OHio ~ Come on Buckeyes, let me know your out there!

[big medicine]

Hey all! Maybe this is not the right place for this, and if not I apologize. But I have been somewhat frantically looking for a puppy. I've searched classifieds, Craigslist, Facebook, local feed stores, etc, all to no avail. But it occured to me this morning that there might be no better place to find a chicken-friendly pup than right here on my favorite forum. I am looking for an aussie, a pyreneese, a border collie, or similar breed (preferably not a heeler), can be mixed...something that I can hopefully train to help me work the chooks a bit. I do not want to spend a ton of money on a puppy. I am not looking for a breeder or a show dog. I just want a friend. I live in Ross county (South-Central Ohio). If anyone has anything, knows anything, or just wants to tell me to take my puppy pleas elsewhere, please let me know. Thanks in advance.

Just curious here, but your list has herding breeds, and from the other end of the spectrum, Great Pyrenees', a livestock guard breed. Totally different operating styles and functions. What is it you hope this dog to do ?

 

[PoultryQueen101]

So.... we went to Lucasville for the southern Ohio poultry swap meet and we took some polish to sell. We were able to sell 1 pair of white crested blacks, but we came home with the 2 other pairs. We ALSO couldnt help ourselves and came home with 2 pairs of excellent quality call ducks. 1 pied pair and 1 chocolate. We could have bought his 3 remaining sebbie girls for $50, but we dont have the room.

The pieds are from Patty Pickards line. She had written the standards on them. They are gorgeous and I will try to get pics eventually. The chocolates are also from great lines, but I forget the name. The drake is absolutely gorgeous and the guy said if we dont buy them he will take him home for himself. So we got the 2 best chocolates and 2 best pieds of his stock! He is a great guy. They will live together until we breed them.

 

[Autumn Leaves]

Call ducks! I knew I should have gone. Lucky.

 

[zoey87]

Nice, I wanted to go to that swap so bad!! I want ducks, but hubby says not until we move We are going to the swap this weekend in Indiana and I cannot wait! I'm hoping to pick up some more hens ( hopefully some copper marans sp?) Just curious I have a pullet that just started laying and she had been laying pretty regular, but we haven't had an egg from her since Friday, is this normal?

 

[kathychick]

We lost our first girls to predators. Two of the nice quiet ones. I never knew I would take it this hard. They certainly do have a way of getting into your heart.
Sigh.

 

[Rowsdower]

Just curious here, but your list has herding breeds, and from the other end of the spectrum, Great Pyrenees', a livestock guard breed. Totally different operating styles and functions. What is it you hope this dog to do ?

I have no real "hopes". I simply have a lot of time to devote to training a dog to do whatever it is that the specific breed might do in a livestock situation. I just feel like those breeds have the intellect and desire to please their people that is necessary for interacting safely with 40 free-ranging birds. It's not so much about having a herding dog OR an LGD as it is giving my new furry buddy something to do when I play with my birds.

Thank you all for your help, I am supposed to pick a pup up from rescue today.

 

[big medicine]

I have no real "hopes". I simply have a lot of time to devote to training a dog to do whatever it is that the specific breed might do in a livestock situation. I just feel like those breeds have the intellect and desire to please their people that is necessary for interacting safely with 40 free-ranging birds. It's not so much about having a herding dog OR an LGD as it is giving my new furry buddy something to do when I play with my birds.

Thank you all for your help, I am supposed to pick a pup up from rescue today.

I believe I would be leery of some dogs with herding blood, tend to have a high prey drive, can get bored without a task to do and have been known to start "herding" birds on their own accord.

I have my first LGD a Anatolian Shepherd/ Great Pyrenees cross. She at a year and a half now is really starting to come into her own. I would highly recommend this route if you have the temperament and patience to work with a independent thinking pup till they mature into their instincts. I should have done this years ago, took some serious coyote problems to make me take the jump. Once one of our other dogs take the big trip, will probably get her a partner( safe to post this as the wife does not read these forums).

There are some very good sites, and face book groups dealing with livestock guard dogs, well worth doing some research before making a decision.

edited to ad.
Got to thinking what I posted here. Was painting with a pretty broad brush. I'm sure there are folks out there who have had herding breeds that were safe left unattended with chickens. Speaking from personal experience , I had a border collie from great working bloodlines that I sold to a breeder/trainer when I went off to college. He lived to work and would have gone insane left behind with my folks and sisters. Would not have taken him long to unwind and start working birds to death. That said, I have always had interest in English Shepherds, but depending on the line, considerable difference working temperament than Border Collies.

 

[Klong88]

Hellooooo fellow Ohioans! From NW Ohio in Wood County here raising mallards and a variety of chickens (right now Bantams, Barred Rocks, and Speckled Sussex). My bad luck has given me mostly roosters when I want hens Love them all though. Finally joined after lurking for a few months!!

 

[zoey87]

Hellooooo fellow Ohioans! From NW Ohio in Wood County here raising mallards and a variety of chickens (right now Bantams, Barred Rocks, and Speckled Sussex). My bad luck has given me mostly roosters when I want hens Love them all though. Finally joined after lurking for a few months!!

I'm in NW Ohio also in Fulton County. Welcome!

 

[crazyma]

I am posting in the hope that I will be lucky and someone in the central Ohio area might have some pullets/ hens that they are willing to sell. I have had to speed up my time table on building my little pet flock. Due to my roos chicken tractor acquiring some rather large holes (dumb dog!) and their subsequent escape (and recapture!), we decided to add them to the new big coop and run a bit earlier than planned. (It is also safer and not within the dogs reach). The big issue is that we have only one adult hen and 3 who are about 4-5 mos. I know this is not a big enough ratio of roos to hens and I would like to add at least 2 more asap while all is still in flux. They are all bantams except for one standard ee. Since I am not going to be able to have too many total, I am trying to find specific types but I am open to all options. I would love to keep to mostly bantams, on my wish list are cochins, silkies,and any colored egg layers (ees, etc), anything frizzled, sizzled, etc. I would also be open to standard gals, but would prefer something that lays a fancy color. (Yes I have succumbed to the rainbow basket obsession). I'm not planning on these birds being anything but pets so I'm not concerned with their breeding and am fine with mutts/ mixes, just healthy and preferably docile/submissive. (I have kids and a bossy top hen.) So if anyone has anything that might be a good fit, please give me a shout! Thanks!