Behavior with chickens

[Cushie]

We are looking at getting a border collie. One worry I have is that we own several chickens, ducks, and turkeys. I don't mind having the BC herd the birds, but I do wonder if they see poulty and think dinner. Anyone know?

[Jordi44]

I've had more problems with my non-border collie dogs with poultry than my BC. They like to "herd" them - or follow them around, but they don't lick their chops or attack them like my daughter's spitz X. I've even used my BC's to help me catch some of my poultry. The main thing is not to leave them unsupervised until you are absolutely sure there are no problems; I'm talking months, especially with a puppy who is always changing. Young birds always pose more of a risk as well as a puppy will be more likely to "play" with them than an older dog. I let my 3-yr-old BC out to run at will without supervision, but we live back off the road (less risk of car chasing) and I know just about what he will do. When he was younger, I didn't leave him out for any length of time unsupervised - too many temptations to any young dog, and BC's can find them all. Naturally, individuals vary, but I wouldn't worry about a BC going after poultry just because it's a BC. If you have geese, don't know about turkeys, you might have to protect the dog from them. I had a pair that did a pretty good job of keeping dogs away.

[juliepoudrier]

I have bantam chickens that run free in my back yard with the dogs. I have two dogs that will herd them and the rest pretty much ignore them. But dogs are definitely individuals--witness Rebecca of Brook Cove Farm's recent post about her Ben killing off most of her ducks (he was probably smart enough to realize he would later get those ducks as part of his raw diet!).

 

With a pup you need to be vigilant and teach it to leave your poultry alone. As Jordi said, do not leave your pup unattended with the poultry for some time. Growing up, my family had ducks, chickens, and a turkey and our various dogs (including terriers) never bothered them. The only dog-related poultry killings we had were because of neighbor's dogs coming onto the property and doing damage.

 

Ditto to Jordi's comments about geese.

 

J.

[Cushie]

Thanks so much for the replies. Our neighbor has a puppy (golden retreiver) who doesn't go near our poultry, but we've trained her. I was a little worried about a BC but they can herd away. I'll make sure and supervise until I know the dog will know what's right and wrong. I think we'll be getting our border collie in the next week or two. I'm soooo excited.

[Jordi44]

Congrats on the new baby - pups are great, but it sure is nice when they get older and more reliable/predictable - although I'm not sure when that is. Blaze is under the computer desk as I'm typing, and periodically growls. He's awake, no one else is around - I've given up on trying to figure his moods out (he has PMS more than I do). I just fear for my toes now and then. Good Luck with the new baby!

[Riley-dog]

Unless you plan to use your dog to herd the poultry I'd consider teaching him that even approaching the birds is taboo. An unsupervised dog who knows it's OK to herd them could get overexcited and injure one (been there). That being said, no problems here with the BC and the chickens. Riley doesn't have real drive to kill anything, just chase. The chickens have learned that their best defense is to cower and stay still, and they get left alone. Meanwhile, the dog is not allowed to approach them unless the birds are fouling on the porch.

[Rebecca, Irena Farm]

I've had a wide range of dogs here and all but one has turned into ravening duck killers. I've decided it's something to do with me - I don't work the dogs on ducks but my having the dogs here has been the only common factor. I even have had two dogs here, that flunked out of goose control programs, that were salivating over the ducks within a week - from the other side of a barn wall!!

 

Anyway, I don't know what everyone else does but I've had very bad luck with my dogs and the ducks. We're getting ready to set up a completely seperate area across the road where the guard dog can watch over them - that's the only way that we will be able to keep ducks alive here, I've decided.

 

I wouldn't dare bring chickens here - I'd love to maintain a small flock of meat birds for the freezer but they'd be toast within days.