# The right LGD for poultry?



## Alibo (Jan 12, 2019)

I am an active lurker and rarely post but a friend and I have started an egg business with 300 or so fowl including 70 or so free ranging ducks and geese. Not surprisingly the noise has brought with it the predators!

We have a very active fox and coyote population and my goat herd is protected by my amazing donkey that I would not trade for the world, but she is in a separate pasture. Since she cannot be in two places at once we are looking into a LGD for the poultry pasture and I am wondering if there is a "right" breed for guarding birds and not hooves. 

I religiously follow most of the lgd threads and understand they all have their pros and cons, so I need advice from the experts!

The pasture itself is only about an acre (48 inch field fenced, and hot wire on the top) and since I know that they work best in pairs is this too small of an area for a pair? I would prefer something that did not wander so much or patrol (but I understand that is a trait of most lgds). 

We have quite a bit of farm friendly dog traffic (including my own herding and hunting dogs) as well. Is this going to be difficult to socialize the pup or pups to being friendly to "mom acceptable" dogs but not coyotes or strays?

 We lost one duck last night and I was tempted to put donkey in with the birds but I refuse to risk my goat herd for this purpose. Tonight they all get locked in a dog kennel but this is not a long term solution.... I also know getting a puppy would still put me a year or more off from safety, so any short term advice for protecting these birds would be appreciated.

Feel free to ask questions or tell me to just get another donkey  but I am thinking this situation requires a more attentive guardian

Thanks in advance!


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## Latestarter (Jan 12, 2019)

No real valuable advice to offer but wanted to say good to hear from you... been a while. Sorry for your loss and hope you succeed.


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## Alibo (Jan 12, 2019)

Thanks,  I appreciate that! We started with a few quail and blossomed into something we may not have thought through all the way lol

She is a go getter and I am an over analyzer and compulsive researcher so we balance each other out pretty well. This is something we anticipated but not so quickly


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## Alibo (Jan 12, 2019)

It is fenced with the standard redbrand 4 foot fencing with a hot wire on the top and "anchored" at the bottom with a couple years of grass grown up at the fence line.  I am assuming it was a small grey fox that we see regularly because it was only taken a short distance, the head eaten and carcass left.


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## Rammy (Jan 12, 2019)

Thats more likely a raccoon. Fox would of eaten the whole thing. Whenever I found a chicken with a missing head, it was normally a raccoon. Whenever the whole bird was missing, it was a fox or coyote or even those dang black buzzards. Do you have any game cameras?


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## Latestarter (Jan 12, 2019)

Have to agree... head only indicates a coon. Fox don't waste a good carcass.


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## Alibo (Jan 13, 2019)

Okay good to know! I thought for sure a coon would not be able to catch one of them! I am borrowing a game cam tomorrow and setting up a motion light as well. I was running around in the sleeting rain last night for almost an hour trying to herd them into the kennel. On top of that my prissy herding dog who is always ready to help refused to work in the rain,  but we did not lose any last night!


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## Mike CHS (Jan 13, 2019)

One of the best investments we have made here are live traps that we got from Tractor Supply. I have caught several coons, a couple of possums and a skunk in the chicken pen.


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## Alibo (Jan 28, 2019)

It has been a couple weeks and I realized i did not give y'all an update! It was definitely our neighborhood grey fox and though we were never able to trap her she is not likely to be coming back soon! 

Meet Freyja! She came home with us a couple days after my last post. She is approximately 7 months old and came from a trusted acquaintance. She was born and raised in a bird yard with her mom and she has been absolutely fantastic with ours so far. We have not lost a bird since she came home!


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## Southern by choice (Jan 28, 2019)

That is great! I love the children being with her too! So important.


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## Alibo (Jan 28, 2019)

I have a few questions though...

Since she is young I am expecting her to go through phases as she ages. Will she be on the same timeline as other puppies as far as chewing, chasing, rebelling goes? Or will her puppy stages happen later because she  a slow grower? If she was going to chase the birds would she already be doing this? 

She barks most of every night (as I smile inside knowing she is doing her job). I am concerned about burn out considering she is so young and is already taking her role so seriously. What signs should I look for that she is getting worn out? 

She is about 65 to 70 lbs I am guessing, is this a good weight for her age? Mom and grandma are 130ish and dad was close to 170.

Should she be going for car rides and socializing outside of the home like I would do any other dog? Should I be feeding her with the rest of my pack at meal times or with the stock?

Should I be bringing her in during the day for short training bonding sessions or will that come with time? Currently she knows her name but does not always come when called, I know from my reading that this can be expected with the breed but how far should I let that go?

I have lots of large dominant dog training experience with a large variety of different breeds but I know this is a little different so any other do or do notes would be appreciated.


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## Alibo (Jan 28, 2019)

Haha yes! she has a serious problem with children! She does not know which one to love on next! She is so incredibly gentle though for her size.


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## Baymule (Jan 28, 2019)

Definitely socialize her. Take her to Tractor Supply or another dog friendly place. Lowes allows people to bring their dogs in the store. Take her to the feed store. When it is time to take her to the vet, you will be glad that you did this. You don't have to take her out often, just enough so that she is not afraid and will ride in the truck/car. My two GP's like to go to the vet.

Feed her with the stock. Bring her in the house for special time with the family. It doesn't have to be every night, but give her special time. Does your poultry go to roost in a safe place at night that you can lock them up in so she can come in the house for a break? 

She should get along with your other dogs and not attack them. Let her know that they belong to the family. But they have to respect her work place. It is unfair to expect her to keep other dogs away, but let your dogs in. It can be confusing for her. So keep your other dogs out of her work space. 

One acre can be enough. I had a female Great Pyrenees in my small backyard at our previous home, and she did just fine. She was a chicken killer (free dog, messed up by previous owners). I kept them in the coop for their own safety. She RULED the back yard. Inadvertently she guarded the chickens, because she guarded the yard. Over time, she accepted that the chickens were "hers" and we slowly let them out just before dark (so that they would go back to roost) and sat outside with her. She slowly worked up to longer and longer times with the chickens and finally became a fantastic chicken guard. We live on 8 acres now and she guards sheep. But her favorite place? Yup. It's the back yard. 

If your dog is happy with the one acre, then she is happy. She is beautiful, let the kids give her all the love she wants. I am happy for you and your family, but most of all, I am happy for her. She has the perfect home.


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