Great Pyrenees Killing Hens

[mountain_farm_chick]

Hi there, I'm new here!
We have two Great Pyrenees, aged 8 and 9 months, who have been attacking and killing several of our hens and a rooster. They usually do this when we are not at home (we let them roam freely with collars because we have an electric dog fence) but they never hurt or kill the hens when we are around. We've had the two dogs since December and love them dearly; they're the sweetest dogs we've ever had. However, we're at a loss for what to do. We got them to protect our chickens since we live in the country on 10 acres, and they've succeeded in that regard. We haven't seen a coyote (or any other creature, for that matter) on our property since getting them (multiple used to come before and sit at the edge of our property), and that's a good thing. However, now the Great Pyrenees are the ones causing harm. We also plan to get goats or other larger animals soon. Anything would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!

 

[cassie]

First of all, rabbits and chickens really bring out the prey drive in dogs. LGD's are very slow to mature, and these dogs are still puppies. I wouldn't trust puppies with anything. I used LGD's to protect goats and other livestock not poultry. They protect the animals they are bonded to. I don't imagine that they would bond with a chicken. You are going to have to keep the dogs and the chickens apart at least until these dogs grow up.

 

[mountain_farm_chick]

Thank you!

 

[Pampered chicken girl]

I agree with @Cassi.

It is possible to have them learn to not harm your poultry but that will take time and training.

 

[HollowOfWisps]

Do you have prior experience with LGD? Are you actively training these puppies to be LGD? Yes they are bred to be LGD, but they still require training to become a successful LGD. A lot of LGD breeds are rehomed because people think they are bred to be protectors of livestock and so they will automatically just protect. This is simply not true. If not trained properly they can be just as lethal to livestock as an any other breed. A good and faithful to their livestock LGD requires extensive training just like any other working breed. You cannot ever leave young untrained LGD alone around animals that they have not been bonded to and properly trained to protect.