our chickens. Here she is hanging with one of our 3 month old Silkie chicks just after sunset one evening - chick would come to the garage instead of going to roost:

 

[topochico225]

I have a 14 year old Schnoodle. About 9 years ago, he was sniffing at one of my Australorp pullets, and she decided she had enough of him. She pecked him HARD square on top of his head. He has never since tried to get within a foot of a chicken. He protects them, though. The second he senses a squirrel or possum, he bolts over and trees it.

I also had a Black Copper Marans pullet that hatched with some neuro issues about 6 years ago. She was sweet as can be, just... not quite right. She ADORED my dog. We have a pic somewhere of the two of them sunbathing together. When we moved, we had to give her away, and it broke my heart.

 

[Swbertrand1]

I have a 14 year old Schnoodle. About 9 years ago, he was sniffing at one of my Australorp pullets, and she decided she had enough of him. She pecked him HARD square on top of his head. He has never since tried to get within a foot of a chicken. He protects them, though. The second he senses a squirrel or possum, he bolts over and trees it.

I also had a Black Copper Marans pullet that hatched with some neuro issues about 6 years ago. She was sweet as can be, just... not quite right. She ADORED my dog. We have a pic somewhere of the two of them sunbathing together. When we moved, we had to give her away, and it broke my heart.

Great stuff! I especially like the pecked once and won't go near them again. That little Silkie in the photo above had spent so much time around the cat that the cat got much closer to her about a week ago.
The chick put a solid peck on the cat's face, but the cat swatted her back with an open paw. It happened in a second, and was over with. They both know now that the other doesn't so much want a lovey-dovey relationship, but rather a little more "distant" friendship...

 

[Boise-girls]

I expected my boxer/Shitzu/poodle mix to ignore the chickens because she ignores the wild ducks and ducklings that hang out by the irrigation ditch. However, she was obsessed with the chickens the first couple of weeks! She could see them through the fence, but had no access. They basically ignored her, probably because they grew up with a couple of Aussies. Now, the hens are old news, and she ignores them. She's a good girl and minds pretty well, but I have no plans to further the relationship!
Here she is after an encounter with a red pen.

 

[rosemarythyme]

I marked both "I'm not sure whether my dog would hurt the chickens" and "My dog would harm the chickens if he could" as I have 3 dogs.

One would absolutely jump on them and crush them if she could get to them.

The second doesn't seem interested at all (so "not sure"), however she also wasn't interested in rabbits either and then chased down and killed a juvenile rabbit, so I don't know how long her disinterest would last if they were right in front of her.

The third is "fence friends" with the chickens and if he was a solo dog, I would probably try letting him spend time with them. However as I haven't tried it he's in the "not sure" category. The chickens love to follow him around the fence and he sniffs at them when they come up to him.

 

[Perris]

My dog did (unsuccessfully) go for one when we first got chickens, but was trained out of it, and now ignores or avoids them, to such an extent that if they're sitting on the doorstep when we open the door to let him out, he decides he doesn't need to go out after all, or needs to go via another door

 

[kodster]

I don't have my boy anymore (passed away at the end of January due to cancer, at the age of 11), but he became my LGD, by natural instincts. He was already 2 years old when I got my first birds (my avatar is my first flock of chicks). If the birds got out in the yard, he would herd them back into their run, but never hurt them. If I needed to do anything in their coop, he would come into the coop with me, and sniff around, watch the birds, but never do anything to them. If I needed to catch a bird who got out, they would hole up in the bushes, I'd send him in to spook the bird out of hiding so I could catch them. He'd never nip at them, never bite them, but just nudge them out of hiding. We became a pretty good team at catching the birds. If they were out in the yard, just hanging, though, he'd ignore them, but look at me as if to say, they're out, Mom, are we going to catch them. Most of the time I could catch them on my own, but there was always a stubborn one, and that's when Brute and I would tag-team them. Last time that happened, hubby ended up being the tag-team member with me, and that didn't work so well, so I MISS Brute!

 

[Mushroomchef]

Thousands of people love dogs. Thousands of people love chickens. And, thousands of people wonder how they can make their two loves get along with one another and live together in peace. So in this poll, we would like to find out: What Kind Of Relationship Do Your Dogs & Chickens Have?

Please place your vote above, and elaborate in a reply below if you chose "Other".

View attachment 2802503

Further Reading:

• Introducing Your Dog To Chickens- Tips & Tricks
• How To Protect Your Chickens From Dogs
• Dealing With Dogs Who Kill Chickens

(Check out more Official BYC Polls HERE!)