One week ago I received a phone call from the Post Office telling me that my chicks from McMurray had arrived. I brought them home and got them settled into the brooder in the coop. About three days later I asked my Border Collie Brandy if she wanted to go with me to check on the babies, and in her doggy way she said yes. We went out to the coop and I took out a baby to show her. She looked at it while keeping a look at as well, I did this with several of the babies. Since then I take her out to the coop a couple of times a day to check on the babies. This morning when we went out I noticed that one of the Barred Rocks had a case of pasty butt. So I scooped him up, yes it is a roo from his head spot that looks like Mickey ears to the yellow legs. Anyways we brought him in and cleaned him up. After he was cleaned I wrapped him in a dish towel to dry him off and took him with me into the office. This whole time Brandy would not get more that a couple of feet away from him and if he made noise I had to show he was ok. He sat with us and took naps while I waited for him to dry off and then Brandy went with me to put him back with the girls. It was amazing to see how protective she is of all the chicks and especially when one was taken out of where he belongs. Here is a picture of Brandy and Rock (the little black and white dot in the towel.)
Awww! Thats a good dog you have there. I have a border collie too. Her name is Zoey and she gets all excited when I bring her with me to visit the chicks. Except I don't trust her with them at all because she has tried to bite them before. But my hound mix could care less about the chicks! And wouldnt hurt them.
Zoey watching the chicks in the brooder...
Zoey going the the chicken door of the soon-to-be-finished coop.
It's Brandy's job to help with the girls. She can round them up into the coop or the yard. She can catch a hen and hold her until I can get there to pick up the hen.
I have a Shih-zue named Gypsy, and she loves all the baby animals. I don't trust her with my chicks, but I don't think she'd hurt them.
Once, I got some chicks from TSC and it was really cold that night and for some reason they're too cold under the heat lamp so I moved them by the woodstove, I slept in the next room to keep an eye on them and in the night Gypsy came in and carried the chicks back to my bed room and licked them to death! There was only one that had a bit of blood on him, but all the rest had just gotten too cold because she'd licked them so long. So sad, but she loves to lick baby animals.
