Our introduction to keeping chickens, the high's, the lows and pics of our journey.

[Bens-Hens]

Our little Pomeranian (inherited) walks among the flock...gets hard to tell where dog stops and chicken starts!

Pam, chick looks great, about on par with ours for feathering from the looks of that pic.

 

[Hershy]

She's three years old already, but we used to live in an area with loads of rabbits so we tried to take away the urge to chase live animals from an early point. With the labs, not a problem, but the dachshund has too strong instincts for that. My only worry is how she (Kiusa) will react to wounded birds when hunting after familiarizing herself with the chickens.

The method we used was a remote controlled spray collar, took about a day or two to teach them not to chase the bunnies. Now we only need aural commands.

I remember you talking about that collar, it sounds better to me than a shock,collar. We have a corgi too and she's quite a barker so we bought a remote collar to try to curb the barking. Her fur was too thick and it wasn't able to make contact to give her a zap, lol.

 

[vehve]

Remote control shock collars are illegal here, only the ones that react to a perimeter are allowed. And possibly the one's that are supposed to stop barking. Personally I think shock collars are a great tool in capable hands. Sadly, 95% of the users don't fall into this category, the timing is pretty critical. The spray collar is nicer, because all it really does is offers an distraction that is mildly unpleasant, so it breaks the frenzy.

I do know that some people try to bring out aggression in guard dogs with shock collars, don't know how efficient it really is.

Ben, you're going to have a hard time telling apart the Silkie, Pomeranian and your feather duster.

 

[K Spot]

Unfortunately I would NEVER be able to have my hens and my two dogs in the same yard together. The mongrels have already killed three of my girls.
They are very prey driven; my younger Dalmatian (who will be 7 at the end of this month) thinks he can jump up into trees in an attempt to bring down possums and has snatched several birds out of mid-air.

When we let the girls out to free range in the yard, my dogs have to be inside with us.

 

[cwrite]

Here's our little one. Ignoring the primaries, all of the new growth on the wing bows, chest, neck, underside - all white possibly salmon. The only combination that would make this coloring a female would be if this were somehow Solomon's baby. Seems like it would have a beard though, although it's 25% New Hampshire. 75% fluff face...which it's not. Chances are slim that it's Solomon's since he departed shortly before the eggs were gathered and had only had a couple free range opportunities in the two weeks prior. This chick looks very EE but the mom is an EE/NH.

That's a cute chick! I've read that sperm stays viable for two weeks so it could be Solomon's baby.

It's great when pets get on with the chickens. We have had some success with our cats. Rosy is tiny & terrified of the chickens now that they are free-ranging in the afternoons because every time they spot her they chase her. Furry snack anyone? Tiger is a big boy, but even he escapes into the pool area because the chickens can't fit through the fence. I saw him take a swipe at a chicken with ALL the claws out through the safety of the pool fence. The funniest part is watching him lie somewhere & have the chickens ignore him while they graze around and even over him for a tasty low hanging leaf. He can't seem to understand why they show no fear. If he could get a bird on it's own it might be in trouble, but when they stick together they are a pretty scary bunch to a cat. Still, it's nice seeing them in the garden together.

 

[Fancychooklady]

Unfortunately that's why so many chickens get killed by dogs. They just seem to more in tune with overhead dangers. Both our dogs started out killing a chicken each. My 1 m length of black poly pipe did the trick. Nothing mean, just a tap on the bum or nose when they showed too much interest. Once they understood that the chickens belong to me , they left them alone. We go away all weekend with the horses and the chickens often camp in on the verandah right next to the dogs ( behaviour which I'm currently training my chickens out of ) , without incident .

 

[cwrite]

Unfortunately that's why so many chickens get killed by dogs. They just seem to more in tune with overhead dangers. Both our dogs started out killing a chicken each. My 1 m length of black poly pipe did the trick. Nothing mean, just a tap on the bum or nose when they showed too much interest. Once they understood that the chickens belong to me , they left them alone. We go away all weekend with the horses and the chickens often camp in on the verandah right next to the dogs ( behaviour which I'm currently training my chickens out of ) , without incident .

I've noticed that too! If one of the cats get up on anything raised the chickens keep a close eye one them, but on the ground they are ignored or pecked. It's great if you can train your dog/s to safely be around chickens, but I'm not sure all dogs have the temperament for it. I saw a documentary on chickens the other day that claimed that they learn faster than dogs. They trained chickens to recognise shapes using meal worms in one afternoon. Pretty impressive.

 

[Fancychooklady]

I've noticed that too!  If one of the cats get up on anything raised the chickens keep a close eye one them, but on the ground they are ignored or pecked.  It's great if you can train your dog/s to safely be around chickens, but I'm not sure all dogs have the temperament for it.  I saw a documentary on chickens the other day that claimed that they learn faster than dogs.  They trained chickens to recognise shapes using meal worms in one afternoon.  Pretty impressive.

Yes I've seen that ! Chickens definitely learn fast this is my CTD ( chicken training device ) . They put one foot on my verandah and ' swoosh' . 2 days into training, no poop on my deck and as soon they see THE SUPER SOAKER they high tail it back to the yard.

 

[Bens-Hens]

I have posted chicken training video's before.

They are much smarter than we give them credit for.

Cats on the other hand.....they are more cunning I think. My all time favourite video of attempting cat training. (From memory they may be a tiny bit of language)

 

[Bens-Hens]

A quick update! Breaking news. Curly the Barnevelder has laid her first egg since she started her moult!

It's pretty light but a nice size. Here's hoping she keeps them coming! Yippee