whats the safest dog to have with 3 chickens?

[Mountain Man Jim]

Quote:
OK, our Aussie is also great with the chickens and at guarding, but how do I train him to herd. That would be useful

Jim

 

[Sootsie]

herding dogs like border collies are high energy require a lot of training occupying mind and body, mine is fine around the chickens as long as he has had attention first (walk, training session, hes 1yr old) but i wouldnt leave them in the same space, chickens in their run the dog has the rest of the garden unless supervised.

the trick is research, training and supervision and you will be fine. Ask if you could have the dog visit to see it round the chickens on a lead to help you decide if there is no background information. Any breed can be trained and any breed can kill, its a matter of awareness and common sense.

 

[NellaBean]

Depending on what kind of shelter you are going to.....it may be possible to do some "bird testing". But either way, you need a low prey drive dog. Rule out from the start any dogs that are hounds, hunting dogs or any large mix thereof. Both of my local shelters....one very large "state of the art" and one small "old school" shelter will cat-test dogs for you if you have cats at home. In your case, you may want to mention that you have pet chickens and would like to see how the dog's prey drive is....they can cat test or maybe even let you bring in a bird in a cage to see how the dog reacts. May not be possible, but doesn't hurt to ask.

 

[jasonm11]

safest would be one with a muzzle on.

 

[ssbs]

I know it is a hunting breed.. But beagles seem like a really good bet, they'll get wild if they are on the trail of a rabbit or ground hog but they are not sight driven.. Beagles are sent hounds and their noses find small mammals appealing. I've have had 4 good beagle/beagle mixes. The heeler mix I have now is a different story, but the heeler part makes her more prey driven.

Aside from that.. I just say mutt. There really aren't any particulars. I had my pack of dogs outside at the same time as I had chickens out there.. They were interested but didn't try to attack

 

[Naughty]

I have a bichon friese (fancy name for lil yapper) - and I worried sick about him being in the coop with my chickens - it was actually his yard during the day while I was at work before we got the chickens.

I had a small dog run that I put in the chicken yard and put him in it during the day - the first day. Thought I would see how he handled being around them all day. Got home - he had gotten out of the run - and was laying there watching the hens.... they were all feathered out and pretty good sized. He doesnt bother them. He growled one time at the rooster - when it kept attacking him. I yelled at the rooster - and he stopped. Now they all get along - although if the dog gets too hyper - the roo still gets his behind. I also make sure the dog is well fed - and gets his own bowl of beef flavored dog food (no chicken flavors - don't want him thinking that the birds smell like his food) I also don't feed him chicken scraps

I do have some young birds that I keep him separate from - until they are a bit bigger - I think he would be okay with them - but they are still scared of him. I figure they will soon realize that he is a protector - not a foe. I have already caught him in his lil dog house with a hen in the past. I have heard that a dog in the yard can be one of the best protection measures against predators. He is rarely out at night - but hopefully his scent will be enough to keep the other animals out... lol

 

[wyoDreamer]

It really depends on the dog. I fully believe every dog needs to learn the "Leave It!" command. Make sure it works for shoes and sandals as well as chickens.

We went to visit friends who had chickens, I took the dogs on leash over to the chickens and let the dogs smell them and told them "Leave it". My irish setter wanted to smell the chickens up (actually loved the back end), but he hates feathers in his mouth so he won't touch the chickens. My english setter, loves to point. He followed his favorite chicken all afternoon, every time it stopped to scratch, he went into a perfect point. Never tried to bite or grab the chicken. A good bird dog is trained to find the birds for you, not kill them, and besides a dog can learn the difference between a chicken and a grouse.

 

[BlackBart]

I have Australian Cattle Dogs, none of them chase the chickens, cats or anything they are told not to chase.
One of them is a SPCA rescue dog. She came to me as a 10 year old. She is fine with the chickens. I have never had a problem with my own dogs and chickens.
The neighbors Lab has killed several of my chickens.

 

[clairabean]

My dog is a small Chihuahua/terrier mix. She is about half the size of most of the chickens. She likes to 'herd' them away from us when they are freeranging and barks when they get to close to the field.

We have also had labs, border collies, shiztus.... It all depends on what you teach them.

 

[janinepeters]

A friend of mine has a border collie who she trained to protect the chickens. The dog usually does his job, though not always (he's a little distractable), but at the very least has never hurt them. Even when they are baby chicks.