Can a springer spaniel, labrador or beagle live with chickens if they are raised with them as pups?

[Sire12]

I'm looking to get another dog to play with my Doberman since my jack Russel is starting to get a bit too old to keep up with her, I've been looking at the healthiest dog breeds to try and get the all round healthiest and friendly breed and narrowed it down to working / hunting dogs which seem to have the healthiest track record but obviously the concern is whether they would actually be able to live along side poultry if raised with them from a pup? I first got hens 2 years ago when my dogs were 5 and 9 so they hadn't been used to them before and now they are perfectly fine together no problems at all but then they always did have a friendly temperament so since each of the mentioned dog breeds are hunting dogs or trained to flush up birds in the spaniels case, is that bred into them? has anyone kept the 2 together with no problems? If introduced as a pup and trained to get along with them aswell as seeing how the other dogs leave them be would it probably be ok? Here's a pic of the Doberman casually eating along side her feathered buddies

 

[Frazzemrat1]

It all depends on training and the dog's personality, I think. My husky has a huge prey drive, or at least did; when she was younger. She tried to grab my ex-bf's chickens years ago... Now, we can trust her outside with the ladies. She sometimes gets a reminding, but otherwise, ignores the chickens. She's around 15. My terrier, a cairn mix, also has a high prey drive. He's charged the chickens a few times, while on his line. He aborts when he's called out on it, but I don't trust him with the girls. Shame, cause I'd love for him to be able to be lose with them so I could have him go after the rodents around the coop.

 

[Cindy in PA]

Springers are meant to flush birds, not to kill them of course! My first two field bred Springers were fine with chickens & guineas, with regular reminders if they tried to chase. My present Springer (4 years) is not nearly as reliable, although she is the most obedient of the three I have had. Not sure she would play well with the chickens if they free ranged. She was a terror with my guineas at points. I continue to give keep her well away from them when they are out. Could she be trained completely? Probably, but it isn't a big concern for me, as she is never out alone. I had a 7 year old Lab when I got chickens 25 years ago & my chickens free ranged everyday with no problems. Never had to worry about her killing naything but groundhogs! She was a sweetie, but probably more show bred then the hunting type. Depends on the individual dog & your training!

 

[BantyChooks]

Oddly enough in my experience I have never seen a Beagle that will kill chickens, even the ones trained to hunt rabbits. I've known 7--8 adult beagles if I remember right, puppies aren't counted.

My current dog (she's a mutt) has the highest prey drive I have ever witnessed in any dog, mine or otherwise. She tried to make her first kill at a few weeks old. She was caught and reprimanded sharply. She got worse and worse with age, so that at about 3 she'll spend all day in her run howling and bouncing up and down at the chooks. It's been this way since she was a pup, she's had plenty of time to get used to them.

She'll stop if we go out there and yell at her, or if her shock collar's on. For quite a while we tried our dog trainer's recommendation of going out there on a leash and giving her treats when she ignores them, but this highly food motivated dog won't eat the treats when she sees poultry! That's how wound up she gets. Then eventually she figured out she was on a leash, and wouldn't lunge at them---because she knew she couldn't. Unfortunately she connected the leash and no chickens as situational as she did with the shock collar. Wicked smart dog---but I rather wish she was a tad dumber. I don't have the dog training skills to deal with her and every instruction video or whatever uses a dog that only looks mildly interested in chickens, so their recommendations don't help her.

She hasn't escaped from that run yet, so it's looking like that is our solution. That and we've trained her to not automatically think if the front door is open she is allowed to go out.

 

[Sire12]

Oddly enough in my experience I have never seen a Beagle that will kill chickens, even the ones trained to hunt rabbits. I've known 7--8 adult beagles if I remember right, puppies aren't counted.

My current dog (she's a mutt) has the highest prey drive I have ever witnessed in any dog, mine or otherwise. She tried to make her first kill at a few weeks old. She was caught and reprimanded sharply. She got worse and worse with age, so that at about 3 she'll spend all day in her run howling and bouncing up and down at the chooks. It's been this way since she was a pup, she's had plenty of time to get used to them.

She'll stop if we go out there and yell at her, or if her shock collar's on. For quite a while we tried our dog trainer's recommendation of going out there on a leash and giving her treats when she ignores them, but this highly food motivated dog won't eat the treats when she sees poultry! That's how wound up she gets. Then eventually she figured out she was on a leash, and wouldn't lunge at them---because she knew she couldn't. Unfortunately she connected the leash and no chickens as situational as she did with the shock collar. Wicked smart dog---but I rather wish she was a tad dumber. I don't have the dog training skills to deal with her and every instruction video or whatever uses a dog that only looks mildly interested in chickens, so their recommendations don't help her.

She hasn't escaped from that run yet, so it's looking like that is our solution. That and we've trained her to not automatically think if the front door is open she is allowed to go out.

Sorry to hear that, I've been lucky with mine so far my jack Russel and Doberman have never really had that prey drive, that's interesting about the beagles I actually found a few vids of them interacting with chooks too I had assumed it would be a bit risky since they're bred for hunting, can i also as if the beagles you've known are they friendly with other dogs and did they have any major health problems? Those are the 2 things that I'm looking out for

 

[BantyChooks]

Sorry to hear that, I've been lucky with mine so far my jack Russel and Doberman have never really had that prey drive, that's interesting about the beagles I actually found a few vids of them interacting with chooks too I had assumed it would be a bit risky since they're bred for hunting, can i also as if the beagles you've known are they friendly with other dogs and did they have any major health problems? Those are the 2 things that I'm looking out for

No major health issues and they were good with other dogs---my neighbour currently has 3--4 beagles. One of them lived to be 12, or maybe 13.

 

[Reiki Rooster]

I think it has to do with the individual dog, I've raised both a Siberian Husky and German Shepherd from 10 - 12 wk old pups with chickens, guineas, ducks, and goats. My husky would kill all of them for fun, my shepherd would and has killed to protect them. I have one chicken that love my shepherd and sits on her back even. Lol I think she gets a good back scratch out of the deal though. My lab mix was about 8 yrs when she saw her first chicken and doesn't care one bit about them, she lays one the grass and they scratch around her. Squirrels are her enemy. Oh and the husky isn't small animal aggressive, we had ferrets for yrs and she loved them, have a cat no problem there, she just hates chickens, not ducks, or guineas, or goats, just chickens.

 

[AUChickenGal]

Oddly enough in my experience I have never seen a Beagle that will kill chickens, even the ones trained to hunt rabbits. I've known 7--8 adult beagles if I remember right, puppies aren't counted.

True hunting-bred Beagles are bred to chase rabbits but never, ever to catch/kill them. My father used to raise a pack of hunting Beagles when I was a teenager, and they were the sweetest, most mild-mannered dogs ever. Our matriarch liked to run up to cats and bay in their faces until they decided to run away, at which point the chase was on! But, in the unlikely event that she actually caught up to the cat, she'd stop and start baying again. It never would have occurred to her to HURT her "prey"!

I'd think that your odds of success would be higher with a well-bred Beagle or Spaniel rather than a Lab. My experience with Labs has not made me a fan, in general.

 

[Sire12]

True hunting-bred Beagles are bred to chase rabbits but never, ever to catch/kill them. My father used to raise a pack of hunting Beagles when I was a teenager, and they were the sweetest, most mild-mannered dogs ever. Our matriarch liked to run up to cats and bay in their faces until they decided to run away, at which point the chase was on! But, in the unlikely event that she actually caught up to the cat, she'd stop and start baying again. It never would have occurred to her to HURT her "prey"!

I'd think that your odds of success would be higher with a well-bred Beagle or Spaniel rather than a Lab. My experience with Labs has not made me a fan, in general.

Thanks, and interesting you say that I just asked my aunt and uncle who were visiting the same question neither of them seemed keen on the idea of a lab either for some reason! Can I ask why in particular you aren't a fan? I've never really been around one to know much about them

 

[AUChickenGal]

Can I ask why in particular you aren't a fan? I've never really been around one to know much about them

In my experience, they tend to be high on energy and low on intelligence (at least compared to the breeds I enjoy, like Beagles, herding breeds, etc.). When young, they can be extremely headstrong and destructive. They are NOTORIOUS for eating/chewing anything that will hold still long enough. And they've been so over-bred in this country that health issues, especially hip dysplasia, are a major concern.