The Natural Chicken Keeping thread - OTs welcome!

[ki4got]

Quote: oh yeah they're a very versatile breed. I know several who compete successfully in herding, nose work, carting, agility, obedience, and also have titles in conformation as well... (same dogs did all of that).
Poodles are versatile; however, they are not allowed to compete in AKC herding events. I owned a poodle for 21 yrs... smart dog.
As far as guardians, I don't know...

But I can tell you that one of my dogs was a breed champion and had titles in tracking, agility, obedience, and herding on ducks, sheep, and cattle. And one year he was #1 in the country in obedience. And yet, even at age 14, he is not permitted with my livestock without me. Competition dogs who have any umph (especially if they have any herding instinct at all), make terrible lgds.
actually, I don't know about akc, but these dogs are titled in herding events. don't know what venue. for agility, we do nadac (well, did, but shadow's gone and sunny stresses abot it so...)
sunny doesn't have the herding, but does have a huge prey drive that took a LOT of work to focus on chickens being pack, not prey. so the 'squeaks' (furry prey/predators) are what we focus him on. most often his 'squeaks' are chipmumks and other ground squirrels but he's come in bloody some nights from finding coon or possum. those post-midnight baths are stressful on me. LOL but the blood's never his.

for more info on what poodles CAN do, check out http://www.vipoodle.org/HRP/VIP_herdingpoodles.html
this is the herding page, but VIPoodle has lots of good resources (versatility in poodles)

 

[aoxa]

oh yeah they're a very versatile breed. I know several who compete successfully in herding, nose work, carting, agility, obedience, and also have titles in conformation as well... (same dogs did all of that). usually though one dog will have his 'niche' where he is happiest.

Sunny trained in agility and obedience and did ok but tended to stress out in agility, but we discovered Rally is his strong point at least in training classes. when I stopped going to training classes (scheduling issues between work and the training classes themselves) I discovered he had a nose for finding/tracking things (lost chickens mostly).

tracking the wounded deer took me totally by surprise. I thought he was just along for the walk until I realized he was leading me to the blood pools. since then he's also been encouraged to track predators that have visited my pens, but they invariably cross the property line and head up the neighbor's property, so we have to stop.

My poodles are so very independent. If they have a scent, I can't get them to come back to me without a lot of screaming and often honking the car horn to redirect their attention. Chloe loves drives lol.

When we are ready for another dog (not for years.. because I am not doing 4 dogs..) I am getting a Corgi. My Koda was the very best protector I have ever had. Highly, highly intelligent. Great herders, and watch dogs. He could hear ANYTHING.

He stopped a stray dog (tackled it) who was after chickens. He treed a raccoon. He died trying to get a skunk that was on our property (hit by a car).

My god I miss that dog so much it hurts.

 

[Scott H]

-4 here this AM...water was frozen yesterday...wind is blowing too. Been using a plastic fount set in a heated dog water dish...might have to go back to using just the dog dish.
Our poodle is very good with chickens...chases everything else. We once had a marmot try to take residence under the side deck. Jake was relentless. Extremely patient dog....sat and watched that deck from sun up to sun down.....would let the marmot come out to look around and then run it back under....marmot finally gave up and moved on. Took almost a week of steady torment before it left.....
I have seen him easily handle MUCH larger dogs and run them off. He is just soo much quicker and athletic...and relentless...LOL He weighs about 65#. Been a good dog except he is so alpha....hates big black dogs especially. Tried to get him to look in the mirror once...didn't work.

 

[CourtsCacklers]

My aggressive, wing flapping, feather puffing hen is broody..... Since it has been years and years and years since we had chickens on the farm and this is my first year for having them on my own... I didn't even realize that is what it was. She does get off of the nest to eat and I collect whatever eggs are there-- except for the wooden egg- which I know put it together that she thinks she is hatching.... She does roost at night though instead of sitting on the nest.... so she isn't too broody.... but she is broody enough that she isn't laying any eggs either....when I separated her for being so nasty to the other hens I thought it strange she was so happy in her own pen....just sitting in a nesting position. I feel extremely stupid that I missed this. We don't have a rooster so she can't hatch anything and I would get her hatching eggs but it sure doesn't seem like she is serious enough if she only sets during the day....isn't she supposed to set at night too? but when she was separated she was very dedicated now that I think about it in hindsight....

I was so worked up about her bossiness that I didn't even realize what was causing it-- I just put it together when I was washing dishes last night and had 5 minutes to myself and was thinking about how she sure does get in the nest a lot and puff her feathers but never lays and then I thought-- hmmm...maybe that is broody behavior?

 

[Leahs Mom]

Finally caught up.

If I were training a dog (AFL) that is older around my chickens I think I'd use a shock collar. ONLY for when they think I'm not looking.

Once I knew it would behave with the chickens while I was there, I'd observe the dog while I was not right there with it and use the shock if it looked like it was going to misbehave. I "think" this may put the "fear of god" into them so that they don't associate the shock with ME...but learn to behave w/the chickens under any circumstance.

 

[Leahs Mom]

-4 here this AM...water was frozen yesterday...wind is blowing too. Been using a plastic fount set in a heated dog water dish...might have to go back to using just the dog dish.

I've been bringing the waterers in at night.

The heated bowls filled with grit and water as a heat conductor with the small waterers set on top has been keeping them open all day long with no problem. I'm using 5 LB HONEY JARS which hold almost 1/2 gallon and are wider than the quarts. I think the height/width ratio on those work better for keeping it thawed.

 

[RedRidge]

Finally caught up.

If I were training a dog (AFL) that is older around my chickens I think I'd use a shock collar. ONLY for when they think I'm not looking.

Once I knew it would behave with the chickens while I was there, I'd observe the dog while I was not right there with it and use the shock if it looked like it was going to misbehave. I "think" this may put the "fear of god" into them so that they don't associate the shock with ME...but learn to behave w/the chickens under any circumstance.

Not always... brings out the aggressiveness in some dogs.
Remember, a good lgd needs boundaries, not training. The reason so many folks think their dog requires training is because they are trying to force a square pen into a round hole. And frequently, if you whittle away at the peg long enough, it'll go... but it'll never really be round.

 

[aoxa]

Finally caught up.

If I were training a dog (AFL) that is older around my chickens I think I'd use a shock collar. ONLY for when they think I'm not looking.

Once I knew it would behave with the chickens while I was there, I'd observe the dog while I was not right there with it and use the shock if it looked like it was going to misbehave. I "think" this may put the "fear of god" into them so that they don't associate the shock with ME...but learn to behave w/the chickens under any circumstance.

It worked so well for Clementine, but not for all dogs. You have to know what works for your individual dog.

I think it would work very well for Henry, but they are so darn expensive.

 

[armorfirelady]

Quote: Lily is my cattle dog. She is a big wimp. But very protective of me & sticks close to me. She jumped & ran away when Stella hopped on the gate behind her

I don't think the shock collar would work for her. I think it would be more traumatic. She would associate it with the area she was in & if I ever needed her in the area she wouldn't cross it. (Both dogs stay a minimum of 5-10 ft away from the electric netting and don't even use the side yard anymore where it originally was. And they have plenty of area to run in there without being near the netting)

Anyways because I think the shock color wouldn't help I am going to use her gentle leader & short rope I have used to train her in the past. She is curious of the chickens and likes to watch them. She has followed behind me when I haven't closed the gate but she was more interested in chicken poop than the chickens & when I noticed her & gave her the command to leave she did (chickens were not in the area she was in-this was during the fall)

I have no doubt that a swift peck on the nose by one of the girls would promptly help her decide to stay away from the hens. The only thing I do know is when the girls squakwhen I pick one up tends to make her upset & want in with me. I don't know if she thinks the hens are hurting me or I am hurting them

But even then she hasn't breached the electric netting or jumped the gate (both of which she can jump over easily) & settles down when I tell her I am ok and to lie down.

ETA she does follo commands very well. When we camp she is off leash on the site & stays put with command & thats even when squirrels & chipmunks are running around & she loves to chase those

 

[Leahs Mom]

Yes....that is definitely a "general statement" about the collar. I'd have to see the specific personality of the dog.

In my dog-owning past (I haven't had one since 2007...for the first time in my life living w/out a dog), our dogs were "pets" and part of the family. NOW, if I get a dog, it will have to have a job and won't be a family pet. If I ever start trying to train a dog for guarding duties I will not keep it if it does not train to the purpose for which I get it.

That is totally different than anything I've ever done before. In the past they were family members and it would have been like giving your kid away ... it was a "life-long" commitment.