What kind of dog would be good for me and my chickens?

[Red Mangrove]

My mutt German Shepherd, Lab and Husky mix is doing great at warding off all land predators

Air predators aren't a threat because most of my land has natural forestry on it

 

[JuliaSunshine]

My mutt German Shepherd, Lab and Husky mix is doing great at warding off all land predators

Air predators aren't a threat because most of my land has natural forestry on it

I have lots of trees but owls and ravens just perch on them to hunt.

 

[Pollo Blanco]

Good to know. I think having two medium size dogs would definitely feel safer.

We have two; one will approach from the front and the other will sneak in on the flank. They automatically work with one another in unison. Just another attribute of the breed.

 

[Pollo Blanco]

That's great! Deterred by barking and growling? A 65 lb Dutchie or Malinois, yes. I love Aussies and I've known a lot of them, but I've yet to meet one that had the stuff to take down and hold a 200+ lb man.


I'm sure some do, my GSDs either recognize them as a threat or can be trained to, but lots of dogs couldn't care less what goes on up in the sky.

They're not really a Schutzen dog, if that's what you mean, but then again, you're forced to bend over further to jam your fingers down an Aussie's throat. Yes, I am 6 feet and 200lbs.

They bark at the owles that fly overhead at night as well. Do they hear them? Do they smell them? My Samoid/Shepherd mix looked up at the owls too, but he didn't bark.

Even if your Aussies don't pin someone, they'll be too busy for anything else!

How do BM's do with raccoons?

 

[NorthFLChickenChick]

That's great! Deterred by barking and growling? A 65 lb Dutchie or Malinois, yes. I love Aussies and I've known a lot of them, but I've yet to meet one that had the stuff to take down and hold a 200+ lb man.


I'm sure some do, my GSDs either recognize them as a threat or can be trained to, but lots of dogs couldn't care less what goes on up in the sky.

I have two GSDs, a 3 yr old male and a 1yr old female. The older male was raised with our other flock in another state and we couldn’t trust him with free ranging because he chased and caught a blue Jay and a crow when left alone in the yard as a pup. Now we live on a property with several sectioned areas with fencing and we separate the male GSD from the chickens when free ranging. The young female GSD however expresses zero interest in catching the birds but will herd them when they stray too far away from the run…almost motherly.

 

[Drew2SOA]

We have an Aussie and he loves our backyard birds. He is really gentle with them from when they were babies all the way up until laying age. Never attempted to nip at them or anything. He is just REALLY interested in them, i.e. likes to go walk in their enclosure and sniff at them and check on them when they are trying to chill in the shade. They bait him into chasing them too it feels like. He'll be in a whole different part of the yard and they big girls see him and run over right in front of him at speed to get him going. But that's all he does is the occasional chase/herd back to home.

It also helps that he's been raised by neurotic cats since 6 weeks of age.

 

[JuliaSunshine]

We have an Aussie and he loves our backyard birds. He is really gentle with them from when they were babies all the way up until laying age. Never attempted to nip at them or anything. He is just REALLY interested in them, i.e. likes to go walk in their enclosure and sniff at them and check on them when they are trying to chill in the shade. They bait him into chasing them too it feels like. He'll be in a whole different part of the yard and they big girls see him and run over right in front of him at speed to get him going. But that's all he does is the occasional chase/herd back to home.

It also helps that he's been raised by neurotic cats since 6 weeks of age.

Sounds very cute. I'd like to look into having an Aussie when I have a fence in the next year or so.