Keeping chickens at home for eggs

One area of concern to domestic hen keeping is how the family dog will respond. Are the hens his friend or enemy? By enemy, I mean lunch.

A dog can present a serious risk to your hens. He can turn back to his wild ancestor in a flash and treat your precious chickens as fair game. Don't be fooled by his size, many little breeds of dog like terriers were bred for their hunting abilities.

Luckily, domestic dogs broadly want to please us and will defend other members of the pack from danger. The secret is to let them recognise these new members, your new hens, are members of the family and not ready meals.

When they first meet your chickens, keep your dog on a close lead and your chickens behind wire. It's a new experience for the dog, he will probably be nervous and perhaps excited. Your hens may well all of a sudden flutter their wings, setting off the dog's inherent aptitude to attack so be alert, calm and keep a grip on the lead, ready to hold him back.

Often, once the agitation has died away, the dog will be ok with them and if he knows they're your hens, quite defensive.

Even if your dog does attack your chickens, all is not lost. It's a matter of coaching. When a dog is trained, what happens is that the pack hunting instinct is manipulated for our benefit.