whats the safest dog to have with 3 chickens?

[HLAC]

As with the other posters.... a well trained dog is the safest. Ditto on the 'leave it' command. Every dog should know this command and respect it.

I have a black lab... very high energy (a nice way of saying - hyper) and from champion field trialed parents.

She is an absolute sweetheart with the chickens. Even when one of my hens jumped up and kicked her in the face, she simply wagged her tail at it. She won't even bully them away from her food scraps. It took a simple 'leave it' when I introduced her the hens for her to know the chickens were not for chasing or toys. (honestly, I was surprised how easily she understood this) She's a raw fed dog, who even eats all the chicken parts left over from butchering... and yet she will not mess with live chicken or even eat a dead one unless I tell her it's okay.

So... look for a dog that seems eager to please and has some smarts.

Good luck!

 

[tom e]

Know too that some dogs will be very prey driven that you wouldn't expect. My miniature poodle thinks that birds are for chasing. I since found that they have a long forgotten heritage (in the states) of being bird dogs.
I could probably train him otherwise, but I notice that the chooks look at him like he might be tasty too, so I figure it's best for everybody if we use both yards, lol.

 

[terrilhb]

I have 3 roosters 11 hens. I also have 4 dogs. 3 are Chow and Mastiff mix, the other is Mastiff, German Shephard, Doberman, Rottwieler, and Bloodhound. I let my chickens out when we are out and they never bother them. If the roosters get to close they move away. 2 months ago a stray dog got into our coop and my dogs chased it away. The dog had killed 12. My husband and son picked up the dead birds and set them outside till daylight so they could be buried. We left the 3 younger ones out and they never went near the dead birds. They kept watch. So I agree it depends on the training of the dog. Our 1 dog with all the breeds in him tries to lick them to death. He loves them the most. Good luck

 

[OMGchicken]

I have four RIRs, and a 6 pound yorkie. I've had the pullets for just over a week. I let my yorkie know right away that those are MY chickens.
With a firm approach and treats for being good, she was perfectly trained within one day. I couldn't believe it. She chases the squirrels away.

I also have a 15 year old shih-tsu who is near blind and almost completely deaf. That is another story. He's very bull-headed and really wants
those chickens. My yorkie actually jumped on him, barking, as if to protect the chickens.

She may be small, but her bark is fabulous. The main problem with using a yorkie for a guard dog, is that when you go inside.... so does she! LOL

** Note, that I live in the city with a fully fenced yard. Not as many predators as some areas.... but I've caught a cat lurking in my yard several times.
I am a bit worried about the cat.

 

[zoe95423]

I have a yellow lab pup 8 months old is has been raised with the chickens and ducks, they are afraid of him. But he ignores them. It all depends on how you train them to be with the chickens. He has been going out to do the chicken chores with me since he was 7 weeks old.