Raising chicks with dogs

[devinostler]

Hi! What’s the best way to introduce our chickens to our dogs... without stressing them out. We have a very old lab. And a 6 month old goldendoodle. Both have shown nothing but playful interest in the chickens in their box, but of course they chickens can’t know that.
Our goal is to have them both freely roaming the backyard at one point. But how can we make healthy steps to that? Our chicks are not a week old yet.

 

[JaeG]

A puppy will chase and can kill without meaning to. You should teach them to ignore the chickens and focus on you. Make sure they know basic commands especially "leave it". I wouldn't let the chicks free range until they are full sized and no longer prone to youthful bursts of energy that just beg a puppy to join in and 'play'. It completely depends on the dogs as to how trustworthy they will be around the chickens longterm.

@TheDawg should have some training tips for you.

 

[JaeG]

One little thing I have thought of - dogs consider chicken poop candy so just be aware of that. They will eat as much as they can get their paws on.

 

[babyratt]

Hi! What’s the best way to introduce our chickens to our dogs... without stressing them out. We have a very old lab. And a 6 month old goldendoodle. Both have shown nothing but playful interest in the 110chickens in their box, but of course they chickens can’t know that.
Our goal is to have them both freely araboe an of abpanaroaming the backyard at one point. But how can we make healthy steps to that? Our chicks are not a week old yet.

My babies are about 10 days old. Very nervous about the dog finding out.