Will chickens love my dogs?

[gardendufus]

Ok,maybe I'm just bored because it's November in Colorado Springs and nothing going on with my first vegetable garden, but now I'm getting interested in raising chickens come next spring. I'm allowed 10 Hens, no roosters.

However I have 2 dogs, a belgian shepherd and a jack russel mix. I'm not so stupid that I don't realize I have to keep them separatedm but how far is enough to keep the hens from freaking out. I figures a second fence to give the hens some space, but how far from the hens outdoor run??

HELP....I'm sure this will not be my last post, but it is my primary concern right now.

 

[seedcorn]

It's not the chickens getting used to your dogs, it's your dogs leaving the chickens alone. With a Jack, good luck. It can be done but it's going to be a challenge.

 

[gardentoad]

Chickens and dogs are funny, sometimes they get along great right from the start..if you are getting baby chicks make sure you expose your dogs to them from day one and let the dogs know that they are here to stay..when I hatch new chicks the dogs know that we are all on this land together and we are family...no fighting I have a lab and a Pom
Hope this helps some and good luck with this project.

Don

 

[Ridgerunner]

Welcome to the forum! Glad you joined us!

That's a hard one. Sometimes dogs understand that the chickens belong but are to be left alone and sometimes they consider them playthings and will literally love then to death. With dogs, it is usually not that they go out of their way to kill the chickens because they are prey, but more that they play with them and kill them in the playing. A dog can wipe out a flock real fast. They don't stop to eat. They just keep on killing.

Chickens will quickly learn to not be afraid of other animals. Mine continually wander into the dogs territory. When the dogs come around, the chickens will leave, but they neve seem to learn to stay away from that area to start with.

I made it a point to be around when my dogs (mutts from the pound) first interacted with the chickens. My dogs understand the word "NO!!!" That means they quit what they are doing and sit. When they first came together, the chickens ran away and the dogs chased them. I spoke extremely severely to the dogs. They quit chasing. it only took a couple of times for the dogs to learn they are to leave the chickens alone. They still herd the chickens out of their territory, but they do it gently with no chasing. I have the dogs on the electric fence, so they have their own territory. The chickens go where they will.

It is not a case of your chickens freaking out. It is more to keep your dogs from killing the chickens. The chickens will pretty quickly learn to ignore the dogs if they are separated by a fence.

Hope this helps, and once again,

 

[ninnymary]

My daughter who lives downstairs has a jack russel/chichuaha mix. He ignores the chickens completely. He doesn't even go up to their run. But it could be because he's too busy trying to catch the cat or squirrels that run along the top of the fence. About every 6 months, one of the hens will fly out of their run and I'm always afraid that the dog will come out of their apartment and get it. There have been times when I have been outside and a chicken is out and so is the dog. Maybe it's because I'm out there, but the dog leaves it alone. But then he's a big "chicken".

I think you will be fine as long as the chickens are in a run and the dog can't get in.

Mary

 

[vfem]

In most cases dogs will see chickens and think squeaky toy... or FOOD!

I had to spend a lot of time training my doxie/lab mix. She leaves the chickens alone for the most part, but STILL takes off after the ducks and leaps into the pond!

Anyways... train, train, train....

 

[gardendufus]

Thanks to all of you for your comments.........Ninny yours is the same mix as mine. You have all set my mind at ease. My biggest fear is not that the dogs will get to the chickens as the ONE thing my gardening has taught me is how to build a dogproof fence, but that if my dogs ran back and forth along the fenceline I establish to separate them from the chicken house and enclosed outside run that it would upset the hens enough that they wouldn't lay. Don't think I'm up to trying to socialize the two just yet. :/

And I guess chickens are not as fragile emotionally as I thought they were. I guess I'll try it out with a few and see how it works.

Sigh guess there will be nothing but old maids at this address. Darn city not allowing roosters. I think my neighbors could use a good alarm clock.:rainbow-sun

 

[Chickie'sMomaInNH]

strangely, i have found easter eggers to be the ones that are curious about my corgi. most of the faverolles don't want to get close to the dog and the cochins just try to waddle quickly to get past him when they want to get out the coop door and he is in the way. the older ones have learned to not run away from him since he WILL chase them, but once he catches them he wants to nose about them and lick them to 'death'. my dog has slowly learned that i'm training him to heard the chickens when they get too far. i still won't trust him alone with them since a corgi is meant to heard cattle and will nip at them while trying to get them to move where he wants them to or where i tell him-they are quick little dogs!

most of the time i find my dog just wants to get into their feed dish for a treat and will ignore them. some of the birds will come over and see what he is doing and may try to eat with him and not many issues arise.

 

[curly_kate]

I think as long as you have a dog proof fence, you should be fine. We were using a portable run covered with deer netting when we first got our chickens & the dog got in and killed a few. So we upgraded to chicken wire & she just knocked it over. I caught her the 2nd time, and screamed and yelled at her for a while. She got the hint that time. When the hens were contained in the main run, they didn't pay any attention to her.

Now at our farm, we will let the hens free range, and Spooky generally ignores them. However, if they get riled up about something, it stresses her out and she starts whining. So I'm just careful to keep an eye on her or keep her in the house when the hens are roaming.

 

[catjac1975]

I have had chickens for 30 plus years. We have had several dogs in this time one being a alpha chicken hating dog. That dog could come into the chicken yard with me and not touch the chickens. If a chicken got loose however it was free game. We have dogs cats and chickens. The worst offender would be a cat when the chicks are small. The dog sniffs at the chickens through the cage with no freak-out from the birds. Our chickens have a large pen but must be locked up at night to protect from predators. The coop is alongside our fenced in veg garden and after the first frost they are let into the garden to roam for the winter. The extra manure and scratching of the soil is great for the garden.