I had a rough night last night. Actually, it was a great night, we had a group over and did a meditation with those vibrating bowls and someone playing a Native American flute he'd made. It was wonderful. After everyone left, my mother-in-law, her friend and I were outside and noticed that one of the dogs (the blue heeler mix) had some kind of animal it had dragged into the yard. Usually, it will be a goat part from what we assume is a discarded or otherwise dead-berfore-they-found-it animal (they're pretty gross when they bring them home). Mom thought it might be a skunk because of a light colored part we could see. She grabbed a flashlight, and it was one of our guineas. Then the other dog (German Shepard mix) ran up with a wing in its mouth. We watched in horror as he downed the whole thing, feathers and all.
I am furious. The motto on this farm is that all animals must have a purpose. The only purpose I can see these dogs having is when it's late, and they "protect" me as I walk from my in-laws' house to mine. Otherwise, they only seem good for terrorizing my birds and my cats, and now, killing them as well, it seems. The heeler is my MIL's and the shepard is my FIL's, and they adore those animals. There is NO chance of them rehoming them (though we rehomed OUR dogs when we got here because we were worried about them attacking the birds).
Our chicken run is almost done, but the guineas are fighting with my chickens, and they are supposed to be free-range (that was the plan when we bought them). Then, the ducks CANNOT be in the coop because it will be a slush-pit faster than you can say "what". They too were out last night, but thankfully, they were unhurt (as were the remaining three guineas). I just don't know what to do. I assume that now that they've killed, all of the birds will be unsafe from those dogs.
So, this is a vent, just to get some commiseration (because I'm not getting it here, except from my husband). Or, if someone has some miracle solution, I'd be glad to hear it. Thanks guys, you are all so great.
P.S. Leonidas, the duck that got injured, is doing AMAZING considering his injuries. He's back out with the others and looks better every day.
Dog Vent
Our experience has been that we do better to avoid the herding breeds if you want them to leave the livestock alone. I feel that our dogs do keep coyotes and raccoons away, but they would kill the chickens if they could get to them.
Oh, absolutely. Unfortunately, these dogs were here before the chickens, so deciding on a breed (especially since one was an off-the-road rescue puppy), wasn't an option. :(
We keep our dogs on the farm and out of the pastures with a single hot wire about a foot high (adjust for dog size). Once they've been zorched a time or two it doesn't even need to be on.
That's a good idea. The corral the birds are in is an acre though. I'm not sure the guineas would stay put in that corral either. And mightn't the birds get zapped as well? I really appreciate your input, porkpal. :)
I've done the same thing with my five dogs (three of them herding breeds) with equally good results...except an occasional bird that goes into the dog yard on its own.
I have one German Shepherd, in particular, that used to methodically "pull" the pickets off the dog yard fence and then go through. I even doubled the pickets so they were on both sides of the fence with no results.
After we put up the hot wire, I heard two yelps and he hasn't touched the fence since. It has been five years now and the wire has been unplugged for at least the last three.
My hot wire is offset on the outside of the pasture fence so the chickens can't touch it.
oh so sorry. I just got a electric fence kit to put around my Aviary and Chicken coops since the coyote scare