Couple comments on subjects read in last few days...........
Those of you with dogs you need to let them know who is who is the pecking order.
Place your chicks on top of their head saying mine in a stern voice. Let them sniff the chick.
Place the chick on their back.
Then back on their head repeating mine.
If you get a dog after chickens grown do the same thing it matters not what age the chickens are this is all about the dog knowing where he stands in relation to you.
You need to get it through the dogs head those animals are yours off limits to them.
This does not guarantee success but it is the closest thing I have found to success.
My dog before I got chickens had run down and killed birds so I knew it was important just like in a family of wolves you need to set the limits on what is acceptable.
No matter how nice your dog is you need to do this or you are setting yourself up for disaster.
Dogs naturally chase things and stop them once caught.
Don't get mad at the dog for doing what comes natural.
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For those of you trying to get your chickens use to the snow not messing up their runs or if you have walk in coops their coop try this................
To get my chickens out from underneath their coop as mine stands out into the snow was to throw treats on the snow.
Took a while but once you get one walking on it the others observing that one eating a few more will come out.
Before you know it they will all come out.
May take a few times of throwing treats.
I left the runs open yesterday and they came out for a while but only stayed out a few hours as the only bare ground is under roof eves or where I shoveled the drive way.
This snow not going away anytime soon as I still got 6 inches on the ground.
Next time it snows your chickens should come out once you get them use to snow.
BTW. I started using straw in the coop and I'm sold on it.
Went to clean it yesterday and was able to grab the straw where the poop was then after removal fluff up the remaining straw.
In one coop I didn't even need to add any. In the other coop only took a very small amount.
I take the straw/poop and throw it into a garbage can to place in the garden later.
Those of you with dogs you need to let them know who is who is the pecking order.
Place your chicks on top of their head saying mine in a stern voice. Let them sniff the chick.
Place the chick on their back.
Then back on their head repeating mine.
If you get a dog after chickens grown do the same thing it matters not what age the chickens are this is all about the dog knowing where he stands in relation to you.
You need to get it through the dogs head those animals are yours off limits to them.
This does not guarantee success but it is the closest thing I have found to success.
My dog before I got chickens had run down and killed birds so I knew it was important just like in a family of wolves you need to set the limits on what is acceptable.
No matter how nice your dog is you need to do this or you are setting yourself up for disaster.
Dogs naturally chase things and stop them once caught.
Don't get mad at the dog for doing what comes natural.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
For those of you trying to get your chickens use to the snow not messing up their runs or if you have walk in coops their coop try this................
To get my chickens out from underneath their coop as mine stands out into the snow was to throw treats on the snow.
Took a while but once you get one walking on it the others observing that one eating a few more will come out.
Before you know it they will all come out.
May take a few times of throwing treats.
I left the runs open yesterday and they came out for a while but only stayed out a few hours as the only bare ground is under roof eves or where I shoveled the drive way.
This snow not going away anytime soon as I still got 6 inches on the ground.
Next time it snows your chickens should come out once you get them use to snow.
BTW. I started using straw in the coop and I'm sold on it.
Went to clean it yesterday and was able to grab the straw where the poop was then after removal fluff up the remaining straw.
In one coop I didn't even need to add any. In the other coop only took a very small amount.
I take the straw/poop and throw it into a garbage can to place in the garden later.
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