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[RiDaGeckoGuy]

Howdy neighbor! I’m in Trinity county between Crockett and Lufkin. Where are you now and where are you planning on moving to?
Most LGDs do not bond to poultry. It works out that the dogs guard their property and the birds happen to be on their property. I had a female Great Pyrenees that was a free throw away because she killed chickens. It took me 2 YEARS to turn her around and she finally became the best chicken guard ever. I also had a male Great Pyrenees that had poultry on his menu and I never could break him of it.
Plus he jumped fences to go roaming.

So it’s a crap shoot. LGDs may tolerate poultry or they may not. They are a totally different type of dog and most people try training them like they would any other “normal” dog. That generally doesn’t work.

I see you use chicken wire. Raccoons can reach through chicken wire to grab a chicken and pull is close to kill it. Plus any animal with teeth can rip it to pieces. Use hardware cloth. Much stronger and smaller holes.

Depending on how many acres you get and where you buy it, you may not need a LGD at all, but rather a good farm dog or two. LGDs bark all night to warn predators away. If you have close neighbors, it sure will make them mad when they can’t sleep because your dogs are barking all night. And it is wrong for you to make them ship up or punish them for barking, it’s been instilled in them for thousands of years.

I’m not trying to sound negative, but rather giving you some facts. So please be thoughtful about getting an LGD of any breed. A Turkish Boz is a very intense breed and I do not recommend one for a first time owner. That could turn into a train wreck. I started with Great Pyrenees after much research and study. An even better starter dog would be a Maremma. They area gentler breed and not as likely to roam like Great Pyrenees do.

I now have 3 Anatolians and will soon be looking towards getting another one. One of them is a “cheap but good” dog that at 9 months old was pronounced the worst at that young age the vet had ever seen, with hip dysplasia. One thousand dollars later, surgery, followed by 3 months of intensive therapy on my part, he could walk again. I could have bought the finest registered puppy for what that cheap Facebook puppy wound up costing.

There is a LGD forum here. My suggestion is to read it. Study before buying a LGD so you can make a better decision on what breed or if a couple of big barky farm dogs would be a better choice.

What’s the difference between farm dogs and LGDs, I live in a tiny town in Pittsburg county Oklahoma with basically no predators and when I move to Texas it will be in a small town outside of Houston on a couple of acres in the outskirts, if the dog won’t protect poultry I don’t want it. I know so many people with Pyrenees that won’t hurt poultry but if you have other breed ideas please tell me. I plan on a hardware cloth run when I move but as of now it’s a waste of money since we’re leaving our current setup behind

 

[Baymule]

Some will protect poultry because the birds live on “their” property. The LGD will keep predators away, because that is what they do. Some will play with them to death, they are the ultimate squeaky toy.

If you will have a couple of acres, fence it securely in either sheep and goat wire, it has 4” holes, or non climb horse wire, it has 2”x4” holes, but is more expensive. A good fence is the first defense. You might be ok with a couple of big outside dogs.

What small town are you moving to?

 

[RiDaGeckoGuy]

Some will protect poultry because the birds live on “their” property. The LGD will keep predators away, because that is what they do. Some will play with them to death, they are the ultimate squeaky toy.

If you will have a couple of acres, fence it securely in either sheep and goat wire, it has 4” holes, or non climb horse wire, it has 2”x4” holes, but is more expensive. A good fence is the first defense. You might be ok with a couple of big outside dogs.

What small town are you moving to?

I don’t know what town I’m a teen and my dad got a new job so I have to take all my moms and my chickens and guineas with us and we’ve always wanted a goat or two and some pheasants, peacocks, etc. so it’ll be on a few acres, if a dog kills a chicken it’s a gone dog, so what breed is easiest to train not to hurt them, and if I raise them with a chicken will it help

 

[Baymule]

Not all dogs that kill a chicken are ruined forever. They can be corrected, only be around poultry under supervision until the dog understands that birds are a no no. Most LGDs get it after around 2 years old, some never do.

Hunting breeds usually want to hunt the birds and will kill them. Labradors that are not from hunting lines can be good with poultry.

I have a half Labrador, half Great Dane that is an excellent farm dog. He barks at perceived danger, never chases sheep and is big brother to bottle lambs that I raise in the house. I don’t have poultry now, but I did when he was younger and he never bothered the chickens.