Topic: Dogs and Chickens

[dgillings]

I've got a couple of dogs - a Labrador who is lazy and a cross breed of unknown origins. How do Chickens get on with dogs and vice-versa? Anyone know?

I've got an allotment, but we are not allowed to keep animals on it so I'm going to have to have the chickens at home. I have a garden which is very fair in size. Am I best to keep the chickens completly seperate? Or will they look after themselves if a dog approaches?

Daniel

[Rosyred]

What they like when a cat comes in your garden? If they take no notice then I should image chickens would be ok. Fence the chickens off and take it from there see how the dogs reacte to something else in there territory.

[Robert_Brenchley]

It probably depends on the dog. My sister once had a pointer which used to grab a hen at night, drag it off to her kennel, then lie on it and use it as a hot water bottle. She never harmed one of them.

[dgillings]

The labrador couldn't care less what was near him - he's far too docile to care about anything - unless it's lunch. Duke, the cross-breed (best guess hound with doberman or alsatian (hard to tell)) is a little more excitable and less mature. He is always keen to get as close to any cat or dog as possible, but never knows what to do when he gets there. He is very tactile with his mouth, but gentle too.
My only cocern with Duke is that he is very interested in birds - if one is on the fence (and I don't mean politically) then he has to chase it away, and will do laps of the garden barking for a good 5 minutes after it's gone.

Duke was a rescue dog and as such needs a little more care, but I would like chickens - I just wonder if he can be trained to tolerate them.

PS. Hilarious that the pointer used a chicken as a hot water bottle! :)

[tilts]

I have three dogs, two labs and a springer and we use them for picking up at shoots.  Up to three years ago we have kept chickens, 24 in total and all free range, they wandered about the garden and the dogs never bothered with them, the chickens never bothered the dogs!  In fact, one day the eldest lab went into the shed picked up and brought us an egg, not even damaged ~ talking about being soft mouthed.  The only bad things was that the dogs enjoyed chicken poo ~ not the healthiest thing to do.

[OliveOil]

I have a shih tzu who will happily jump in a huge lake chasing after swans and the like... she likes the chooks but they like to show her who is boss and she is now rather timid round them.

I think they like her collar and tail - oh and love pecking her toe nails too!

I wouldnt worry - keep them penned up for a few days to let the dogs check them out and then let them roam.  You should do that anyway so that the chooks are imprinted where they live!

[macleaf]

we have two Cain terriers,and then had a rabbit,you could imagine there delight,the rabbit had full run of our gerden which is very large with bushes trees etc,but we introduced them to the rabbit,who was called Bugsby,and made sure that they knew he was a friend,and we never had any trouble,in fact they use to run around the garden chasing each other it was somthing i will always treasure,and after there exercise they would lie down together,but if a cat came into the garden that was a different matter

[kt.]

Depending upon where you live - most councils dont permit keeping chickens or other farm type livestock in home gardens. People complain of the morning noise amongst other things.

Could be worth checking first. You dont want people complaining then you having to get rid after all your hard work building the cree and chicken run etc.

[dgillings]

MMm yes I'll have to look into that. Bracknell Forest council do have some funny "rules". Hadn't really thought about the fact that I may not be allowed them.

Anyone else around from near Bracknell?

[Robert_Brenchley]

I don't think they can stop you unless you live in a Council house.

[kt.]

I don't think they can stop you unless you live in a Council house.

Check out this website. A woman is going to court with kent council over keeping chickens in her garden:

http://keepingchickens.blogspot.com/

[Marymary]

I was reading the article about the woman in Kent & getting a bit worried as I have never checked whether my council has any rules about poultry keeping when I began to wonder why the references to Seattle ...... then fines in dollars........ think this is Kent County USA.  ;D

No need to panic then.

[bunjies]

you might want to check if there are any by laws.
we have bought our house which is ex housing association and apparently even though we have bought it we are not permitted to keep pigs or poultry in our gardens >:(
neither are we allowed to put a fence up round our front garden, which with 3 dogs renders my front garden useless. if i cant take the dogs i dont see the point ;)

[kt.]

Just got this reply from the animal health inspector of my local council. The current law on hens in private gardens:

The current government poultry guidelines are : if you own or are
responsible for 50 or more birds you are required to register on the Great
Britain Poultry Register (0800 634 112).

A Poultry keeper with less than 50 birds on private gardens or allotments
are responsible for the welfare of their birds and good practice in animal
husbandry.

Owners of poultry should be mind full of the Five Freedoms that apply
throughout the livestock industry :

FREEDOM FROM HUNGER AND THIRST - by ready access to fresh water and a diet
to maintain full health and vigour.

FREEDOM FROM DISCOMFORT -by providing an appropriate environment including
shelter and a comfortable resting area.

FREEDOM FROM PAIN, INJURY AND DISEASE - by prevention or rapid diagnosis
and treatment.

FREEDOM TO EXPRESS NORMAL BEHAVIOUR - by providing sufficient space, proper
facilities and company of the animal's own kind.

FREEDOM FROM FEAR AND DISTRESS - by ensuring conditions and treatment which
avoid mental suffering.

Should you require further information please forward your address and i
can post to you  the relevant booklets  published by DEFRA or check out
their web site :  www.defra.gov.uk

Regards

Mark Winspear
ANIMAL HEALTH INSPECTOR

[OliveOil]

hmmm i guess i am breaking the law! My pekins keep flying over the fence and wandering on peoples plots so i put them in an 8ft by 8ft run fully covered and they aint happy!  So freedom to express normal behavoir and freedom from stress rules have been broken (silkie was stressing that she is no longer with the cockeral)... so will move silkie back this morning... but the pekins have to stay in im afraid.

[ACE]

For two winters I worked on a project in a country park. There were peacocks, pheasants, geese etc, just wandering around the place. I always take Flynn, my border collie with me to work and I have trained him to ignore other animals so he never chased the birds. The birds after a while got used to him and ignored him when he was not seen as a threat.

One late afternoon we tried him out on rounding up the flock of geese, they totally ignored him unless he got really close, then they chased him away.

I expect the same will happen with your chickens.

[Heldi]

I'd go softly softly with Duke if you think he will be a bit hyper at first. Wonder if there's some way you can introduce him to bigger birds...say like ducks at a park or something? Just to get him used to them. I've got a 16 year old dog,she has accepted having a dastardly cat move in and a Guinea pig and a rabbit but I wouldn't let her within an inch of my hens!

[Trixiebelle]

I think it depends on the individual dog and the context you're keeping the chickens and the dog in.

Eg: I adopted a poorly chicken last year and it lived in my garden and had run of the house (big mistake - chicken s**t & keyboards do not mix)

With a bit of careful handling, the dogs knew it was a 'pack member' and I was in charge so they left her alone.

Mind you, Ben the collie cross runs away from his own shadow anyway and Eddie the German Shepherd (in his graceful old age) just looks at me with his big soulful eyes as if to say "what sort of animal have your brought home to torment me with THIS time?"!

So Eddie's tolerated the chicken sitting in his basket (just grumbled and slept elsewhere) and two kittens trying to breastfeed off him (just grumbled and refused to look me in the eye ... embarrasment probably!)

Ben just hides under the kitchen table when any confrontational situation occurs. I can't let him watch some episodes of Coronation Street when everybody's falling out!

But if both dogs were out and about and saw an unfamiliar chicken/bird then it would probably be fair game (so to speak)

Eddie would probably go for the kill and Ben would chase it, ask it for its therapist's number and then run away  ;D

In his YOOF, Ed was known as 'Eddie The Crowmaster General'. When we took him to the local country park he would stalk and chase crows like he was BORN to the job  :D Stoopid hound thought he'd got wings!

My dad used to have a spaniel/labrador cross called Monty when he was a kid and it used to regularly bring back chickens to the house. Alive but disgruntled! It was my dad's job to take them back to the farm

Erm ... am I rambling??????? Sorry!

[LILACSPLASH]

Watch the Lab, they love to carry your best layer in  their mouth to you ::)