PLANNED POULTRY GUARDING DOG

[centrarchid]

Standard LGD (~120 lbs). Portable sheds in background. Also have several Great Pyrenees, Anitolian and donkeys serving same role, usually one per flock of ruminants. Paddock size ranges 5 to 40 acres. Dog in image is sassy with me.



Fencing.




My new lab hidden behind pepper growth trial.

 

[LavendarFeather]

I'm currently trying to work out fencing for my dogs as well. I have used an electric wire in the past, and it was effective, but it might be difficult to maintain in a wooded environment. If any plants come in contact with the hot wire, they ground it and it won't work properly. The buried wire, invisible fencing, can work for one's own dog, but if you want to use that it's best to install it before the dog has wandered beyond the boundary you plan to enclose. If the pay-off is high enough for them, they sometimes decide a momentary shock is worth that risk. So it's best if they haven't ever experienced that pay-off. I also question whether they would stop to worry about it if in hot pursuit.

How is Lucy tonight? I had no idea that you could give fluids to fish, or that their would be a need to!

 

[centrarchid]

I'm currently trying to work out fencing for my dogs as well. I have used an electric wire in the past, and it was effective, but it might be difficult to maintain in a wooded environment. If any plants come in contact with the hot wire, they ground it and it won't work properly. The buried wire, invisible fencing, can work for one's own dog, but if you want to use that it's best to install it before the dog has wandered beyond the boundary you plan to enclose. If the pay-off is high enough for them, they sometimes decide a momentary shock is worth that risk. So it's best if they haven't ever experienced that pay-off. I also question whether they would stop to worry about it if in hot pursuit.

How is Lucy tonight? I had no idea that you could give fluids to fish, or that their would be a need to!

Electric fence can enhance LGD's effectiveness. It slows progression of outside dog making a sort of boundary. Can be really helpfull if single LGD must engage multiple dogs and can make bluffing more effective by giving all parties time to think. Fencing does require an hour or two each week when plants growing or you can use herbicide. I use weedeater and bush hook for excersise. Mine would charge through in hot pursuit and then not come back across after calming down.

Inject fish with hormones or flourescent tags that liquid when first placed.

Lucy is home and doing well. She has been brought inside to sleep on bed. I do not want her patrolling with Scoob until we now such activity won't get her to start vommitting again. I am supposed to monitor hydration status closely and restrict feed intake. Outside she will be into chicken and critters Scoob brings in which are both hard on gut.

 

[smilingcat]

When I read parvo and the pup, I just went GULP! Glad to hear she is recovering. Poor thing.

As for invisible fence, they are not that good. If your dog is in hot pursuit, they'll stumble across and can't get back into your property. Seen it happen and heard about it too. Heard about a chocolate lab going across the fence. With a Pyrenees, with its thick undercoat, sometimes it works sometime it wont. You need a real fence.

 

[centrarchid]

START OF OPEN DOORS AND WINDOWS

Unless it is extremely hot or cold a door is kept open at all times for dogs to enter and leave parlor of house and go outside. At night windows are opened as well so I can hear commotion. Usually Scoob sits vigilantly on front porch or in parlor doorway when not patrolling. When something alarms Scoob he usually growls and / or barks as he goes to investigate. Master bedroom is so positioned that I can hear everything and usually get up to help. Help is often required when Scoob trees a coon and needs me to shoot it out or a small opossum gets into pen and can not be reached.

Now that windows are also being opened so Scoob can hear and smell all, and Lucy has been placed on bed, Scoob got on bed with Lucy, Trueman (infant son) and I and positioned himself so his nose almost touches screen window. It is sort of like camping out with Scoob serving as camp guardian and alarm. We can do this because mom is out of town. It was a typical night until about 4:00 AM until I could hear a chicken (pullet) walking around in dark parlor. Scoob was already outside working the pens and roosts but was not able to line out a threat. I got up and did survey as well and found all birds in good shape and not disturbed. Chicken in parlor had to be somebody that was an outlier (roost well away from everybody else for one reason or another, sometimes far enough away not to come to feeding stations during day, at least not regularly). I picked up pullet now hiding behind ottoman and read her wing-band to find she is the outlier game-chicken pullet that normally roosts a couple hundred yards to east in a treed fence row on neighbors property. For some reason she either walked or flew distance during night. The blue moon would facilitate that making so she can see well enough to navigate. I presume she was disturbed by a predator. No damage is evident. In all likelihood she will resume roosting more on the place. Scoob will be much more effective against whomever was harassing her here.

I kind of like to hear the screaming of crickets but can do without the moths, especially those that lay egg masses on wall. Lucy will also benefit since she will be exposed to reactions Scoob and I make to disturbances.

Another negative. When we got back into bed I laid down on an egg; a rotten one that luckily did not bust. Scoob has a penchant for such eggs and like to collect them.

 

[aoxa]

Another negative.  When we got back into bed I laid down on an egg; a rotten one that luckily did not bust.  Scoob has a penchant for such eggs and like to collect them.

Oh no lol

That is quite unfortunate!

Clementine found a nest full of 'Scovy eggs hidden for me last night. She sat and whine where she could not get under. Flash light confirmed the find, and Koda (corgi) brought out the eggs.

You've been talking about chicken bowling. Clementine likes to bowl humans as well. Any idea on how to prevent this behaviour?

By the way, nice property and fence you have going on. The fencing instructions about taking care of growing vegetation around it and affecting the shock.. Weedwacking while the unit is turned off would be efficient, correct? How low does the grass/bushes need to be around the fence?

What I am not looking forward to is inserting those fence posts. Our property has a lot of gravel under the grass. We had a hard enough time situating a little fence for the grow out pen. We will need to rent some equipment, that much I'm sure of.

 

[centrarchid]

Weed wacking does fine. All is needed is to keep plants (living or dead) from grounding out wire. I like to cut short enough so you can have nealry a two week interval between cuts during season when plants growing fast so I cut it nearly to ground. You may also be able to use livestock to do some of the "weed eating" as well. If fencing is mobile, then a lawnmower can be used saving time on cutting end of operation.

 

[aoxa]

Weed wacking does fine.  All is needed is to keep plants (living or dead) from grounding out wire.  I like to cut short enough so you can have nealry a two week interval between cuts during season when plants growing fast so I cut it nearly to ground.  You may also be able to use livestock to do some of the "weed eating" as well.  If fencing is mobile, then a lawnmower can be used saving time on cutting end of operation.

Are the shocks enough to seriously injure a chicken who touches it?

Only saw a pig get zapped once, and it screamed really loud

 

[centrarchid]

Are the shocks enough to seriously injure a chicken who touches it?
Only saw a pig get zapped once, and it screamed really loud

Chickens are pretty good about avoiding the shock. Never lost any to it and we used such for hogs and cattle with chickens present. I do not expect electric fencing to restrict movement of chickens. They will simply fly over it or chicks will walk under.

 

[aoxa]

Chickens are pretty good about avoiding the shock. Never lost any to it and we used such for hogs and cattle with chickens present.  I do not expect electric fencing to restrict movement of chickens.  They will simply fly over it or chicks will walk under.

Have any ever touched it?

And is it expensive to run for electricity?