Dogs and Poultry

Dogs and poultry can be a match made in heaven or a nightmare, depending on a few factors If you want to keep backyard poultry and dogs at the same time, here’s what you need to know!

 

Consider the Breed

Some dogs are better suited for poultry than others Livestock guardian breeds like Great Pyrenees, Anatolian Shepherds, and Maremma have a lower prey drive and can be very helpful when it comes to protecting your poultry

We have two Great Pyrenees dogs on guard, and they are amazing at keeping away foxes, raccoons, and aerial predators like hawks and bald eagles as

Is Something Stealing My Eggs?

Have you ever suddenly experienced a drop in egg production?

While seasonal changes can often be to blame, sometimes the accuser can be a crafty predator or even one of your very own hens!

Extreme temperatures of late summer and mid-winter darkness can trigger a lapse in egg production Also, a hen’s feather molt in late fall can also be a reason she will lay less However, if one day you are getting lots of eggs, and the next you have almost none in the nesting box, you might have an outside culprit

If you are finding drastically less eggs, broken eggs

How to Identify Chicken Preadators: Weasels

This less common chicken predator is one that shouldn’t be written off just because it’s not as common as the fox, raccoon or birds of prey Chicken keepers that have weasels should always be prepared to deal with this vicious predator This is the fourth installment of our 4-part series in how to identify chicken predators: weasels
Identifying Weasel Attacks
Weasels, although small, are notorious for being both ruthless and hard to deal with Weasels will leave chickens in a bloody mess There will be feathers, blood and chicken carcasses left behind Weasels will often kill

How to Identify Chicken Preadators: Birds of Prey

It may seem silly to think that a hawk could attack a chicken and fly away with it, but it happens all of the time Red-tailed hawks, red-shouldered hawks, eagles and owls will all attack chickens if given the chance This is the third of our 4-part installment of our how to identify chicken predators: Birds of Prey
Identifying Attacks from Birds of Prey
One of the first signs of an attack from a bird of prey is a scouting bird Hawks, eagles and owls will scout their prey out well before attacking it You may

How to Identify Chicken Predators: Foxes

Foxes are lethal chicken predators They’re fast, cunning, and remarkably bold, and a single fox can decimate an entire flock in short order if you aren’t careful What makes them especially frustrating is how little evidence they leave behind, which sends many keepers hunting for answers after birds simply vanish This is the second installment in our four-part series on how to identify chicken predators, and here we’re covering foxes: how to recognize an attack, what sets their behavior apart, and how to keep them out