Can dogs and Chickens get along?

Many chicken keepers also have dogs. Those dogs can have various roles from family pet to chicken protector and raccoon chaser. Not all dogs are great companions for chickens though! Training and the dogs natural prey drive need to be taken into consideration when deciding to raise chickens and dogs together.

Having pets and poultry together can be a delicate balance. Many times our pets want much more to do with the livestock then we care to let them. Take Ashley for example. She's interested in the chicks from their very first peep. She's their biggest hatching fan, eagerly watching as they make their way into the world. 

(poor Ashley can't watch now that we have cabinet incubators, though she tries!)

Then it goes downhill quickly...

Should dogs be trusted around poultry?

After hatch she's a naughty little pup trying to catch them. We're not real sure what she would do when she catches one though, since she's never been allowed! The funny thing about her is that while she has a fascination with the peeping eggs, and really wants to play with the chicks.....she could care less about them once they get to be about a month old.

I guess they get too big for her. She has been pecked by a rooster when she got too close to his girls though, so maybe that has something to do with it. Or maybe being a rat terrier they have been bred to chase small things?

Other dogs can't be allowed around poultry at all. This was Buddy.

He was seen wandering the neighborhood for days before we decided to take him in. He had a collar but no tags. He was microchipped but it was never registered. He wasn't reported lost.

We cleaned him up and took care of him for a few weeks until his Silkie chasing started. We think Silkies look too much like rabbits to him...well, it made sense to us since many of these dogs are trained for hunting. Buddy just couldn't quit trying to get to the Silkies. We ended up taking Buddy to the no-kill shelter and visiting him until he was adopted.

Then there is Lulu. She came to us from a friend who just couldn't keep her. She has established herself as the resident LGD and is a menace to the fox that tries to find his meals here. (here she is watching over her coops)

Here are some comparisons. When they came to be around poultry Lulu was 6 months old, Ashley was 8 years old, Buddy was full grown...probably close to 2. Lulu was only exposed to dogs before coming to the farm, Ashley was a 'chase the kitty' type of pup and Buddy was probably trained to hunt. (we live in a big hunting area, it's a logical conclusion)

They all were introduced to the poultry in the same manner and supervised. All 3 showed different behaviors and while we have been able to train them to a point, their initial reactions correctly predicted how they would continue to behave around poultry.

This isn't exactly a control group. There are many variation here between dogs. We could assume that Beagles and Terriers have been bred more for hunting and Boxers have not so that 'might' have something to do with it. 

We could assume that Lulu's young age and lack of hunt training made her more malleable and therefore easier to train to leave the chickens alone. That would probably explain why she likes to chase moles, squirrels and foxes but not chickens. (you'll never catch me saying 'don't chase the fox'!)

These assumptions allow for age and training to be the main factors in a dogs behaviors around poultry. However, I know of Siberian husky's that were raised around chickens from just a pup and they can NOT be trusted! 

Some breeds have a higher prey drive than others and that is also a factor in the dogs behavior towards chickens.

What dog breeds are good with chickens?

If you are looking for a pet dog that won't bother your chickens you'll need one with a low prey drive. The Boxer, Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, Golden Retriever, Old English Sheepdog and the Maltese all are known to have a low prey drive. 

This is not to say that every dog on that list is going to start out amazing with chickens though! They will still have to be trained. 

Many chicken farmers chose a livestock guard dog breed for their chickens. The Great Pyrenees and the Anatolian Shepard are two of the most popular. Unfortunately LGDs work best if they live with the animals they are supposed to guard, and many chicken keepers just can't bring themselves to leave the dog in the barn 24/7. 

Also, if you have a backyard chicken flock you probably don't have a barn and the chicken coop is not really a place for a dog to live space wise. So you'll want a non LGD that has a low prey drive.

Of course we will always hear stories about "my friends pit bull is amazing with her chickens" but remember, training has a lot to do with a dogs behavior! There are lots of stories of dogs who's training has worked despite their genetic character traits. So again we're back to the combination of breed and upbringing.

Which brings us to the topic of crossbreeds or mutts. The vast majority of dogs are not pure bred and as such will have characteristics of several breeds in their genetic makeup. 

I could probably ponder this all day, but it comes down to one thing...dogs and chickens can get along just fine, or it can get ugly! It's a slow process supervising them to gauge their reactions and train them, but it can be done quite successfully.

~L

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