The Middle Tennessee Thread

[Cinny]

Usually the coop or TSC should have it. I have used some antipick too it will color the area so they can't see the skin.

I am so sorry..... I have been there with the dog attach thing. They will not quit once they figure out they can PLAY and EAT them.

EXACTLY!! The dogs are gone and are not coming back no matter what. We were only keeping them because they sold their house quicker than expected and had no place to keep them in their temporary loft. I told them they day they got here that they would end up killing my girls and they said no they wouldn't they are so friendly and sweet. They were in a tough spot so I said ok….done with that!!! They are at a friends house until my daughter can find a place for them. She feels as bad as I do, Oprah was her favorite too. I was really unprepared for how hard it would hit me though….thanks for the info, I'll let you know if Sweetpea makes it.

 

[CityGirlintheCountry]

Cinny, they are surprisingly tough. Dogs are hard on them, but I have had several that were fine after my neighbor's dogs got after them. The stress of the attack seems harder on them than anything. Years ago I had one that went into the back yard with my dogs. By the time I got to her they had plucked her under the wing and torn a flap of skin away. It looked horrible. I washed it out as best I could and smooshed antibiotic over it. The next morning I got her to a vet and had her sewn back up. She looked so horrible right after the attack that I thought I had lost her (she also was a favorite). The next morning she acted like nothing had happened. The vet had to completely pluck her side to stitch her up, so she looked like a Frankenchicken until everything grew back in. Pooh ended up living for five more years and was one of my best layers and sweetest hens. She layed a mint green egg that was gorgeous.

Have hope. They seem to sometimes weather the worst.

 

[cree57i]

Does anyone have experience with training a LGD to be chicken friendly? My pups were born with chickens in the barn with them. The puppies are 4 months old now and pretty rough, so I have not allowed the girls to be alone with them because I don't want to get the cycle of play, chase, kill started. The chickens are in the same area with them, but always behind wire. I am wondering when and how you can get the pups to where they are trustworthy with the chickens.
The reason I gave up having chickens 10 years ago was because of dogs and I don't ever want to repeat that experience. I am so sorry for your loss Cinny. I was so upset by what happened with my last go at chickens, I gave away the dogs and gave up on chickens...til now. At least I'm not doing it the same way this time. Zero trust of dogs.
Best wishes for Sweetpea's rapid recovery!

 

[memphis]

Cinny...so sorry about your hen. Lost my favorite a few months ago and like you it hit me hard. I still miss her. Funny how attached we get to these girls.

 

[Penny Hen]

Does anyone have experience with training a LGD to be chicken friendly? My pups were born with chickens in the barn with them. The puppies are 4 months old now and pretty rough, so I have not allowed the girls to be alone with them because I don't want to get the cycle of play, chase, kill started. The chickens are in the same area with them, but always behind wire. I am wondering when and how you can get the pups to where they are trustworthy with the chickens.
The reason I gave up having chickens 10 years ago was because of dogs and I don't ever want to repeat that experience. I am so sorry for your loss Cinny. I was so upset by what happened with my last go at chickens, I gave away the dogs and gave up on chickens...til now. At least I'm not doing it the same way this time. Zero trust of dogs.
Best wishes for Sweetpea's rapid recovery!

Not with LDGs but with 2 Border Collie/Golden/Lab mixes, a Beagle and a Sheltie/Lab mix, yes I have trained them to leave my sheep, lambs and chickens alone. I stumbled around with several techniques that didn't quite get the idea across and were more punitive after the damage. Finally I struck upon bringing the new lamb or chicken into the house and sitting on my lap with the dogs looking on and petting the new animal and telling them that it was mine, (if it was a baby) tell them it was a lamb/puppy or a chicken/puppy. Kalee and Portia have both been mothers and know what "puppy" means. They understand if I bring an animal in and show it too them like that that the animal is part of the family and not to be preyed on. They also know that all wild rabbits (I currently don't have tame ones), birds, squirrels and chipmunks, mice, rats and voles, possoms and racoons are fair game. They have a kill zone so complete that the squirrels don't even try to take my walnuts. They will lie there till spring if I don't pick them up.

Now I have read some people who raise the LDG's for resale say not to trust them alone with them during their adolescence. You have to teach them to be easy with people and chickens just like you teach a two year old not to hug the kitten to death. You praise them for gentle behavior. If they are rough you rescue the victim and ignore the puppy and pet and sooth the victim. You only give the puppy attention again when it begins to behave in a gentle manner. You of course have to give him the opportunity to do so. And you should do this initially one on one not with a whole group of puppies.

I will add that I do not yet know if I can trust them with very little chicks. I have just recently shown them the new babies. I currently have them caged with mom so they can't come to harm from any predator. I really don't plan to try it before they are 4 weeks old and begin to look more like the adults. I hesitate to put it to the test because of Portia, the Sheltie/Lab mix. You cannot let her near kittens before they open their eyes. She will kill them. Once the eyes are open they are safe. She will not go after them. I think she thinks they are too rat-like before that.

 

[RedRidge]

Does anyone have experience with training a LGD to be chicken friendly? My pups were born with chickens in the barn with them. The puppies are 4 months old now and pretty rough, so I have not allowed the girls to be alone with them because I don't want to get the cycle of play, chase, kill started. The chickens are in the same area with them, but always behind wire. I am wondering when and how you can get the pups to where they are trustworthy with the chickens.
The reason I gave up having chickens 10 years ago was because of dogs and I don't ever want to repeat that experience. I am so sorry for your loss Cinny. I was so upset by what happened with my last go at chickens, I gave away the dogs and gave up on chickens...til now. At least I'm not doing it the same way this time. Zero trust of dogs.
Best wishes for Sweetpea's rapid recovery!    

Yes... We raise Italian Maremma.
www.red-ridge-farm.com
I've also successfully trained and competed several herding breeds - NOT anything like lgds. I simply specify that because a lot of people like to lump them into one. Just wanted to clarify that as you'd be surprised how many people don't realize the difference.

What breed of lgd do you have?
We have several guidelines we go by here. .. The first is "no babies with babies" - EVER. That means from 4-18 months their management groups are chosen for success of the pup long term.
So even though all pups are with sheep and poultry when they are born, they are put with age appropriate management groups when they are 4 months old. Do I have 6 month old pups who could be with poultry or lambs? Sure. But why not set the foundation for success at a young age. Assure their success and let their instincts guide them. The wiser you are about their management group for the first 18 months, the more bonded they will be to their livestock and the less frustrated you will be. Good lgd's do not require much training - they require only guidance. But we'll timed guidance can be critical.

 

[cree57i]

Does anyone have experience with training a LGD to be chicken friendly? My pups were born with chickens in the barn with them. The puppies are 4 months old now and pretty rough, so I have not allowed the girls to be alone with them because I don't want to get the cycle of play, chase, kill started. The chickens are in the same area with them, but always behind wire. I am wondering when and how you can get the pups to where they are trustworthy with the chickens.
The reason I gave up having chickens 10 years ago was because of dogs and I don't ever want to repeat that experience. I am so sorry for your loss Cinny. I was so upset by what happened with my last go at chickens, I gave away the dogs and gave up on chickens...til now. At least I'm not doing it the same way this time. Zero trust of dogs.
Best wishes for Sweetpea's rapid recovery!

These guys (brother and sister) are great pyrenees/anatolian shepherd mix. They are 15 weeks old today. They came from Tippy Goat Farm at the Wilson-Smith county line. They have 5 separate groups of chickens in their back pasture. They are protective and taking heed of one of red-ridge's earlier posts, 'they don't even know where the house is'. The chickens are their world. Sounds like I need to let them get older before the girls can free range safely. They are big, rugged puppies.

 

[Cinny]

Cinny, they are surprisingly tough. Dogs are hard on them, but I have had several that were fine after my neighbor's dogs got after them. The stress of the attack seems harder on them than anything. Years ago I had one that went into the back yard with my dogs. By the time I got to her they had plucked her under the wing and torn a flap of skin away. It looked horrible. I washed it out as best I could and smooshed antibiotic over it. The next morning I got her to a vet and had her sewn back up. She looked so horrible right after the attack that I thought I had lost her (she also was a favorite). The next morning she acted like nothing had happened. The vet had to completely pluck her side to stitch her up, so she looked like a Frankenchicken until everything grew back in. Pooh ended up living for five more years and was one of my best layers and sweetest hens. She layed a mint green egg that was gorgeous.

Have hope. They seem to sometimes weather the worst.

Thanks so much. I made an organic Blue Kote solution and applied it. She seems fine, not acting different, can't tell if she's laying again yet or not but the other chickens seem to leave her alone . I was afraid of them pecking her, luckily her wing covers the exposed area. I'll let you know how she does in the next week or so. Appreciate the words of encouragement Anne !!

 

[Cinny]

Does anyone have experience with training a LGD to be chicken friendly? My pups were born with chickens in the barn with them. The puppies are 4 months old now and pretty rough, so I have not allowed the girls to be alone with them because I don't want to get the cycle of play, chase, kill started. The chickens are in the same area with them, but always behind wire. I am wondering when and how you can get the pups to where they are trustworthy with the chickens.
The reason I gave up having chickens 10 years ago was because of dogs and I don't ever want to repeat that experience. I am so sorry for your loss Cinny. I was so upset by what happened with my last go at chickens, I gave away the dogs and gave up on chickens...til now. At least I'm not doing it the same way this time. Zero trust of dogs.
Best wishes for Sweetpea's rapid recovery!

Thank you……I've had 3 other dogs be around the girls and they hardly paid any attention to them. One of them was raised with the chicks, I made sure that he smells them as chicks, and when I held them I let the pup get the curiosity out of her….ended up walking around with them when they free ranged, never a problem. This dog was about 18 months old and wild to begin with. We had him in a chain link run and he was fine for about 2 weeks then one day he just bit through the fasteners on the run and took off after them. He never tried to eat them just chase and kill them.
I guess you just never know with dogs, I"m with you about the zero trust right now.

 

[Cinny]

Cinny...so sorry about your hen. Lost my favorite a few months ago and like you it hit me hard. I still miss her. Funny how attached we get to these girls.

I know >……I cried like a baby for at least 30 minutes and then cried off and on all night. It's no different than if someone else's dog or cat was torn apart by another animal.