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well poor Violette didn't last long did she. I knew in my heart that I shouldn't let them free range without a cockerell,but I never thought one of my dogs would be the murderer. Neither dog has ever shown the remotest interest in the hens before but then today, whilst my back was turned cleaning out the horses he bit her head off. I am in a kind of shock, I feel like I am a complete idiot with my silly ideas of making a nice free range enviroment, I should never have let them out then she would still be alive. I know it's only a hen, but she'd only just started laying and she was so sweet, she actually used to stop for the kids to pick her up.So that was that, I've learnt a bitter lesson.

What breed of dog, Mr Darcy?

its a lesson we all learn, usually the hard way. we had a dog, nicest one you could imagine, shred our ferret when we werent looking.

cure as the dogs may be, we must remember that lurking just beneath the surface is the wolf they are descended from.

I dont care how well they are trained, we all use the wolfs instinct in the dogs to train them, so it has never gone that far away/

I am very aware of our dogs "inner wolf", as they are a very pack based dog, as they are very very closly linked to the now extinct Japanese minature wolf. they are very higly strung, happy to follow the pack anywhere, but very defnsive, only one male in a pack etc.

Our dogs eat the BARF diet, and we give them raw chicken to eat, seeing how between the two of them they can eat an entire chicken - bones, innards and all within a few minutes, makes me realise that they are built to do this and therefore are well kept away from the chooks, no matter how cute and harmless he looks................

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just a little mongrel. I've made it up with him now sort of, grr, well at the end of the day he's a dog and she was a chicken, classic.But doesn't stop the weeping kids does it, or the fact that it's pretty heartbreaking to have to retreive bits of a really sweet kind chicken who wasn't scared of anything,and bury them, before home from school time. Well at least she didn't suffer and her short life was very happy. Just feel like I was a bit of naive person, won't make the same mistake again.

That's why we have a fenced, roofed run - I love my dogs to bits, but wouldn't trust them even looking at the chickens....

Sorry for your loss... but don't be too hard on your dog - he's only doing what comes naturally...

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yeah don't worry he's not been killed but I please don't do the thatswhy business, i feel bad enough as it is

Sorry to hear your sad news. Unfortunately, it's totally natural behaviour, and you're not the first and won't be the last. Take some comfort in the fact that she died quickly.

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Don't beat yourself up Mr D. We have to realise that animals have inherent behaviour patterns, and you can't talk to them like you do to children and make them change the behaviour that is bred into them (not that children take any notice anyway). It's all part of a very hard learning curve. Constant supervision needed for children and animals unless securely separated from each other. Console yourself if you can with the fact that her death was quick and hopefully painless.

Sorry to hear your news Mr D. As you say a hard lesson learned.

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Bernie aka DDL

Appreciate the little things in life because one day you will realise they are the big things

Thankyou everyone. Have given the dog a cuddle now and told him he won't be going to the vet to be put down in the morning nor to the bad dogs home. Oh dear I'm certainly learning this hen milarky the hard way arn't I? first indie with her egg bind but at least then the advice here permitted me to save scarlet later on, now poor Violette but then that's a lesson too, but why is it always the little poppets?

Just remember that one little poppet had a good life with you while it lasted and there will be plenty more poppets coming into your life if you leave the space for them!

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You are not silly, it could happen to anyone. Don't beat yourself up about it. I feel bad for telling you it would be ok for you to let them out! Get Scarlet another pal and perhaps rig a larger enclosure that they can both be safe in. Or let them out and put your dog in a pen!!!

A hard lesson, we had the same problem last year. Our chickens got out a couple of times and both times the male dog we have got one of them round the neck and hung on for dear life. The only way I could make him let go as he was slowly throtteling the poor bird was to squeeze his b...s. The hen turned round and went and laid an egg.

don't feel bad Richmond hens am ok now,off out in morning to get another hen so that scarlet will be ok,she must a bit chilly tonight!

blimey, i bet she did!

Love it! I had a horse take hold of my back while I was grooming him once, and I had to whack him in the tender area to make him let go!

My OH thinks he can bring a terrier into the house with my parrots, and have them all happily free-ranging with each other.

Na-ah

To a dog (or cat), any smaller moving thing is prey

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How horrible for you to have to deal with that, and knowing it was your lovely dog that did it.
I am not going to give you any what 'should have been dones', no need, it's been done already! And you can't change it.
But take comfort in the fact that your children did not witness it too.

XX

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My dog thinks he should pick everything up and bring it in the house whether it be a hedgehog or a baby bird , trouble is some things just can't stand the shock. Don't beat yourself up or take it out on your dog cos of it's natural instincts. It's all down to good ole mother nature.

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Jo

Binley knows best... and if you believe that ...

So sorry to hear of that...like you say, it's a lesson learned.

I have three dogs, and three cats who often free range with the chickens...however, I NEVER leave the dogs out alone with the birds....just in case! The cats are a very different story...but my birds are BIG...so the cats don't stand a chance with them!

R.I.P wee Violette....and don't be too hard on the dog...he knows not what he does!

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yes but that's since last autumn that the dogs have shown absolutely zero interest in the birds, so god knows what suddenly got into his head, he knew he'd done wrong and i did run him under the outdoor tap for quite a long time

how horrid for you. Unfortunately I have a gun dog (albeit a rubbish one as he is gun shy) and to add he was terrified when a pheasant jumped over the hedge and ran past his nose.

However he gets too excited around the chickens and they have to be in the run when he is on the allotment. Although I dont know what would happen, he has had his nose pecked hard by Henna and Freddie puffed up so big I thought she was going to burst, poor CluckCluck gets very scared.

So although I would love to see them free ranging together somehow I do not have a hope that will happen. Although that said my friends got a doberman and he quite happily runs free with his flock, but I suspect he has been brought up from a puppy to do that and his instinct is to protect his family rather than eat one

it is not to do with bringing them up or their breed unfortunately alot is down to instinct and to chase/catch prey of whatever animal

And a cockerel would probably not have made any difference!

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Just about to say the same Hilary. A dog (even a pet one) is as dangerous as a fox to chickens.

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sorry to hear of you losing your bird,i,was lucky,when my spaniel thought she would chase the birds,they all went for her,ended up one riding on her back,our top hen is a bolshy madam,more of a cockerel in nature,we all think we know our animals but i suppose we only know whats on the surface,hope the kids are okay now.

So sorry to read about Violette. My mums guide dog is a big softie and takes no notice of my hens but I still wouldn't leave her with them unsupervised. A fox would probably have taken the cockerel and more than one hen. I know electric fencing is an expensive outlay but it gives great peace of mind.

Thankyou everyone the kids are still miserable now again, we buried Violette next to Indie and planted some purple colured dahlias called 'dear love' my son's choice. It's part of the process isn't it, he's defintely greiving as he cuddled her all the time. New birds are fine and both laying from day 1, we'll get used to it...but both Indie and Violette had special personalities, very human freindly. How funny about the hens attacking the dog for the electric fencing, what could I get? would it keep out the dog and the hens wouldn't cross it?

Sorry to read of your loss mr darcy. We always had chooks and a mini dachshund when I was a child (and do so now too). Rudi was great with the hens till one day when he saw mum chasing one off the garden at which point he decided to start chasing them himself. He killed one when mum wasn't watching, but the next time she saw him and was so cross she picked up the dead hen and whacked the dog with it - he never touched another hen. Drastic action and possibly wouldn't work with every dog.

Hugs to you and the family, those chooks don't half get a place in your heart xx

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I heard of someone tying the dead hen to the dog and leaving it for days
I did push his face into the feathers very harshly telling him bad dog, then I ran him under the freezing outdoor tap and made him stay away from us for a couple housr, i know this seems harsh but given that i felt like throttling him he think I was quite restrained

This is where I bought mine from- they posted it to France and were fantastically helpful.
We got the one with finer mesh at the bottom which is supposed to keep out rats etc too.
I understand that once the dogs have been zapped they won't go near it again ( unless in a pack -hunting mode)
My gals fly out occasionally - just one every month on average but they don't have clipped wings and are bantams ( lightweight and good flyers)
It's also green so not so obvious- and a few centimeters taller than other makes I've read up on.
It's family run and are really helpful with advice as to what you do and don't need- worth giving them a ring.
( and nope- I'm not on commission for them, just exceptionally happy with their product and customer care)

Welcome to Electric Fencing Direct - electric fencing and netting systems to contain and keep out animals

I recall someone else on the Vine buying from them too..sorry but can't for the life of me remember who!!!)

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"Nicos, Queen of Gooooogle" and... GYO's own Miss Marple

Sorry for your loss,

I'd love to keep chickens but as I have a staffy I don't think I could trust her plus I think I'd be winding her up.

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I have a half collie half spaniel and after seeing her rag doll a full grown cat in our back garden i wouldn't let her in with the hens. Although when the chickens see a cat they make a lot of noise but as soon as i let the dog out they all calm down! Sorry you lost a good hen like that though.

When I first had my chooks they happily free ranged until the neighbour's terrier spotted one of them and chased it back to the rest of the flock and then for some reason chased the dominant cockerel instead.
Fortunately it gave me time to block off the gate whilst the cockerel perched just out of reach of the dog ..giving the rest of the chooks a chance to fly back to their coop.
Next day we ordered the electric fencing and used up a couple of rolls of chicken wire to keep the dog out of the garden.
What I'm wondering is ...I wonder if it was purely chance that the dog chased the male instead of the original gal or if he distracted the dog to give the others a chance to get away?
Either way he was one brave cockerel.
I really expected one of them to drop dead from fright ( I nearly did)
A sadder , more stressed hunched up bunch of chooks you never did see- poor little things.

I'm very sorry for your recent losses Mr Darcy- it's even worse when a child grieves isn't it? x

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"Nicos, Queen of Gooooogle" and... GYO's own Miss Marple

Our girls have free range of the yard and the dogs are in the orchard, a couple of girls learned not to escape over the gate the hard way, luckily I was around both times.

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Hayley B

An Egg is for breakfast, a chook is for life

The point to smacking the dog with the dead hen is that it makes him think the hen is attacking him. The game of chasing hens sudenly isn't fun any more!
I cured mine of grabbing pheasants in a similar way (they still tend to deliberately 'flush' pheasants if we come acrss one while walking, but they make no attempt to get close enough to catch it), and Barbara Woodhouse recommended it for persistent chicken killers.
There may be dogs whose response to the treatment is to get aggressive towards hens (most chicken killers aren't actualy feeling aggressive, it is just a game which happens to end up with a dead hen), especially if it isn't really quickly after they have killed one (the dog needs to still be enjoying the game until he gets a nasty shock).
Tying the dead hen to the dog is probably useless, and ANY punishment which is delayed more than a few moments will only confuse the dog. He will associate the unpleasant experience with whatever he was doing just before it happened!

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