Over the last 2-3 months, we’ve lost a hen, 3 ducks, & a turkey to a predator. The hen & turkey were taken while free-ranging, 2 ducks were killed while trying to protect the hen that was snatched, & one young duck, the most recent, was taken out of the chicken house at night through a small hole in the wall (like the diameter of a can).
Our chicken house butts up to a steep draw full of timber. The birds (7 hens, 8 guineas, a turkey & a duck) living in it are now kept confined to a 10’x20’ pen when let out during the day. We have 5 older hens in a separate coop that still free range.
We have a total of 5 dogs. One lives in a pen adjacent to the older hens’ coop, but is utterly useless for protecting the hens. The others are house dogs. I have a 12yr old Aussie who is fantastic at protecting the property, & up until this past winter, enjoyed staying outside, keeping coyotes at bay, & alerting me if a possum came in the barn or if he found a snake. His age is catching up to him, however, & he now prefers to stay indoors most of the time.
My husband really wants to get a livestock guardian dog. Until we’d started losing birds, we were wanting to wait until 2-3 dogs passed away from old age before adding a new dog. However, he’s frustrated with losing birds & wants a dog now.
In his frustration, I’m not sure he’s clear about realizing that a LGD is not a quick fix, as a puppy will take a long time to train & learn how to protect its flock. It’s also a large investment we weren’t planning on anytime soon (purchase price, vaccines, food, spay/neuter).
Personally, I’m content to patch the hole & any others in the building, & try to trap the predator.
Has anyone used a LGD solely for protecting their poultry flocks? I know they mostly protect goats, sheep, or cattle. Will a flock of birds be enough for the puppy to imprint on & claim as its own flock?
Our chicken house butts up to a steep draw full of timber. The birds (7 hens, 8 guineas, a turkey & a duck) living in it are now kept confined to a 10’x20’ pen when let out during the day. We have 5 older hens in a separate coop that still free range.
We have a total of 5 dogs. One lives in a pen adjacent to the older hens’ coop, but is utterly useless for protecting the hens. The others are house dogs. I have a 12yr old Aussie who is fantastic at protecting the property, & up until this past winter, enjoyed staying outside, keeping coyotes at bay, & alerting me if a possum came in the barn or if he found a snake. His age is catching up to him, however, & he now prefers to stay indoors most of the time.
My husband really wants to get a livestock guardian dog. Until we’d started losing birds, we were wanting to wait until 2-3 dogs passed away from old age before adding a new dog. However, he’s frustrated with losing birds & wants a dog now.
In his frustration, I’m not sure he’s clear about realizing that a LGD is not a quick fix, as a puppy will take a long time to train & learn how to protect its flock. It’s also a large investment we weren’t planning on anytime soon (purchase price, vaccines, food, spay/neuter).
Personally, I’m content to patch the hole & any others in the building, & try to trap the predator.
Has anyone used a LGD solely for protecting their poultry flocks? I know they mostly protect goats, sheep, or cattle. Will a flock of birds be enough for the puppy to imprint on & claim as its own flock?
So sorry to hear you lost so much poultry!
