Tragedy Strikes!

[PrairieChickens]

My dog was the same way. Never gave the chickens a second glance...until he decided to maul one of our hens. She survived, but since then he's killed two others who flew into the dog run. We have to keep a close eye on him if he's outside while they're ranging, even though he's in his own, fenced area.

 

[Sparkyfam]

OUr dogs were like that. we had Texas Chainsaw massacre and the remake at our house. With the new chicks, we've started making the dogs submit to them, placing them on their bellies etc. Now the dogs are fine with them, as long as they don't get excited. Once the dogs go into play mode, and the chicks go into prey mode, it's done for. Obviously they are still separated, but the goal is that eventually the dogs won't go into that high of a level.

 

[QuietPony]

OMG. Your poor kids! My youngest would be devastated to no end..
Our chicks have been here since friday. I got them right after she left to go by her dad's house for weekend visitation because I didn't want her to be around if by chance one or two didn't make it. That also gave me time to assess how my dogs would react to the birds in a less chaotic environment, (She really brings out the chaos here at home.. lol.. gotta love adhd)

The dogs seem interested, and I only have real concerns about one of them who I rescued last summer from an indian reservation in south dakota where she had never been fed a bowl of food in her short life, so she has a very high prey drive. (read that as I no longer have a mouse issue in my finished basement bedroom..)

I have to clean out the brooder now, so I will take a couple pics of our brooder set up and post them here.
Be back soon.

 

[Kjordanov]

I feel your pain! My dogs have killed 5 of my chickens.

 

[CedarAcres]

I'm so sorry about your chicks! I'm worried about one of our animals breaking into the basement. We have a new dog so I don't know how he'd react and I don't want to find out either. The basement door has popped open a few times in the last week, so I keep checking it everytime I walk by.

 

[QuietPony]

Our set-up and the hounds in question. The wood in front is actually the top of the hutch, which I had to remove to put a light up and to help keep the warm in. The light is suspended from the ceiling by picture frame wire and is totally adjustable. The blue bin on top is where we put them when we clean.


Wire topped hutch with smaller cage inside!


One quick peek and the peepers


Inside cage removed for cleaning. Boxes along the back are just there to keep the other cage bottom from slipping around.
Second cage and silly boxes will be removed in a couple weeks when they get more wing room.


Cleaned and replaced second cage. Temporary roost bars, starting to get used by my two RIR who are a few days older than the Red Stars.


My daughter even gave them a teddy bear.


It's not the best set up but it works for us. I also have pieces of cardboard that are wrapped in foil and they sit on top, on either side of the lamp just to help with heat. I think this might become too small for the 6 of them. I only wanted 4 but, you know. Chicken math. We can add onto the hutch if need be if they get too cramped before the coop is finished. Thank god for a handy man. lol

Good luck with the dogs.

 

[Sparkyfam]

Our set-up and the hounds in question. The wood in front is actually the top of the hutch, which I had to remove to put a light up and to help keep the warm in. The light is suspended from the ceiling by picture frame wire and is totally adjustable. The blue bin on top is where we put them when we clean.


One quick peek and the peepers


Inside cage removed for cleaning. Boxes along the back are just there to keep the other cage bottom from slipping around.
Second cage and silly boxes will be removed in a couple weeks when they get more wing room.


.

Good luck with the dogs.

I noticed in your pictures, that your dogs ears were forward when they were looking at your little chicks. They seem mighty interested. You're floppy eared one looks more curious interested than hungry interested. Is the shepard looking one your rescue? Mine go like that occasionally, but the one with the high prey drive will suddenly go from playful to stealth and stalk mode, with the ears and nose straight forward. As soon as the tail starts going up too, she gets corrected, and it seems to be happening less and less. Now she just tries to ignore them completely. At least when she's around us. I wouldn't trust her alone with them for anything!

 

[Jo Anne]

I have two dogs the 16 yr old could care less, but my 9 yr old goes into whimpering and gets a little too hyper sometimes I have to scold him to settle. Both are small dogs

[/IMG] I know he looks angelic but he has gotten a hold of the kids hamster before, I plan on putting up extra fencing or sofit siding around the coop as a precaution.

 

[nova022]

Sorry for the loss of you chicks and the trauma it caused your children.
My Chihuahua went after a chick for the first time yesterday. I was surprised because she has been through two previous broods and only sat and watched them. This chick is 11 weeks old and managed to get away so no harm done, but it did remind me that dogs will do what dogs do.. My Spitz has gotten into the run when I left the door slightly open while I was refilling the waterers. When I noticed him in there he was eating the chicken food and the hens were scratching and pecking along side of him like he was a big fluffy chicken, but it could easily have ended in tragedy. I know I personaaly need to remember that dogs have natural instincts to hunt prey and you never really know when they will kick in.

 

[vickiw]

Oh no! So sorry about your chicks

I have noticed our dog is very timid around ours and she sometimes acts as if she is already in trouble for something she hasn't done (yet). But as soon as I tell her its okay and that she's a good dog it seems like she gets all jumpy and runs back and forth along the brooder getting exited when they run to the other side

so i know she can't be trusted. I think it is just in their blood to want to chase and eat small animals. Good luck with your new flock of chicks they sound like a beautiful bunch!

they are stimulating your puppy's prey drive. Same thing probably happened to DC dogs. Cats, dogs are animals and prey animals. With some when the chicks are larger, it's ok, just something about them being so small and moving so eradically. BUT a dog is a dog and a cat is a cat. You can never predict when they are going override their training and give in to their instincts. (and you can bet it's going to happen when you aren't there!)