PLANNED POULTRY GUARDING DOG

[centrarchid]

KID IS GETTING INTO EFFORT

This evening dogs got fired up about raccoon trying to get at pear tree in neighbors yard. Trueman gave a new two-word sentence "we go" and ran to front door and grabbed flashlite and turned it on before trying to crawl through dog door after dogs. Trueman is not a whole lot bigger than a large boar coon so he is going to have to wait a year or two. The dogs think he is ready now.

 

[centrarchid]

SIX PERSIMMON TREES COMING INTO RIPE FRUIT

Nothing taste better than fruit that grows on your own property. After only 4 years we have a whopping six trees out of what I estimate to be 150 that are bearing the biggest, juiciest persimmons you ever did see. Long-term much of my chicken keeping will be placed under those trees during summer months after trees have been culled a little and get big enough to provide shade. A problem with such an arrangement is that my local mammalian predators will be coming over for the sweet smells of the decaying fruit unless it can be cleaned up by me and chickens. Somebody is already able to slip within about 150 of nearest roosting birds to get lowest hanging fruit that is no more than four feet up. Based on turd size I think it is Mr. Coyote which can sneak through if chickens don't make a ruckus. Persimmons appear not to make a ruckus when attacked and eaten on the spot.

 

[centrarchid]

SOME SAY REGULAR LGD's BARK A LOT AFTER DARK

Tonight Scoob and Lucy are doing same from front porch and barking at something to northeast in direction away from all roosting birds. I will try to see what it is later. My first guess is white-tailed deer on moving owing to weather change. Bucks are starting to get stupid and keep coming back even after dogs get into them. We have had a few bucks staying in our woodlot during much of summer and they are likely starting to bust up as ladies get into their minds. This will also mean I will be fixing some fences soon as well.

 

[centrarchid]

LAST NIGHT A VERSION OF HELL

Both dogs were barking most of the night. Cause does not appear to have been local after all. Neighbor about 3/4 mile to southeast with about 50 goats and more than one standard LGD (Great Pyrenees I think) where riled about something. I think my dogs were doing their thing in response. Scoob and Lucy were nearly breaking into bouts of howling between shorter bouts of chuffing which is like a wolves' seldom heard warning bark. Other dogs where also barking in other directions but the coyotes normally heard kept quitter than usual. I think deer may still be ultimate cause for all the ruckus.

 

[CAjerseychick]

LAST NIGHT A VERSION OF HELL

Both dogs were barking most of the night. Cause does not appear to have been local after all. Neighbor about 3/4 mile to southeast with about 50 goats and more than one standard LGD (Great Pyrenees I think) where riled about something. I think my dogs were doing their thing in response. Scoob and Lucy were nearly breaking into bouts of howling between shorter bouts of chuffing which is like a wolves' seldom heard warning bark. Other dogs where also barking in other directions but the coyotes normally heard kept quitter than usual. I think deer may still be ultimate cause for all the ruckus.

Yum Deer, is it deer season yet?
Sorry if you lost sleep.....

 

[centrarchid]

Title changed from PLANNED LIVESTOCK GUARDING DOG to PLANNED POULTRY GUARDING DOG


This done is done owing to existing semantics issue pressed by parties concerned about what a true livestock guarding dog is. By law in most states chickens and even cultured fish are livestock so this adjustment as made is no longer in agreement with legal code of state I live in. This means popular usage is taking priority over technical and legal usage of the word livestock.

 

[scottcaddy]

Title changed from PLANNED LIVESTOCK GUARDING DOG to PLANNED POULTRY GUARDING DOG


This done is done owing to existing semantics issue pressed by parties concerned about what a true livestock guarding dog is. By law in most states chickens and even cultured fish are livestock so this adjustment as made is no longer in agreement with legal code of state I live in. This means popular usage is taking priority over technical and legal usage of the word livestock.

Are you saying that chickens are NOT livestock ?

Scott

 

[centrarchid]

No, chickens can be livestock just as much as any larger domesticated mammal. Many are kept as pets but I think in the eyes of the law they are still livestock. When their use is as with mine for the purpose of food, fiber or burden; then they are livestock for certain.

The candy-butt Live Stock Guarding dog clubs managed to highjack a term and set rules about its usage that complicate the meaning of the word livestock. I am making an adjustment so as to enable more consistent use of concepts related to guarding of poultry using dogs. It may be important to actively distinguish between guarding of chicken flocks / farm yard and herding small ruminants. A problem still will exist for distinguishing dogs defending larger free-range herds as they were bred to do and those defending smaller flocks in confinement like overwhelming majority currently do in the United States. Most parties in the livestock guarding clubs fall squarely in the latter group if they have herds at all.

 

[centrarchid]

SCOOB WAS BUSTED CHEATING ON ME TODAY

As I go to work each morning Scoob trots off leaving Lucy to defend area alone for at least a couple hours each day for the last week or so. Today I found Scoob has a cheating heart. I drove home at noon from a different direction and found Scoob about 1/2 mile away from where he was supposed to be. He was sitting on his butt in somebody else's field watching over three floozies. The floozies are best described as some young Rhode Island Red hens that look pretty but don't do much beyond foraging. We are going to have to work on this. I suspect somebody in that direction is also feeding Scoob because he is not eating all of his food when he comes home. He still does his job at night but this two timing is burning his candle on both ends.

 

[centrarchid]

PERSIMMONS GETTING GOOD BUT NOT ALL OF THEM

Trueman and I walked fence rows late yesterday checking problem spots. Dogs came along sort of but where more interested in patrolling woods and swimming in ponds. We came across a 7-foot tall persimmon tree with fruit so I grabbed a couple. None were evident on ground because this tree is in current reach of free-ranging Dominique flock and even dogs eat the fruit. I ate the first very good one and found another that looked just as good. Trueman wanted a bite so I offered and he took his bite then gave the balance back to me which popped into my mouth. About time I felt the pucker coming on Trueman starting spitting and sputtering. Trueman got his first not ripe persimmon and it was kind of funny. Dogs and chickens do not seem to be bothered by the pucker factor.