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

[chickengr]

my male german shepherd killed at least 10 chickens. my older female is not interesed in chickens but when she saw him chasing chickens (they made a hole in the fence) she helped him kill. their daughter stays in the chicken's run overnight as I had a fox trying to enter one of the pens. she guards pens but I would never ever let her near the chickens.

 

[Ivyrae]

our dog Dandelion loves all of our chickens, especially the chicks. when we raise the chicks indoors she lays beside the brooder constantly. she is always looking out for them and has even alerted us to some chickens in danger in the past. we have a disabled chicken that is in the house most of the time and Dandelion is always close to her and lets us know when she needs us. she lets the chicks bounce all over her and gives them kisses and really likes to watch them just doing their thing. when predators have been around - she doesn't hesitate to scare them off. it is really darn sweet.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

Nether of my dogs would harm a chicken (a male and female Sheltie, unrelated). One of them actively guards the property and incidentally the chickens as well. But she's getting old. They both passively protect the property by leaving their scent around. The chickens are able to free range on several acres a good portion of the day because of these two.

 

[Outta Here]

I have a yorkie and they are fence buddies. I have had a hen get out of gate and he looks at me like "this is wrong correct?" I swoosh them back in and all is right with the world again . BUT if they try to fly I think he would chase them down in a new york minute!.

What a cutie!!!

 

[Happy hen lover]

He is adorable! Reminds me of a yorkie I see at the dog park sometimes, especially with that hair cut.

He's a spastic thing when the get flighty. He also chases the vacuum cleaner. That's fun he used to bite the weed wacker but got snapped once so he stays away now.

 

[Silly Indie]

Our dogs are good with the chickens (two German Shepherds and a corgi) we trained them from the beginning that chickens were off the menu and were to be left alone. In fact one of our bossy old ladies will peck a dog if they get too close. It’s also worth mentioning that one of the Shepherds is a police dog and the first time he met the chickens he let them walk all over him, we would scatter some scratch around him and some would get stuck in his fur and the chickens would climb aboard and peck away... never even looked at them wrong. He ended up befriending our one eyed chicken, Uno. She would run to him if the roosters were bothering her. Another time we came home late from a rodeo and my dad found Augustus the polish in Chief’s kennel, the rooster was completely fine, not a feather out of place. I love that dog so much

 

[cherrynberry]

He's a spastic thing when the get flighty. He also chases the vacuum cleaner. That's fun he used to bite the weed wacker but got snapped once so he stays away now.

Somehow the Yorkies I see or hear of all seem to be quite outgoing and brave.

 

[PippinTheChicken]

My dog doesn't mind the chickens. All she wants is to get into the run to eat their food. She's quite old.
She doesn't even mind ginger pecking her feet.

 

[jklhgyfhg]

My dog has a bit of a prey drive and likes to chaise things that move. She has calmed down with that since arriving at the farm over a year ago, but there are moments when she likes to chaise. She won't hurt the house cats, but she does like to chaise after any stray cats that make their way onto the farm (she has never hurt them).
She has a high curiosity in regards to the chickens, and I am very aware of it. We built a large run for the chickens because we were unsure of how she would react with them and I didn't want the risk knowing she has a bit of a prey drive.
That being said, I did have a very good moment with her and the chickens when one of them got out of the run right in front of her! My partner was also in the run with me, so I told him to stay where he could keep an eye on her, I told her to sit and to leave it as I walked out of the run. She remained laying down watching the chicken. She was shaking with excitement, she wanted to chaise it so bad! but all four paws and her belly remained on the ground. I was able to get the chicken back into the run without incident, and she has never done anything more than make a movement to startle them (get a reaction) from outside the run.
So far, so good. But I am not going to let the chickens out to create a situation I am aware may not end the way I would like it too.

 

[Outta Here]

Takes knowledge, too!

Well, yes, knowledge of how to achieve the foundational obedience in the first place,...or we dog trainers would be out of work! But introduce your already-obedient dog over several weeks to the chicks in a controlled setting where he can't hurt them, gradually moving up to letting him sniff while they are in your protective hand. He should be calm, not excited (yum, prey dinner!) or staring fixedly at them (intent to attack). And true again, a professional would be able to teach you what his reaction to them is saying. You should already have a "leave it!" command already established (why my dog only barks at rattlesnakes, not engages). Use your leave it! command repeatedly and praise him for being settled and calm. The most crucial part is when you allow them to walk around in front of your dog. Use extreme caution! Have him tied or have someone else firmly holding his leash, use your body or a low barrier to block any rush. Allow the dog to see the chicks loose, but at a distance so he can't lunge. Train him again to "leave it!"
Before I was a dog trainer, I properly taught my dog to leave the chicks alone in their box with a screen lying on top. He could easily have moved the screen, but he didn't. But not knowing better, when they were big enough I let them out in front of him on the grass and went inside. Yup, he ate every one! Chicks running free are not chicks in the box! That's why your housebroken dog may piddle in someone else's house. We think we've trained them not to piddle under a roof. What they really understand is not to piddle under their roof! Likewise with the difference of chicks in confinement and chicks running free. So this part is almost like training all over...It takes a lot of time and patience in a controlled setting with very, very gradual steps....