Off the wall topic, what has everyone's experience been with their retrievers prey drive towards pet chickens? I have a handful loose in my backyard, and have concerns a pup will eventually kill them off for me. How do they differentiate the difference between pet chicken and not?
Retrievers and Chickens?
sandysylvester
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Off the wall topic, what has everyone's experience been with their retrievers prey drive towards pet chickens? I have a handful loose in my backyard, and have concerns a pup will eventually kill them off for me. How do they differentiate the difference between pet chicken and not?
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Have used the bantam roosters in training and shackled ducks etx.....dogs bring back perfectly alive, soft mouths should not dispatch....
Have pet 4-H chickens, and show birds at home....they are in a fenced in run because of preditors....not sure what my dogs would do if the chickens were free range but because of the investment and
my son's 4-H projects he is undertaking....I just don't chance it...we also have a flyer pen and while they investigate it they dont bother with anything behind fencing.....now if one got loose.....hmmm some feathers would be ruffled and missing but I wouldn't expect my dogs would kill them........if you have a young puppy let the hens and roosters attack it a few times and peck it with the leave it command and he/she will learn to
respect the chickens.....otherwise a fenced enclosure is in order.
Have pet 4-H chickens, and show birds at home....they are in a fenced in run because of preditors....not sure what my dogs would do if the chickens were free range but because of the investment and
my son's 4-H projects he is undertaking....I just don't chance it...we also have a flyer pen and while they investigate it they dont bother with anything behind fencing.....now if one got loose.....hmmm some feathers would be ruffled and missing but I wouldn't expect my dogs would kill them........if you have a young puppy let the hens and roosters attack it a few times and peck it with the leave it command and he/she will learn to
respect the chickens.....otherwise a fenced enclosure is in order.
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Make sure they have obedience down and here,
so a little older dog. My dogs would not catch a chicken, and we had 150 birds for 4H here when the kids were little,unless it was not in the yard. There was one hen that roamed in the field and got retrieved a whole bunch of times. I would yell drop and the bird would lay there like it was dead and when the dog was up to the house got up and ran away.
so a little older dog. My dogs would not catch a chicken, and we had 150 birds for 4H here when the kids were little,unless it was not in the yard. There was one hen that roamed in the field and got retrieved a whole bunch of times. I would yell drop and the bird would lay there like it was dead and when the dog was up to the house got up and ran away.
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Just curious. I would think it would be bad to reprimand him for wanting to chase. I just wanted some feedback on how you all get along between the 2.
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My female Golden's father (Goldrun's Take 'Em Out) was a known 'Chicken Thief' up in Nebraska where they lived on a farm. His owner did pay neighbors for his 'chicken napping' ways! Our girl, of course prefers chicken in her food...
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My pup thought our flock of 4 were pretty interesting when we first got her but then turned her attentions to chasing sticks. We kept the chickens penned up when she got older, then somehow she just learned to leave them alone. I don't ever remember teaching her to do so.
https://youtu.be/0P3lp4A9cHA
https://youtu.be/0P3lp4A9cHA
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My old male is going to get a couple of the neighbors chickens next time they get into my garden.
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Several years ago, my college student son gave us a rooster as we had moved to the country. we also were given a hen to keep him company. We had 4 FT labs . We have about 3 acres fenced around our house. The fowl were free ranging. The dogs would chase them. Solution was to shoot dogs with marbles out of sling shot. Always aiming for hind quarters. Would shout NO @ time dog chased chickens & shot them. It took a couple of days but they all became best friends.
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It would not end well. At least for the chickens. Quickly but not well.
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Oh, Richard admitting to the use of a sling shot on RTF could banish you to the Dregs of retriever trainers....
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My labs will eat out of the same dish as the chickens in the morning and yhen retrieve birds in the afternoon. They learn to ignore them.
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Mine does not want to kill them he is just determined to retrieve every single one to me. Needless to say he doesn't come with me to my friend's farm anymore lol
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We got our first chickens last spring. They are free range, although we do lock them in their coop at night. My dogs have learned to ignore them, although Chip has killed two and Blue killed one. They were both caught red-handed with the partially devoured evidence, and we had a very timely "discussion" on the difference between training birds and my husband's laying hens. They have since seen things my way (I hope).
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I'm having this same issue right now. I have a 12 week old pup that likes to chase the chickens. But I don't want to whoop him an hurt his prey drive but eventually I think he will kill them once he gets a little size to him. I'm not sure what to do about it.
My dog and chickens tolerate each other just fine. They spend countless hours in the yard together, unsupervised and we've never had a problem. Early on, I just made sure my dog understood that she was to leave the chickens alone.
The new pullets will scatter a bit when the dog gets near, but my hens aren't bothered at all...and the dog leaves em all alone.
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The new pullets will scatter a bit when the dog gets near, but my hens aren't bothered at all...and the dog leaves em all alone.
My daughter has 4H chickens that free range in the back yard. They come to sliding glass door and stare in the house. My lab will lay on the floor right on the other side of the door and stare back at them. They are separated by a fence but he doesn't care about them. However, he will run through fire for a shot bird.
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