PLANNED POULTRY GUARDING DOG

[centrarchid]

Much of the night so far Scoob has been working property barking and getting me to come out with rifle and light but now actual critter. Smell of a skunk is strong and I can hear a great-horned owl talking smack about 1/4 mile away. If that bugger visits, some chickens may get knocked out of trees but Scoob will be able to prevent losses. Owl maybe involved with skunk smell.

 

[centrarchid]

SECOND DOG ACQUIRED, COUNTDOWN 18 MONTHS TO FULL POULTRY PROTECTION

Two days ago I brought home a second dog as a pup to be used as a livestock guarding dog. Training with respect to poultry will be better this go around. Pup is a 5-week old female German Short-haired Pointer (Lucy) that very likely has German Short-haired Pointer in her background. Upon bringing Lucy home first concern was introducing her to Scoob and infant son which required a good two hours. Then she was then introduced to flocks of chickens free-ranging and confined. After all this Lucy was beat so after a meal she passed out until about midnight when I went out on rounds to walk down pens with Scoob. She also got to sniff some front porch juveniles roosting on ground. After a couple weeks Lucy will be sleeping next to the the front porch flock. Everytime I work birds she has gone with me. She has not offered to chase the chickens but they are very skeptical of her. Lucy cornered a bunch of juveniles that nearly knocked Scoob down trying to get away from pup.

Lucy playing in water bowls. This is a problem as she spills a lot.


Scoob overseeing Lucy's antics.




Lucy sniffing at oppossum jaw bone Scoob left laying about.


Another bad habit, getting into feeders.


Scoob has some challenges ahead but he appears up to task.

 

[centrarchid]

LUCY ATTEMPTS TO MAUL A COCKEREL ROOSTING ON GROUND

As I sat in chair in yard I could hear cockerel with bad inner ear struggling. I went over to see Lucy holding down bird by standing on it and pulling wing with her mouth. I growled while pinning her down forcing her to release bird. They met up again and I repeated process. Thereafter she sniffed bird and walked away to find something else to chew on. This likely need to be repeated. Cockerel was roosting on ground because something is wrong with his inner ear messing up his balance. No damage caused by pup. Then I took pup on patrol with Scoob and she made no effort to get at juveniles roosting on ground in chicken tractors. She did learn.

 

[ButchGood]

My blue heeler/border collie mix. She is growing up with chickens. Introduced her to the flock at 5 weeks old. She is around 15 weeks old now. She has not chased. bit at, or mouthed the birds one time. I can trust her alone with the birds now. So it can be done.

 

[centrarchid]

My blue heeler/border collie mix. She is growing up with chickens. Introduced her to the flock at 5 weeks old. She is around 15 weeks old now. She has not chased. bit at, or mouthed the birds one time. I can trust her alone with the birds now. So it can be done.

My best dogs always mouthed birds at first. It is an expected part of training process when starting with pups. I expect her to "bowl flocks" through next spring which is indication to me she will patrol by pushing through all flocks periodically through day while checking roosts and pens at night. I will not be able to trust this pup with all chickens until she is about 6 months old. Exposure to a broody hen will speed reliability around chicks which is a very different ballgame than a flock made up soley of adults. Nocturnal interactions also will be different as you may eventually see. My dogs need to be able to get to roost sites and often to birds themselves to deal with raccoons that might slip past. If they cannot get to such varmints, they can not dispatch it and the coon can then at least knock all birds of roost causing them to move to a less protected location. I have played that latter game before and even when varmint is dispatched you loose control over roosting sites which are key to my management efforts.

 

[ButchGood]

Mine does run through the flock. She likes to see them scatter out of the way. But she does not pursue or bite at them. If something is in the yard at night she barks once or twice and comes and gets me. She will show me whats upsetting her. She will not take care of it on her own yet and its possible she never will. Herding dogs depend on a partner. So this can be a problem for night time patrols.

 

[centrarchid]

Mine does run through the flock. She likes to see them scatter out of the way. But she does not pursue or bite at them. If something is in the yard at night she barks once or twice and comes and gets me. She will show me whats upsetting her. She will not take care of it on her own yet and its possible she never will. Herding dogs depend on a partner. So this can be a problem for night time patrols.

She will likely surprise you with smaller predators like foxes, oppossums and raccoons. She need not actually fight first and last, simply run them off. Oppossums are more a hit an miss, she may only harass them and you will have to do rest.

My current dog was a solid year before he was effective even against oppossums so give more time for maturing into job.

 

[sargent spurs]

This is a nice thread, I have been thinking about putting a dog in with the chickens in my electrified netting I was wondering what kind would be the best.

 

[centrarchid]

This is a nice thread, I have been thinking about putting a dog in with the chickens in my electrified netting I was wondering what kind would be the best.

Most folks I know using electrified fencing with dogs in with chickens have larger flocks of laying hens. They are mostly using Great Pyrenees which I think is best when such flocks are going to be more year round and attract larger predators. Large predators for me during winter months / off season when most of my birds are confined as adults and number is roughly 10% of what I run during summer and fall production season when at peak. During off season the larger predators are for most part nullified by the coops and pens that are harder to get into even without guard dog present.


Look up a fellow going by name of Contrary, he uses such a configuration.


If you are in an area with coyotes with a little grey wolf mixed in, then go with Great Pyrenees or other larger LGD. Most are very cold tolerant but from what I have seen the Anitolian is the most heat tolerant of the lot typically used. It is also the fastest which might be important against smaller predators like red fox that might try making catches in sight of LGD. The Anitolian is also most people aggressive (partly based on experience) and most inclined to want to take fight outside of paddock.

Other breeds including pit bulls are suitable but they do not always provide the best alarm system.

For me the smaller predators like red fox, raccoons, and oppossums take way more than than big boys like domestic dogs and coyotes. It is generally difficult for big predators to clean me out in one visit like folks with confined birds or no refuges. It is the little guys that can nickle and dime me to death and the smaller dog is at least as capable at dealing with those especially when no confinement used for free-ranged birds.


My dream setup would be mobile paddocks with electrified fencing. mobile roosts / henhouses, people friendly version of standard LGD within fencing and smaller faster dogs on good terms with standard LGD's denying the snatch and grab option to my number one foe Mr. Fox.

 

[sargent spurs]

Wow thanks, I have a friend that has 2 Great Pyrenees with 250+ chickens. I have a lab mix that I would put in with mine for any instant emergencies. Maybe she would alert me if any coyotes came up, plus there is a fifty dollar bounty on them here.