Dog breeds OK with hens?

[kelletim]

I'm going to get the chicks first, and let them become adults before getting a dog, but was wondering if some breeds are absolute no-no's with hens, even if socialized with the hens from puppyhood.

Do you all think a greyhound would be possible? Pit bull (I think they would be OK)? Toy/very small dogs are of course OK I'm thinking - are they?

 

[Aacre]

In my opinion, no dog is OK with chickens. You should always supervise whenever a dog is in the yard, no matter how much you trust them. I have even a little chihuahua that loves to scare the chickens. It's in every dog's nature to go after small animals.

 

[patvetzal]

We got our golden as a five week old pup. The first day home we let him out on the lawn to get some exercise. The litter had been country pups that roamed around their old yard with their mom so they were used to the outdoors. We didn't notice that the chickens had come over until they had him down on his back.
Ever since (three years) they have kept the same pecking order. Now and then he will chase a leghorn across the grass but the RIRs just take after him and he backs off.

 

[heartsizedfarm]

You don't want a dog with a strong prey drive, like husky, malamute, greyhound and probably pit bull. You don't want a dog with pest control instincts, like most terriers, foxhounds, and dachshunds.

Some toy dogs might be fine because they are intelligent enough to be trained to leave chickens alone and find chickens intimidating, size wise. We had a Pomeranian who was great with chickens and neighbours had a fabulous poodle.

Many herding dogs can be trained to leave chickens alone and to be basically protective of them, but they need mountains of supervision when they are young, so that herding instinct doesn't turn into harassment. I'm thinking of border collies, rottweillers, German Shepherds, etc.

Then there are the proper livestock guardian dogs. Dogs that are bred and trained to live with livestock, never attack or harass them, always protect them. They don't need supervision like the other breeds I've mentioned. It's in their nature to care for their flock. English sheep dogs, Great Pyrenees, Maramer(sp)?

 

[ChickensRDinos]

It's all about training and the time that you have to dedicate to training your dog to be successful. Some dogs are just going to take more time than others (and by time I mean DAILY work and training) Pick a breed that works with your lifestyle and that you know you can keep physically and mentally stimulated with the amount of space and time that you have realistically. A bored, under-exercised dog is going to be harder to train and be more likely to mess up.

Also pick a dog that has the reputation for being suitable for your training experience -- breeds than lean towards the more people-pleasing tend to be easier to work with if you do not have a lot of experience. Pugs, for example, are low-exercise and high in people pleasing and a good novice dog. (But, not every dog perfectly fits their breed so plan on having to work with any dog you get.)

If you are more experienced with training/dog behavior, I think you can get whatever breed you want that works for you if you are willing to put the time in. There are a number of folks on here with hunting dogs or higher prey-drive breeds who have been successful. I trained my tenant's dachshund and she does fine. (did take more effort than the pug)

If you are interested in pits, I have a pit mix from an urban shelter with a history of abuse who does fine with the birds (after impulse control training). She does need daily exercise or she gets antsy. Feel free to PM me if you want some training ideas and please consider a shelter dog!

 

[Sjisty]

We had an Australian Shepherd. She was wonderful with the chickens. If a hen screamed when a rooster mounted her, she would run over and knock the rooster off. She would also get between any fights between the roos, but otherwise, left them all alone. The chickens even "groomed" her!

We rescued her 14 years ago from a bad situation. She was the best dog ever! She lived to be 18 years old. Last weekend, we lost her. The vet thinks she had a brain tumor that was leaking. We had to say goodbye to her forever, and I am heartbroken.

Soon, we will also be looking for another chicken-friendly dog. I highly recommend an Aussie, if you don't mind a lot of dog hair!

 

[heartsizedfarm]

We had an Australian Shepherd.  She was wonderful with the chickens.  If a hen screamed when a rooster mounted her, she would run over and knock the rooster off.  She would also get between any fights between the roos, but otherwise, left them all alone.  The chickens even "groomed" her!

We rescued her 14 years ago from a bad situation.  She was the best dog ever!  She lived to be 18 years old.  Last weekend, we lost her.  The vet thinks she had a brain tumor that was leaking.  We had to say goodbye to her forever, and I am heartbroken.

Soon, we will also be looking for another chicken-friendly dog.  I highly recommend an Aussie, if you don't mind a lot of dog hair!

I'm so sorry to hear you lost a sweet useful family dog. Sounds like she had an ideal life with you though.

 

[bumpershoot]

Some pits will be fine and some have a drive that will make them some to a lot of work. I have had two here and both were fine with the birds. My Boston takes no prisoners. If she can get a hold of it she'll kill it. Of course, she's my very best mouser, so there's the clue. Especially since baby chicks aren't much bigger! The glee on her face as she chases turkeys is hysterical but I have double wire fences between her and the birds. It's all about management with her and so, if she kills a bird it's my fault. My American Bulldog just wants to squish the birds to the ground so that he can sniff their butts. My Portuguese water dog could care less, other than they exist, so they COULD be interesting to play with.

I'd hesitate to expect a sight hound (which is the category that greyhounds belong to) to do well with birds. You might get lucky, but they are meant to chase and kill. Basically, you need to know what a dog was bred to do and then don't be surprised when they do it. Sort of like asking a Beagle to be quiet. Not happening. If it were me, I'd start with these categories: retrievers, companion dog, mastiff/guard dogs and the tracking hounds (like bloodhounds and blue tick). I would stear clear of: Sight hounds and terriers...unless you just feel the need to work and work. Go look at the AKC website. It will give you an idea of what different breeds were meant to do.

I hope this was somewhat helpful!

 

[bumpershoot]

Ah yes, Australian shepherd...part of the herding group. That could work. Hair though. LOTS of HAIR. Did I mention HAIR?


Sjisty, I am so sorry you lost your baby. It can be devastating.

 

[Mickey Lou 04]

We have mini poodles and they are great with our birds, one was raised around chickens and the other wasn't. But they both are fine. All they want to do is be with you and to please you, so they are MUCH easier to train than a lot of breeds. But every dog is different.

Hope you find the right dog.