Maybe it's not your dog. Or maybe your dog isn't super cool with them after all, so that's on you. I have had lots of dogs and chickens and if they're getting along while you're there, they'll get along when you're not there.
I like that you point out that not all dogs can do this. My dad made that mistake when we bought the property 18 years ago, he couldn't see any reason why our lab/shepherd mutt pups kept chasing and killing the chickens. Breeds that struggle with impulsivity will probably take more time than most, if they can ever succeed at this exercise. These include most terriers (Russell, Parson Russell, Staffordshire, Airedale), pitbulls and pit mixes, and sighthounds (Greyhounds, Salukis, Whippets), etc.. We now have an Anatolian Shepherd that does an excellent job of ignoring the birds and barking/fighting off raccoons, coyotes, owls, and other dogs. I keep my chicks and ducklings in a large, fully enclosed run with one half covered for the last 4 weeks of their grow out, so my dog can get used to them. Then, once the birds can free range, but can still hide in their run if they need to, any interest my dog shows in them (scattering the birds, playing, following, chasing, even if it's just to sniff) is swiftly corrected by voice or physical intervention. The stakes are too high for me to allow missteps, even if she just startles a bird, it could find a way over my fence in its panic, and then it doesn't know how to get back and is vulnerable to predators until I come home from work. 8:23 and 9:19 at my home would be an unacceptable overstep for my LGD, though her job is not just to be good around chickens when I'm around, but to be with them 24/7, 365.
Of course every breed will be different as will every dog. But do you agree, no matter how easy tough or smart a dog is, it all depends on the owner to teach the dog he has a job and teach that dog to have an incentive to do right by his owner and the home/animals he is protecting. The dog will be as the owner does or doesn’t do. Prob these days is ppl don’t understand how dogs view their environment.
Wow! It pays to have a smart dog. My Border Collie had free access to our chicks from the time we brought them home. About fifteen minutes supervision and telling her to be gentle and she was good to go. Seven years and many chickens later and she has never harmed a single feather. The cat. . . Now that's a different story. Luckily the dog is protective.
I’ve been very blessed. I had mine in an open brooder around all three of my dogs ( chi weenie, pit/catahoula and JRT/Rat Terrible) lol! The rat terrier mix took it upon herself to mother them and the other two get along quite well. They free range in my yard with no problems. I did let the dogs sniff the chicks when they were little just like many years ago with a Doberman I had. It does depend on the individual but my dogs understood they were part of the family.
Did your chickens run to your dog during the hawk attack? I just lost a bantam chicken to a hawk a few days ago and would love to train my lab to protect them. He is already very good with them and can free range with them but he might ignore them too much.
When the hawk attacked the rest of the chickens scattered and ran towards the coop. Before I even could jump out of my chair my dog was already on top of the hawk. Dogs in general are a really good deterent just being outside with the chickens. My dog was laying underneath the table so the hawk didn't realize it was there. The fact that your dog free ranges with them already I think there's a good chance he would do something if one attacked. Even your dog just running towards it would be enough to scare it off
I hang cd’s outside as a deterrent for birds. I’ve heard that if you string up fishing line from tree to tree and hang cd’s from it that helps with hawks.
I have a 12 month old Rottweiler and a 2 year boarder collie, they get along fine. My Daisy looks like your dog. My Rottweiler is having major diarrhea this week. I have a clean fenced in yard . I clean it everyday. No dog poop hanging around. My Chickens and my dogs are obsessed over. My chickens are out with them everyday. My coop is super clean. I'm worried that my dogs have gardia or Salmonella from eating their poop. I'm worming my chickens tomorrow just in case. The chickens seem healthy no parasites. Im going to have to take her to the vet soon as she is diarrhea all night. Not dehydrated and playing all day. Im doing the pepto bismuth dose snd pro biotics today fasting them until tomorrow then going to gradually add rice and a bit of kibble tomorrow until i can afford to go to the vet . Any advice? I have a fenced in yard fresh water everyday but the dogs share a water dish with them.
I'm surprised when you got your dog to sniff them they didn't take a bite..my dog just keeps going at the coop and I was trying so hard when he was still around, you seem great with dogs
I have a pit. She is on a runner and has half of the yard. I just waited until mine were full grown to let them roam. My yard is a hill. So the chickens have the upper hand with their flappy bird gliding. When she got too close to them, or went after them I said no. She responds to no very well. She was like that as a puppy.
To anyone wondering, only some breeds can do this. Don’t be dumb and have your sight hound or pitbull/pit mix around your chickens just because you think they act good around them. Those breeds have incredibly high prey drive and will kill your birds no matter how well they have done with them in the past. It’s in the blood and you can’t train that out. Livestock guardian dogs are the only dogs you can safely leave, yes unattended, with chickens. Older calmer herding dogs usually do well too but some just don’t.
Okay im here because i own 2 frenchies and have always wanted chickens. But free range chickens Ive been scared because i here they can make dogs sick is this a problem can anyone share if there dog got sick?
I had 2 chickens that would always fly over. They would always come right back over so i never thought anything about it. One day a neighborhood dog took one of them. After that i clipped all there wings and haven't had a problem since.
How old? My husky/gsd mix does well with chickens, but it might have gone differently when he was younger. He didn't get chickens until he was 7 and with a week of heavy supervision he was made chicken safe
My dog is okay with ducks at the park but when we see chickens she starts chasing. She looks like Sophie. I want to make sure she won't hurt chicks if I decide to get a couple.
@Paulies Backyard I have a "pure" lab puppy( not sure if we were scammed but we still love her). She seems alright around them on leash but I'm scared to move onto the off leash step because she is a playful puppy and a breed meant to retrieve birds this size
I noticed how your dogs are eating chicken poop. So the dog learns that chickens offer treats. I'd rather the poop go into the yard and not into the dog.
They're the best hunters of hens, ducks, geese, and guinea fowl. They were literally bred to retrieve dead and dying birds. Dogs bred to guard livestock (objectively the best livestock guardians) include Great Pyrenees, Anatolian Shepherd, Maremma Sheepdog, Akbash, Kuvasz, Spanish Mastiff, etc..
I have had Springers that got along great with chickens. They flush and retrieve, not hunt and kill. I assume labs are similar. Terriers OTOH are bred to kill rodents so might be a problem.
