Tips for introducing chicks to resident dog?

[Tessa's Mom]

Hi all. I'm planning my future small flock and would like some advice on how to introduce the new chicks to our dog when we bring them home. She is extremely important to us and has been an "only child" up until now. We want to make this process as easy on the chicks, her and us as possible. I have read absolute horror stories on this site about dog attacks on chicks and adult birds and that quite frankly, makes me extremely anxious. I want both the dog and the chickens to be at home in the yard. If it helps, the dog is medium sized and a hound/terrier/? mix. She is the sweetest thing, but an efficient and eager killer of rodents in the yard. (Yay! No more destructive voles or ground squirrels!) If we call her off, she'll stop in her tracks and listen. She has never showed any interest in robins or other "ground birds" even when they run past her. So that makes me hopeful. But she's never met a chicken. Thoughts or advice on setting her and the chicks up for success and friendship? Or at least indifference?

 

[Kiki]

I suggest keeping her away from the chicks at all times.
Don't introduce her to baby chicks, you will just get her all excited and she may want to keep going to "see" them.
Work with her daily to learn to stay away from them.
I made the mistake of introducing my dogs to my chicks...they ate them as soon as I accidentally left a door open.
This was yeas ago...and it didn't happen just once.
Now, although my dogs stay away from the chicken side of the yard, I still would not trust them to both free range at the same time.

 

[Tessa's Mom]

I suggest keeping her away from the chicks at all times.
Don't introduce her to baby chicks, you will just get her all excited and she may want to keep going to "see" them.
Work with her daily to learn to stay away from them.
I made the mistake of introducing my dogs to my chicks...they ate them as soon as I accidentally left a door open.
This was yeas ago...and it didn't happen just once.
Now, although my dogs stay away from the chicken side of the yard, I still would not trust them to both free range at the same time.

Oh gosh. I'm so sorry to hear that. That sounds like an absolute nightmare to me. Interesting to hear your advice about keeping her away from chicks. They do sound an awful lot like her squeaky toys...

 

[Kiki]

I have first hand experience and it didn't happen just once....it took me a while to learn the lesson.

 

[Honeysuckle01]

We also don't let our corgi and chickens together. If we have the chicks out in the main backyard, our dog is shut in the house.

 

[centralcaligirl]

Personally I would never try to mix a dog with chickens unless the dog was trained as a puppy to leave them alone. I understand why you would want them to coexist, but it sounds like a recipe for heartbreak to me.

We have two dogs who have never been aggressive or killed any other animals, but they are never, ever allowed in the yard at the same time as the chickens. Any dog, no matter how sweet, has the potential to kill a chicken.

 

[driver]

It's possible for dogs and chickens to coexist, but I'd wait until the chickens are bigger. My dogs (both lab or retriever mixes) were taught, mostly by the chickens, to leave them alone. We had two hens and two dogs, and one or two aggressive moves from the hen towards the dog was all it took. Now, years later, we're down to one of the original hens, and she can walk right next to the dogs and they think nothing of it. I can leave them together unattended. The dogs are more interested in eating the chicken's poop.

I got five new chicks this spring and suddenly, the dogs are seeing them as tasty little snacks and not as big scary chickens! I've kept them separated so far. The chicks are 7 weeks old. So far they are not free ranging, but in a run in the yard. The dogs are paying less attention to them now, but I'm still not ready to try them together until the chicks are full size.

 

[Tessa's Mom]

It's possible for dogs and chickens to coexist, but I'd wait until the chickens are bigger. My dogs (both lab or retriever mixes) were taught, mostly by the chickens, to leave them alone. We had two hens and two dogs, and one or two aggressive moves from the hen towards the dog was all it took. Now, years later, we're down to one of the original hens, and she can walk right next to the dogs and they think nothing of it. I can leave them together unattended. The dogs are more interested in eating the chicken's poop.

I got five new chicks this spring and suddenly, the dogs are seeing them as tasty little snacks and not as big scary chickens! I've kept them separated so far. The chicks are 7 weeks old. So far they are not free ranging, but in a run in the yard. The dogs are paying less attention to them now, but I'm still not ready to try them together until the chicks are full size.

Thanks. This is so helpful! I'm glad to hear a "success story". And interesting to hear that you had a hen who stood her ground. I wondered about that. I figured roosters would be inclined to "defend" themselves, but I didn't know that a hen may also stick up for herself.

 

[Kiki]

The girls can be just as tough as boys! lol

 

[Frazzemrat1]

I have a husky mix that has a very high prey drive as well. I worked with her and worked with her at my exbf's house and his free range chickens. It got to the point where she would heel with me, off leash, and not even look at them as we walked around... But the problem was, as soon as she thought nobody could see her, she'd grab one. And she did one day when we were working in the barn. I got yelled at about her and ran out in time to get the chicken from her mouth before she did any harm. And she was tied, the chicken came into her area.
So, now, that we have chickens at home, I've chosen to keep them inside their run at all times, so that I can let the dog out on her line when she chooses. I don't want to risk an accident.