Wanted Red glug

[hammy72]

I know that I am probably boring everyone on here with my dog / chicken integration challenges. We are all able to be in the garden together now, dogs on the lawn and chooks in their netted off area. I still have to stand over the dogs with my water spray if they make any sudden moves towards the chickens (this is usually when they flap / jump). The chickens are not bothered by the dogs and come right up to the netting to have a look at them. However, yesterday I noticed that Tess (our 2 year old weimaraner) was shaking and had her tail down when looking at the chickens. I am wondering if she is a bit scared of them or if this is some pre-strike adrenaline going round her body? I am still worried about one of the chickens leaping over the netting and how I would then control both dogs not to chase them and that's why a WIR is looking more appealing by the day.

 

Other people on this forum seem to have dogs and chickens living in harmony so am I expecting too much too soon from my dogs. btw. out labrador seems to be most interested in eating the chicken poo

[tasha and kev]

ive got 4 dogs,2 of them my american bulldogs would kill them literally,but my 6month old staffie and very old collie cross are fine with them,my staffy was frightened at first though,and yes he likes chicken poop aswell.gross,we have a seperate dog area for our dogs mainly the big to,could you not build them a big run??X

[lindafw]

sounds like adrenaline to me...desperately trying to do as told and leave the chooks but desperate to get at them.

 

Water spray and rattle bottle at the ready! Weimarana should as a breed point and freeze but not attack so keep up the good work

[Snowy]

My springer does that - tail down and quivers when they are around her. I do think it's nerves - she is very tense around them, but at least she can be in the garden with them without running at them anymore. But when they are around her, she stands stock still, tail down, just as you describe. I do think there is some fear there - she is torn between running at them and not knowing what to do if she catches one They stand their ground now and she daren't chase them then - if they run they are fair game! (she is never out unsupervised with them!)

[UKMARCH]

My elder grey is funny with the hens I told him he'd be in big trouble if he touches them so he doesn't even like to go in the garden if they are about, if he is desperate for the toilet he will if forced go but avoids eye contact and tries to move slowly as they will flap when he moves in the garden and then he thinks he will be in big trouble! He won't even look at them and sneaks past, my other is still youngish so its much easier for them to stay in the run as I think she just loves to run and can't help herself so they would panic but she does seem to have grown out of the poo eating stage now thank goodness she used to especially enjoy anywhere with rabbit droppings!

[hammy72]

Great advice -thank you all so much.

[freddie]

Flynn will pin a hen down, but not hurt it(yet), my mistake as I forgot to tell the kids the hens were free ranging. The hen was most annoyed, but otherwise unharmed! Not sure how well it would go when Flynn gets bigger tho, but we are working hard on "leave it"

[Chucky Mama]

It sounds like anxiety to me.

[Chortle Chook]

It's a difficult one. It could be anxiety or it could be tense restraint. Either way I suspect that the solution is more carefully controlled contact.

 

In a way I was lucky as my terrier is very obedient and keen to please and for the others I had those nice greyhound muzzles and so popped them on and then walked them, one at a time, on the lead about the garden while the chooks free ranged around them. That way the chooks got used to the dogs and don't do that flapping act that any dog would find hard to resist.

 

Now my chooks have so much confidence that they make a chain gang across the path when my poor little terrier needs to get past and he stands on the other side of them looking sad, desperate to eat their food or their poo

 

My greys and my Saluki do a lot of very obvious 'I'm not even looking, Mummy' and are very good. All the same I wouldn't trust them on their own together.

[hammy72]

Thanks cheekychook - yes my dogs are well behaved and keen to please too and we managed to spend an hour in the garden all together tonight. Chickens in their netted off area. At one point Tikka flapped and ran straight past Tess the dog who was stood at the netting and within reach of her and she didn't even flinch so I gave her lots of praise and a biscuit.

[hammy72]

We have had a lovely weekend with the chickens having lots of time out of their run. Tess got a peck on the nose but didn't respond badly and later on did a "play bow" to her.

Took this photo of Tess & Tikka

The key seems to be to tire the dogs out in the morning and let the chickens out in the afternoon. The chickens also like their newly expanded mezzanine area

they found 2 escape routes and ended up on the lawn. I calmly called the dogs in to the house for a biscuit and then went and blocked up the escape routes...

[Henchanted]

Hi Hammy72

 

I've not been on here much lately, (family bereavement), but I saw your post about your doggies and thought I'd paste a reply which I wrote to someone, explaining my experience of hen-dog integration....

 

I have cut and pasted this from another thread;

 

Firstly I was so scared to let my hens out into the garden, for fear of Mr&Mrs Fox, our Springer or them not getting back into the run or escaping, that they did not come out for the first 4 weeks.

 

This allowed both the dog and the hens to get used to the idea of being around each other. He soon stopped sniffing around the run and they really weren't that bothered.

 

Then I only let the hens out for a hour or so before dusk with the dog locked in the house. They explored and then they put themselves to bed at dusk. After a few of these sessions we tried with having the dog in the garden on a lead, sitting and watching. He was extremely excited , trembling with eagerness to interact with them. Each time he made a move to get closer to one he was told "leave it' and rewarded when he sat back down. We did this for a time.

 

Then one evening one of the kids accidentally let him into the garden while I was out there supervising the free ranging and so I watched what would happen, ready to act if necessary. He approached one chicken, was told to 'leave it' so he sat down. Meanwhile they went about their chickeny business unconcerned. After some time he got up tried to sniff one and she promptly turned pecked him and walked away. To cut a long story short(er) all enjoyed the garden without much bothering each other. The dog soon lost interest in the hens and found a new obsession, chicken poo. BTW He can be hired out to deep clean hen houses and runs at a very good rate if anyone's interested

 

So six months on, we have happy healthy chickens and a happy doggie who share the same space, even when we are not physically in the garden! I actually believe that he keeps the foxes away. The dog still chases other birds in the garden and when we are out though, so I do stay mindfully aware when they are out together, but equally the girls are no fools and are very good at dealing with any unwanted attention.

 

So my message is that even with some hunting dogs, it is not impossible to teach the garden occupants to live in harmony, but it depends on their character, trainability and a lot of your faith and patience.

 

Hope that helps?

[hammy72]

I've not been on here much lately, (family bereavement), but I saw your post about your doggies and thought I'd paste a reply which I wrote to someone, explaining my experience of hen-dog integration....

 

Thanks Henchanted, yes I think it might have been me that you gave this advice to. We do certainly seem to be making progress...and I hope to have an update when we meet in October