chicken characters - gsoh required!!!

[laura g]

We're thinking chickens!!

Our children aren't babies but it can get noisy in the garden. We also have two young lurchers. Not working dogs and extremely dopey and sociable however typical juvenile idiots; extremely nosey and like to examine everything for play value.

Obviously we can manage keeping hound and chooks seperate however what I wouldnt want to happen is birds fainting with fright at watching dogs charging around.

So here's my question: are some breeds better suited to family life and life amid other animals? Is there a well known ASBO breed? Are there some wimpy types we should avoid??

Plus, has anyone got experience of keeping dogs and chickens?

ps we're not in the least worried about the cat. she tangled with a baby seagull a few years back and has never been the same since!

[Ellasmum]

I am interested too as I have 2 kids and a lab to consider when buying my chickens.
Sam

[OverWyreGrower]

We're planning on chickens and have a rather mental Boxer puppy charging around.

Not sure re breeds etc, but we've fenced off a corner of our paddock for them. We've used stock fence and chicken wire with a nice stout gate on. We'll also have a lockable nighttime ark, as I'd like to protect them from foxes. Obviously the dog won't be allowed in the enclosure at all!

Since I'd rather not have him "ppffff"-ing and "hhmmph"-ing at them through the fence, we're investing in some small willow screens (abour 2-3ft high) to go round the fencing, so he can't see in.

He likes to watch the neighbours chickens, but he's a lot further away (2 fences and a little stream). I doubt he'd do anything other than "humph" at them, but I'd rather be safe than sorry!

[furball]

Hi we had some chickens for about a year. We had 2 frizzles and they would fall asleep in your arms when the children stroked them, dogs are more scared of the chooks than cats they just prance around making lots of noise but run a mile if the chooks get too near.

[SuzieP]

I have dog (cocker spaniel), cats and chickens - chickens rule the roost (sorry for the pun). All my cats are hunters and regularly bring birds home so I went for the larger breed (such as brahmas) to give the birds a chance. The biggest cat (and he is big!) tried his luck but a series of swift pecks and a show of fluffed out feathers soon frightened him and the others off - in fact now, the cats won't go out the kitchen door unless they can see the chickens aren't around. The dog did a lot of hmmmphing at first when they were in the run but didn't take much notice after that and ignores them completely now.

[Elmo]

My only real concern would be with you having sight hounds (I used to have one) and I certainly wouldn't have had my chooks with her about, definately provide a screen so they can't see the chooks / chooks can't see them and you should be ok. Only breeds to avoid that immediately spring to mind would be leghorns (mine are quite skitty and I believe welsummers are as well but no personal experiance I'm afraid).

Maybe orpingtons??

[kirsty b]

We have a boxer too and she is ok with the chooks. Lies next to the fence snorting and making odd noises at them. If she sits there with her tongue out it gets pecked.
I dare say that if she got in there with them she would have a happy chase though! They tend to ignore her now.

Kirsty

[CountryFayre]

The answer in theory is to keep the dog on a lead to start with. Repremand him as soon as he THINKS about looking at he birds. If he goes to run at them then you have left it too late. Once you can take hime out there on the lead without him giving them a second thought then he should be ok off the lead. Sounds a bit of a chore but it certinaly worked with the dog we have now.