shoura Posted April 10, 2010 Share Posted April 10, 2010 My dogs and my chooks tolerate one another pretty well on the whole....unless a chicken starts flapping and running around, when the dogs think they are asking to be chased.... But if they are all calm they mingle quite happily and eat the corn and meal-worms all together (I see all the undigested corn in the dogs' poo ) If Lady Jane, the top chook, actually fronts up to one of the dogs, the dog backs down!! But I made the mistake of picking up one of the chooks in front of the dogs the other day, and all hell broke loose!! The dogs became frantic and barked and yelped and started jumping up at me and the chicken, and chasing the other chickens (caught one by the tail!! ). Today I was just putting the girls back in the WIR, the dogs were outside it, and I managed to catch the last chook who hadn't had her botty inspected yet----and again all hell broke loose outside the run---my dogs seem to be insanely jealous if I pay any attention to the chickens I can see I'll have t shut the dogs indoors if I want to spend quality time with my chooks this summer... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scarlettohara Posted April 10, 2010 Share Posted April 10, 2010 Mine are the same - it's the picking up element I think, the chicken suddenly becomes an object of great excitement. They do the same when people pick up their dogs when they see mine coming - they are border terriers - obviously very scary Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Redwing Posted April 10, 2010 Share Posted April 10, 2010 I always make sure that the dog and the chickens are separated by a netting fence, could you do the same maybe? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shoura Posted April 10, 2010 Author Share Posted April 10, 2010 I don't think separating them with netting would make any difference to be honest judging by their behaviour when I picked the hen up inside the WIR while they were outside it...They'll just have to be confined to barracks if i want to socialise with the hens! Scarlettohara mine are terriers too, half border /half JR---maybe it's a terrier thing??? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
legend21 Posted April 10, 2010 Share Posted April 10, 2010 My young cat, (older than kitten) is jealous, today OH put new roosting bars in the WIR and Boo (cat) sat on them for ages with all of the girls looking up at her eventually top chick girl (shell) jumped up on bars and they had a 15 min starting competition with Boo eventually deciding she did not want to be there after all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Redwing Posted April 10, 2010 Share Posted April 10, 2010 My dog is a Welsh terrier and is fine with the chooks netted off or when they are in their run Sure, sometimes he gets excited when they flap but he cant cause any harm if he is separated and a water pistol always sets him straight Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scarlettohara Posted April 10, 2010 Share Posted April 10, 2010 Yes I'm sure it is, any excuse for a terrier to behave badly Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grracee Posted April 10, 2010 Share Posted April 10, 2010 a water pistol always sets him straight I have a lab who is great with the chickens, he even tolorates Gertie coming up and pecking him all the time but sometimes he has his 'moments' where he just goes mad running around the garden in circles, he would never hurt the chickens but when comes full speed past them they tend to flap abit, never thought about using a water pistol though, good idea! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shoura Posted April 10, 2010 Author Share Posted April 10, 2010 yes i like the idea of me sitting in my garden chair with my water pistol at the ready! sounds like great fun!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted April 10, 2010 Share Posted April 10, 2010 our little yorkie (Mollly) so wants to be their friend, they were all free ranging in the garden together one day and all was going well, then we heard a yelp and a whine, the girls had taken exception to moll's presence and had launched a full on chook attack! Poor moll was surrounded and DH had to rescue her! She still trys to be their friend and can't wait to get into their run to eat their poop! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sparkysmum Posted April 10, 2010 Share Posted April 10, 2010 our little yorkie (Mollly) so wants to be their friend, : Oh Poet you lucky thing, I'm afraid our Yorkie Daisy can only think of the hens in terms of things to chase & ultimately eat . I can trust old Sparky these days but despite this I just don't take any chances - the hens are usually in their garden & the dogs in theirs It's the only way I can relax.A&Hxx Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jellykelly Posted April 11, 2010 Share Posted April 11, 2010 My dog is picky when it comes to which of the chickens she's jealous about and which she'd like for dinner. She's never made a peep when I pick up the ex batts or the gingernuts, but once I got the Orp and cochins, she started making a real racket when she see's me holding them. She'll jump about whining and barking. She ignores the pekins, but seems to be keen on making the dutch bantam 'lunch'. She seems to like playing with my weakest ex batt. The chook will try pecking her on the nose and mika will go loopy thinking it's a game. I am obviously always outside when Mika is out whilst the girls free range. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chucky Mama Posted April 11, 2010 Share Posted April 11, 2010 My dog is pretty bomb proof with them and is actually quite hen pecked by them poor girl. She is often seem lying in the garden with them happily milling around her and interacts really well with them. She does however get agitated and silly when they are picked up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
foreveryoung Posted April 11, 2010 Share Posted April 11, 2010 We have a black lab who is fab with the girls, he just sits there and watches them go around their daily duties have your dogs always been jaelouse of the girls? xx Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shoura Posted April 11, 2010 Author Share Posted April 11, 2010 I have a very large aquarium at home---and one of my dogs is even jealous of that!!! if people are gathered round it looking in he comes and moans and whines and jumps up for attention! I've only noticed the jealousy when I pick up the girls, and I only did it in front of the dogs quite recently. But when I am dealing with them in the run the dogs get quite agitated outside the run.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
