What creature will defend against chicken predators?

[Ozark Chicken]

We have a full size donkey. He doesn't just guard the cows and chickens. He pursues and with evil intent kills any predator he finds. The first year we had him we found several stomped and thrashed coyotes. He can run them down then bites hold of them and slams them to the ground. Then playfully jumps up and down like a pogo stick on whatever is left. Coons, Opossums, and wayward dogs all get the same treatment. I wouldn't recommend a donkey if you have small children around. But then I wouldn't recommend an ostrich around small children either.

 

[katharinad]

I agree. Ostriches are not so smart, but they can kick really bad. They can even break an adult's thigh bone with one kick.
Katharina

 

[kaddidle]

Great Pyrenees are great guardians when you have a lot of land, but I've had the same problem that littledel has had with my fosters. Those dogs like to cover a lot of land, and they will, whatever you try to make them do otherwise. They're very autonomous--you can turn them loose with livestock and they automatically go to guarding, but they decide on their own what they want to guard.

I really like Old English Sheepdogs for smaller plots of land because they're more attentive to their owners. GPs have little use for humans in my experience.

Whatever kind of dog is used, it needs to be well-trained and spayed or neutered so that you don't have the drive to mate interfering with the drive to protect the herd, and also so you don't have unwanted and unplanned litters. I've had soooo many litters of foster puppies from people who wanted guardian dogs and thought that speutering them would lessen their drive to protect the animals they guard. So very wrong! The only thing that will draw them away is the desire to mate. The best livestock guardian is a well trained and spayed or neutered livestock guardian dog that has grown up around the animals that s/he is supposed to protect and has been trained at basic obedience. Getting a dog from good parent stock is a good start but not always necessary. The most important thing is owner training and involvement.

If you just want to dispatch a predator, then lock your chickens up safely and borrow a friend's terrier.

 

[mboreham1]

i have a beagle, he LOVES the chickens, he just wants to play, i have 5 week old BR chicks outside in the coop with the others, they are small enough to get through the picket fence run. The beagle just trails them, gets very excited, beys and the chicks go running, then the RIR's go after the chicks in the run, so i have the cluck, cluck, cluck of the RIR's and the excited beying of the beagle, the chicks go inside and roost, they have learned already where they can go where the others cant get them!

 

[kaddidle]

Be really careful with your beagle! They're good family dogs and good with other animals in general, but lots of times dogs that get excited around chickens can hurt them, even by accident. I've been learning about this from experience. Beagles are hunting dogs also and that's important to have in mind when you're dealing with a small animal that will die quickly if put in the mouth of another animal. Best of luck to you!

 

[kaddidle]

Regarding what OzarkChicken said--that is right about large birds not being safe around children. I spent a lot of time volunteering at my local zoo and a big part of my job was keeping kids away from Emus. Big poultry are not kid friendly! It's great to let them see one another, but not interact. Even a rooster can really hurt a little kid.

 

[RedfogsFlock]

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we got a rhodesian ridgeback. He seems to do the job. He will lay on the ground and let the chickens and ducks walk all over him, BUT don't mess with his flock! They were bred to bait, and wear down lions over is zimbabway. They are large, and he keeps the coyotes at bay here.!

Hope it helps

 

[Praxxus]

I've been raising chickens, guineas, peafowl and turkeys for decades and the only thing that seems to live among my flock and protect them is me and my .22 rifle and 12 guage shotgun. The dogs patrol, but don't hang around the chickens. The guineas sound an alarm when the fox attacks, but he usually already has attacked a chicken and is off with it by the time the guineas start chasing him. Plus guineas don't chill with chickens. They do their own thing. Peafowl are divas and turkeys just watch the slaughter and wonder what's for dinner. I've heard lamas are great at protecting sheep, but I dunno if they'd stick around pultry. Hmmm.

 

[Gonzo]

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I would say yeah... I have 2 german shepherds, and they do ok. They key is getting the dog while its a puppy, and allowing the dog to form a bond with the birds, realizing they are not prey.

 

[sparkles2307]

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I'm pretty sure a rifle wont eat your chickens and keeps the nasty predators at bay...