What dogs are Good with Chickens

[Stale_Biscuits]

So I’m in the market for a dog that won’t eat my chickens, I’ve been looking at livestock protectors but they are pretty pricey when you get into the larger purebreds. I’ve been looking at mixes like Shollies and purebreds like Akbash but I don’t know what’s the right fit. The chickens have a fenced run but I’ve still been having severe predator problems such as coyotes, bears, and foxes, I live near a forest so I get everything imaginable. Mostly I’m curious if having a dog in general will be a deterrent or if I need a working farm dog to battle coyotes, and if so what breeds would y’all recommend? I don’t mind spending on vet bills and overall care for the dog, it’s mostly the upfront cost of purchasing a puppy thats hurting my wallet. Thanks!

 

[Callender Girl]

My property appears to be in the center of a population of coyotes who sing with some frequency. When I had a Great Pyrenees, I walked her around the edges of the property so the coyotes could pick up her scent. She was not terribly interested in the chickens but was never off-lead when she was around them, just in case.

I got her from a Craigslist posting that offered her for free. Her previous family was not taking the best possible care of her and I couldn't leave her with them once I saw her. She was, however, a livestock guarding failure because she thought the goats were playmates to chase. She was not trained as a puppy, which likely would have taken care of that problem. Pyrs are great dogs.

You might consider looking at a site like Petfinder. Some of the listings are from shelters, but many are from rescue groups that put the dogs -- from puppies to seniors -- into foster homes where they live with families that really get to know their personalities and abilities. Cost is generally about $200 to $250, and the dogs are nearly always totally vetted with shots and neutering done. My Dinah was even microchipped when she arrived. George was not chipped but came with the assurance that he was a "chill, handsome hunk," which was completely accurate.

Good luck with finding what you need.

 

[NatJ]

This topic comes up fairly regularly.
Summary of points I've read in previous discussions:

--most puppies will try to play with chickens, and end up killing them.

--most adult dogs will also try to play with chickens, and kill them, unless they have been trained otherwise.

--many breeds of dogs CAN be trained to not kill chickens, especially if you start when the dog is young. The list of can-be-trained includes almost any breed that is known for being trainable and working well with people (including retrievers and herding breeds), as well as the traditional guarding breeds. Breeds like huskies, greyhounds, and some terriers are LEAST likely to work well, because they traditionally have a strong prey drive and not very trainable.

--having any dog that just lives on your property, outside the chicken pen, will deter some predators. (They look for easier prey.)

--having a big dog, or more than one big dog, that act protective of their territory will deter more predators.

--some predators will kill your dog, depending on which predator, whether it travels in a pack, which size & kind of dog you have, and other variable.

--having the dog live outside the chicken pen will mostly avoid the risk of your own dog killing the chickens.

--for that kind of predator pressure, many people recommend an electric fence outside the chicken pen, and they often recommend putting some kind of bait (like bacon or hot dog) on the fence. This causes a predator to sniff the bait, get shocked, and avoid the electric fence in future. An animal with a thick coat (like a bear) won't notice or care if it just brushes against the electric wire, but the nose is sensitive enough for the bear to notice. And once it's learned that the wire "bites," it will be more inclined to avoid it in future.

 

[B-Goock]

We have a Shepard mix rescue dog. She is very instinctual with chasing things and catching if she can. She caught a rabbit the other day and ate the whole thing.
She was the same way with the chickens. Some may say cruel but i used a shock collar to train her. Better to inflict some shocks a handful of times rather than many casualties and terrified chickens.

A year later I see rabbits or a fox outside and even if my chickens are free ranging I have no problem letting trixie out to chase with no shock collar on. She learned (the hard way) who is welcome and who she needs to go after.

 

[McChooky]

So I’m in the market for a dog that won’t eat my chickens, I’ve been looking at livestock protectors but they are pretty pricey when you get into the larger purebreds. I’ve been looking at mixes like Shollies and purebreds like Akbash but I don’t know what’s the right fit. The chickens have a fenced run but I’ve still been having severe predator problems such as coyotes, bears, and foxes, I live near a forest so I get everything imaginable. Mostly I’m curious if having a dog in general will be a deterrent or if I need a working farm dog to battle coyotes, and if so what breeds would y’all recommend? I don’t mind spending on vet bills and overall care for the dog, it’s mostly the upfront cost of purchasing a puppy thats hurting my wallet. Thanks!

I recommend your getting a breed that's been bred to protect livestock rather than substituting another breed that was bred with different purposes in mind especially considering the predator load and type of predators you have .They can also be killed when you only have one.I also recommend you take other measures to protect your livestock such as cameras and electric fence.

 

[cmom]

One of our daughters moved and left her Walker Hound with us. We never had any issues with her and the birds nor predators either. She has passed. Instead of getting another dog I put up electric wires around my coops and pens, good heavy duty netting covering my pens and concrete under the gates. She has been gone for over 15 years now. Good luck...

 

[2000096904]

I have a pit bull guarding my chickens but we need to give her away because we are moving out of country

 

[McChooky]

This topic comes up fairly regularly.
Summary of points I've read in previous discussions:

--most puppies will try to play with chickens, and end up killing them.

--most adult dogs will also try to play with chickens, and kill them, unless they have been trained otherwise.

--many breeds of dogs CAN be trained to not kill chickens, especially if you start when the dog is young. The list of can-be-trained includes almost any breed that is known for being trainable and working well with people (including retrievers and herding breeds), as well as the traditional guarding breeds. Breeds like huskies, greyhounds, and some terriers are LEAST likely to work well, because they traditionally have a strong prey drive and not very trainable.

--having any dog that just lives on your property, outside the chicken pen, will deter some predators. (They look for easier prey.)

--having a big dog, or more than one big dog, that act protective of their territory will deter more predators.

--some predators will kill your dog, depending on which predator, whether it travels in a pack, which size & kind of dog you have, and other variable.

--having the dog live outside the chicken pen will mostly avoid the risk of your own dog killing the chickens.

--for that kind of predator pressure, many people recommend an electric fence outside the chicken pen, and they often recommend putting some kind of bait (like bacon or hot dog) on the fence. This causes a predator to sniff the bait, get shocked, and avoid the electric fence in future. An animal with a thick coat (like a bear) won't notice or care if it just brushes against the electric wire, but the nose is sensitive enough for the bear to notice. And once it's learned that the wire "bites," it will be more inclined to avoid it in future.

 

[50-45-1]

No matter what breed or mixed breed of dog, and regardless of how much money you spend on it, your dog will need lots of your time and direction before ready to guard your chickens.
I see some folks here get a pyrenees or anatolian and they turn out to be horrible with chickens. Know that these breeds were originaly used for larger livestock like sheep and goats. They also to will need training, and cant be just put out with chickens.
I have three mixed breed dogs at the moment who are compleatly safe all day with no supervision around my free range flock.
1. Cattle dog/border collie
2. German shepherd/black lab
3. Australian shepherd/pit bull
We plan to rescue all our future dogs from the local pound.
I recommend starting with a puppy that will learn boundries from day one. Dont let him get away with anything regardless of how cute he is.
Dogs are alot of work and and a lifetime commitment. Do you have time and space in your life for one? Have you had dogs before?

 

[HollowOfWisps]

Collies, shelties and Australian shepherds even as puppies we have had very good luck growing up as a kid and even now. I actually just bought an Australian Shepherd puppy for my aunt and he is staying with us until Sunday when she picks him up. Since she has cats I brought him out and around my ducks to see how he did and he didn't even bother with them except trying to follow my sheltie's lead in herding them into the barn. My sheltie has been amazing with poultry and comes from great herding bloodlines. I did not even have to do much to teach him to herd and now every night I don't have to chase ducks because my sheltie rounds them all up and gets them into the barn without any help. Husky's on the other hand I would definitely NOT recommend. They have a very high prey drive especially ones that are from old sled dog lines. My husky stays in the fenced back yard and he's happy with that so it works, but he is from the old sledding lines (looks like a wolf and not a modern built husky by any means) and has the highest prey drive I've ever seen. Even talking to other husky owners this is a very common trait and I have yet to meet someone who had a husky they were able to trust around poultry. Not saying it's not possible, but much rarer than other breeds even with constantly working on training with my husky I would never leave him alone with poultry.