Turns out I love them more than I thought!

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Folly's place said:
Post photos of your coop and run, and we can help. Over time, and bad experiences, many of us have learned what 'Ft. Knox' really means!
Mary
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Dark out right now but I can sometime this weekend. I'll show close ups of where the dogs got through and how my husband fixed it. Currently the chickens are still inside until they're a little more healed up so we have a little time to sort ourselves out.
 
BullChick said:
:welcome I am sorry you had that experience. My beagle did okay with the flock until one day he got a wild hair, and I lost two girls.
Do you have an animal first aid kit?
As a nurse, you probably will have an easier time getting everything together. I find that my avian kit comes in handy for the dog and humans too.
Please post photos of your critters when you can. We love pictures!
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I love the idea of an avian first aid kit but I would need to do some research because they're so different. Perhaps there's a thread on here somewhere about constructing one...? I'll do a search.
 
MaiBee said:
I love the idea of an avian first aid kit but I would need to do some research because they're so different. Perhaps there's a thread on here somewhere about constructing one...? I'll do a search.
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Yes, we have several threads with recommendations. I don’t have a proper suture kit or the right tubing, but I’ve made do so far.


My animal medicine cabinet:

Vet wrap
Artificial tear gel
Vet Rx
Nutri-Drench
Liniment gel
Safety tipped scissors (sharp)
Niacin
Wazine
Corid
Safe-guard
Vetericyn-wound and skin care
Blu-Kote
Vitamins& Electrolytes
Sav-A-Chick electrolytes
Duramycin antibiotic
Terramycin (animal Neosporin)
Iodine
Benadryl
Epsom salt
Syringes
Gauze
 
i took one of my specked sussex hens to the vet once when she caught her comb on something and tore it pretty good. i at first thought it would stop on its own, only later to realize she was bleeding to death. i called and found a vet open on a Saturday afternoon and drove her in. He, Doc Nelson, made me promise to tell no one about him working on a chicken as it was his first one. (so of course its one of my favorite stories) he fixed her up with super glue.
i also am lucky to have 3 guardian dogs that protect my chickens. not bothering the chickens is one of the First things a pup learns when we bring them home.
i hope you train your dogs and that Ghost and Angel make a full recovery.
 
AllenK RGV said:
Your story made me wonder how I got so lucky. Our dogs love the chicken and strive to keep them safe. The chicken leave chicken candy all over the place for them as a reward for good dog behavior even though us humans are grossed out by it. I will never understand why after eating chicken leavings a dog needs to love and lick me. Welcome to BYC and so happy to hear all is not lost!
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My friend who has chickens has shown me pictures of her dogs, cat, and chickens all hanging out together peacefully. No idea how she pulls it off :hmm. I'm hoping as the pups get older they'll settle.
 
Welcome Aboard! - It's great that you found us!

So sorry to hear of your losses....

We introduced our three chihuahuas to our chickens while they were still chicks and living in a brooder in the kitchen. They had regular indoor interactions with them and over a period of weeks they learned that the chickens were part of the family and were not 'prey' or 'food' it took repetitive reinforcing over quite a period of time but the lesson was learned by all of them....you see, our chickens are pets too, really...

In fair weather I'm now in the habit of letting the dogs (actually they're all bitches, LOL..) out into the garden to keep an eye out for the chickens if we're going to be out of earshot for a while - they will actively look out for the birds and raise the alarm by going nuts if any 'predators' come anywhere near. 'Predators' includes neighbours in the eyes of our Chihuahua's, along with postmen and door-to-door cold callers (very handy) but they absolutely understand that chickens are strictly off-limits and are to be protected rather than predated upon.

I don't know if the same training can be applied to all breeds...I only have my own experiences to relate to...but I do think that if you can train your dogs to leave your chickens alone it's a more permanent and reliable solution than separating them from the chickens with fences and barriers. The day will come when they scale the fence or get around the barrier and then you'll have the day of carnage and death all over again...

Just my tuppence worth....for what it's worth.
 
Separation is essential during training, and it takes time to have a chance to be reliable.
Two adolescent dogs who have already had fun with the birds are triple trouble, and will take LOTS of time!
If your dogs can get to your birds, other predators can too, so again, that safe coop and run have to be built.
Dogs I've raised from puppyhood learned to leave the birds alone, but my current rescues are NOT safe with the chickens. I have good fencing, which failed this spring, with major losses, because I didn't attempt to 'chicken proof' our latest dog.
It's a combination of training and safe housing, and lots of time.
Mary
 
Folly's place said:
Separation is essential during training, and it takes time to have a chance to be reliable.
Two adolescent dogs who have already had fun with the birds are triple trouble, and will take LOTS of time!
If your dogs can get to your birds, other predators can too, so again, that safe coop and run have to be built.
Dogs I've raised from puppyhood learned to leave the birds alone, but my current rescues are NOT safe with the chickens. I have good fencing, which failed this spring, with major losses, because I didn't attempt to 'chicken proof' our latest dog.
It's a combination of training and safe housing, and lots of time.
Mary
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I think our plan right now is to just make the coop absolutely impenetrable...I've had these dogs since they were 14 weeks old...just had no idea how determined they'd be to get in the coop! The truth is they love the chicken feed and other times they've gotten in they've just eaten feed and left the chickens alone (bad enough because the feed gives them *terrible* diarrhea). We will work with them and I like the electric fence idea that several people have posted, but I don't know they'll ever get to the point where we can just let them all hang out together.
 

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