PLEASE HELP!! My chickens keep escaping the run and getting killed!

[fsauwphoto]

I have had the same problems with my dogs killing multiple chickens and guineas in the past. I think you have 2 options.
1) use thin PVC pipes attached(zip ties) to the existing fence and bent so it is extending inward and over the run somewhat(as high as you want) with attached thin wire or netting using zip ties which is easy and cheap.
2)get a traning collar for the dog and let the chickens out . When the dog starts to chase or stalk the chickens , verbally reprimand him then hit the buzz function and if he still does not stop then shock him(lightly but enough to stop him). I only had to do this several times and now my dogs(Husky and Malmute) just walk past the birds.You may want t repeat this over several weeks ,just with the buzz function if that stops him, if not then use the shock function.

 

[Seaslug]

I don't suggest e-collars for use with dogs as it is very easy to ruin a dog with an e-collar. And most dogs are wise enough to equate your presence with the correction.

I agree with some of the others who have posted. Your cheapest options are going to be taller posts and either some kind of overhead cover or additional fence line barrier. I also agree that a lot of the poultry/bird netting is extremely dangerous for wildlife. I have never seen anything caught in the plastic snow fencing and there is also plastic garden fencing that is less expensive than hardware cloth but more robust than bird netting. Of course, it will not keep your dog from getting into the birds, if it has the desire to do so. Nor would it keep most other predators out.

 

[ChickenShepherd_6116]

I have had the same problems with my dogs killing multiple chickens and guineas in the past. I think you have 2 options.
1) use thin PVC pipes attached(zip ties) to the existing fence and bent so it is extending inward and over the run somewhat(as high as you want) with attached thin wire or netting using zip ties which is easy and cheap.
2)get a traning collar for the dog and let the chickens out . When the dog starts to chase or stalk the chickens , verbally reprimand him then hit the buzz function and if he still does not stop then shock him(lightly but enough to stop him). I only had to do this several times and now my dogs(Husky and Malmute) just walk past the birds.You may want t repeat this over several weeks ,just with the buzz function if that stops him, if not then use the shock function.

I have an e-collar that he is conditioned to (he knows how to respond to and stop the "shock"). I don't know if you know anything about e-collar training (not just slapping it on the dog and shocking them), but I don't want to "ruin" him with the e-collar by using it on a high level (which is what he would need), any tips? The chickens are in a secure run that they can't escape now, but I don't want to get more chickens with an untrained dog (and I want more chickens lol).

 

[fsauwphoto]

I have found that I don't really need to use the shock function very often once the dog knows what's happening they will usually back off and just with the buzz. You can use that collar quite a distance so you don't have to be present like one of the other commenters said so even left on their own the dog will stay away from the chickens if you buzz them

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[fsauwphoto]

As far as ruining the dog with too much power of shock .I start low just having them approach the fenced in area of the chickens and gradually increase until I see they respond so I use the least possible shock I can. I also have an electronic invisible fence around my whole yard which excludes the chicken run but now the chickens even come up to the house and porch and the dogs don't bother them

 

[Bawkbok]

I can see why your chickens are flying out - it's just not tall enough. If you don't or can't replace the fencing with something taller and more permanent, as others indicated, your best option is to attach chicken wire to it and cover the space with tall supports in the middle - T posts are the cheapest option. Chicken wire is cheaper than hardware cloth but it will not deter predators. I realize you prefer easy in / out to replenish water and food but you may have to be inconvenienced for the sake of safety for your birds until you can create a walk in section.
In terms of your GS - don't let it out of it's kennel or the house while the chickens are out. If that's not an option, put it on a tethered line; they come in various lengths. We had one for a dog that was 100 feet long, it attaches on one end to their collar and the other end we tied around a house support post. They get used to navigating with it pretty quickly. If you go this route, ensure you get the correct strength for the weight and size of your shepherd. A shock collar and training is going to take a lot of time and effort and quite frankly, is probably not a wise investment considering the strong kill drive as you've indicated. If they are not contained or constrained in some way, a shock collar is not going to deter a determined animal - I've seen it happen too often.

 

[tigger19687]

netting over the top.
That is your only choice.
Seriously it isn't just the dog, it is hawks, falcons etc.
You can figure out how to make a netting and a side door so you can get into the run.

 

[SpudMahoney]

I HAD 5 hens... now I have 3. Two of them kept on escaping the run, and then my dog killed them. I have a small run with a very tall wall; connected to that is a large extension run with a much shorter wall that they keep jumping out of. I have clipped their wings but it didn't stop it. The two hens that were killed by the dog had been repeatedly escaping the run; if I saw them, I would put them back in. The other 3 hens don't seem to escape at all. I have 6 pullets who are 6wks old and two of them are little escape artists and I think that, when they are older, they will be able to escape the big run.

The small run wall is a little over 6ft and the extension run wall is 4.5ft. They keep jumping from the garden bed and out of the run. The extension run is not a permanent wall, so I could replace it; it's just expensive to do. Just the small run is too small for all 9 hens, but it is not too small for 3. Should I lock my 3 hens in the small run until further notice?

What are some tips? What should I do? I am trying to train my dog not to chase chickens but he is a German Shepherd and his prey drive in very high

Just let me know if pictures would be helpful!

good luck training the dog not to eat the birds. Dogs do what dogs do. My flock is upwards of 60 (from an initial brood of 214 which included meat birds) and I have a contingency of ladies that love the cow pasture next door and no matter what I do, outside of locking them in a wire box (IE roof) I'm always catching them on a daily stroll. They are convinced the bugs taste better if they're obtained outside my 1.5 acre free range yard. They're trained to come back when I scold them, or at least they let me think they're trained to do that lol. The smaller birds can fit through tiny slits, chinks in fences, etc. and are hard to contain. Best you can hope for is a 100% enclosed space or a much higher wire fence although it might be more expensive to go high rather than overhead. also beware of them scratching at the base of the fencing and skirting out that way.