Topic of the Week - Dogs and Chickens

[gennafer]

I have 5 dogs; Pit, mini schnauzer, 3 french bulldogs; all but one are fine with the chickens. The one is the oldest frenchie, her prey drive is so strong I have never been able to get her to leave them alone. It's mostly the flapping and running they do. My "smart" chickens stay really still if she's around and she will leave them alone but new chickens that scare easily and run will drive her crazy. I think some particular dogs are just hard to break the habit.

 

[Lkulrich]

Our Lab sees me heading out to the shed with my 'chicken bucket', an ice cream pail of leftovers, and she gets excited. We trained her to sit and stay when we let the hens out. She knew she would get some leftovers too. She's ok with them, she likes to follow the flock and 'snack' on chicken poop. Yuck.

 

[insindiary1]

Most chicken owners have a dog or two in addition to their flock. Some keep and train their dogs as livestock guardians or flock watchers, while others find they can't trust their dogs with their birds. Keeping these two species together can be done very successfully though. I would like to hear from all you dog and chicken owners what advice you have and what your experiences were when it comes to keeping dogs and chickens together, or at least in harmony. Specifically:

- How do you/did you train your dog(s) not to kill or mess with your chickens?
- What is the best/most effective way to deal with/retrain a dog that killed birds already? (No cruel or inappropriate suggestions, please… Let's keep this thread friendly and informative)
- Tell me about livestock guardian dogs (LGD's)
- Are some dog breeds more or less prone to be a problem around the flock?

I live in a urban area have around a acre of property , unfortunately when I began my chicken venture I learned early that I can't trust one of my dogs .
If I am outside with the rooster and girls they can free range .
I built a huge run and before I got a canopy over it my dog was able to frighten the chickens where they took flight leaving the run , she apparently killed it right away and it becomes a pack mentality where all the dogs participate .
I have lost two this way .
I have since roofed the runs and added other security . Would never trust my dogs

 

[laorganista]

I got my blue nose pit bull puppy after getting my 2nd batch of chicks. She was introduced to them, and showed no interest in them. I even cuddled both the chicks and puppy at the same time. My puppy has never been aggressive towards any animal, completed 18 weeks of puppy training and is very disciplined.

Once my chicks were grown and free ranging on their fenced off side of the yard my puppy showed more interest in them and would accompany me each day when I would clean their coop, feed & water them.

One day she started chasing the chickens playfully and I called her back and scolded her because I didn't want her thinking they were toys because she shakes and rips her toys apart. So she never chased them again.

Then one day while my puppy was outside and and I went to call her inside she didn't come like she usually did. I was horrified to find her on the chicken's side of the fence and she had killed a chicken and eaten most of it. I had to pick up the scattered pieces of my chicken that she didn't eat and a ton of feathers everywhere. It was so awful and sickening.

I asked my trainer if there was any way she could be trained to protect my chickens instead of hunt them but she said because my puppy actually hunted and ate a chicken instead of playing with it and accidentally killing it, that unfortunately some dogs are hunters, regardless of their training or even their breed.

I've seen other pit bulls protect their chickens and be affectionate towards them but sadly mine wants to eat them. It's very odd because she is not aggressive with any other animals, from the doves and stray cats that wander in our yard to our pet parrots and cat, or young children or other dogs small or large at the dog park. If we're walking in the neighborhood and an aggressive dog barks or lunges she doesn't even bark back or engage. So she's not an aggressive pit bull unless you're a chicken apparently.

 

[2wheelnurse]

German Wirehair Pointer and Standard Poodle. Hunting dog is a great bird dog, so it's a delicate balance, because we don't want to kill his birding instincts. Our solution is to know where the chickens are roaming before letting the dogs out. The dogs are limited in their area due to a wireless collar, chickens have a much larger area to roam. Hunting dog has only managed to get ahold of 2 chickens in two years due to oversight failure. Dogs have a natural instinct to chase, so I would say you really need to know your dog, and realize they all have the potential to harm a chicken under the right circumstances. Even if you think they wont.

 

[The Duck Ladie]

Huskies seem to be quite prone to killing birds if not trained from being puppies. We got two, almost fully grown, huskies, and they chased the chickens from outside the pen and badly injured one. They also killed the whole duck flock, which at the time was three. We also had a husky puppy who saw the older huskies got in trouble when they went after birds, and pretty much ignores them now, though I still don't let her get close to them. Before that we got a red heeler, who killed a duck right after we got her, and brought it up like a hunting dog, we taught her not too by bringing a duck close to her, and when she paid attention to them we'd pat her on the nose and say "no". She was a very fast learner, and didn't pay them any mind at all.

 

[ahwhite]

I would agree with the Duck Lady that Huskies are tough!

We have a lab who could not care less about the chickens, ever since he realized they poop! He pays them no mind, and I'm pretty sure sees them as little candy dispensers.

My husky/malamute mix that apparently has some wolf as well...not so much. I tried training them both by bringing them out on a lead and giving them treats when they paid attention to me and not them, but I knew my lab would be fine and that the husky probably wouldn't be. She got out one day by accident but listened to me when I told her she could come back, so my husband and I decided maybe she would be ok and to try it...but she tried to get one in the butt. Luckily she didn't make contact, so I'm not sure we will try again.

Luckily she has never tried to get into their run, so she is fine in the yard if they are put away. And she sleeps outside at night when she wants to, so acts as a good guard dog then!

There was one poster who made a judegemental remark about dogs that can't be around chickens just being poorly trained...any suggestions then?

 

[Beeholder36]

It sounds like we have the same experience and dog!

 

[MissJane]

I have 2 American Pit Bull Terriers. One has a very high prey drive and frequently catches rabbits and groundhogs. The other just likes to chase things. They both went through obedience training. The most important comand they learn is "LEAVE IT". When I first got my chicks we put the brooder in the living room. So the dogs got to be around them constantly. By the time my chicks were two weeks old I started taking the chicks outside for a few hours a day. I would let one dog out at a time with us and whenever the dog would show interest in the chicks I'd say " LEAVE IT". The chickens moved to the barn at 4 weeks and they free range. I'd take the dogs with me to check on the chickens but not let them out of my sight. By the time the chicks were 6 weeks I was able to go about my business without worrying about my dogs with the chickens.

 

[LkStevensowner]

I have a 7 year old Golden Retriever, who has never exhibited any type of aggression to my hens, even when they are trying to eat the marrow of a bone he is gnawing on! However, our German Shepherd girl just turned a year old, and she killed one of my hens when she was about 6 months old. We tried a shock collar, and yelling at her, but really, she just grew out of it. She still loves to occasionally take a run at them when she is chasing her ball, and make them squawk, but she hasn't attacked any of them since that traumatic experience.