hens are not pheasants

[*jean*]

my dogs have, well pepper and rolo have become a little too interested in my mothers hens and my sisters ducks.
once a long time ago on a walk with their granny who was a great worker, she leapt into the river and caught a wild duck and pretty much drowned it to subdue it to take it back. it hadnt been shot she just saw an opportunity and took it.
 my point is I used to be able to just let the dogs wander round the croft they never touched the hens.. the hens have a run but never stay in it..they peck around the back door the garden everywhere even roost in the plum tree sometimes..
in the summer the cockerill got too uppity and rolo and pepper gave chase he lost his tail feathers and another hen had to be pts. they just went stone deaf... they used to stop more or less instantly.. liath stuck to me like glue and didnt join in.
now I dont trust them any more , they are not allowed free range of the croft .if they are near me they will not leave my side I can keep them there without a lead but its when they are pottering about the garden and find a hen in the hedge..mayhem!
 Ive taken them individually to the hen house stuck their noses into the run and said no sternly,.. pepper pretends to be blind now when she sees one but she quickly looks up at me to see if ive checked the fact shes seen the hen so i know her so well i know she would have it if I wasnt there. my Oh hasnt been out much with the gun this last while and when he was he was rabbit shooting, hes been too busy with work and the sheep.  its not hens at a distance its when one pops out of a bush right under the dogs nose..or about 10 emerge at once from the side of the house and the dogs are in the middle of them before you can blink. the hens all flap and make a fuss and that winds the dogs up too.. the old hens were really placid this lot are nervy but I think thats cos my mothers dog likes to race them from the garden ..he doesnt touch them just sends them back to the fields.
maybe Im expecting too much of them but they were fine up until recently. liath hasnt changed just the other two.peppers just turned 9 is it maturity making her thrawn? whats rolos excuse.
 all you folk who work your dogs how do they react around hens and domestic birds?

[cazza]

Fern just loves to flush out anything that has wings 

Any ideas of stopping this especially garden birds would be gratefully received 

[Nicola]

To be honest I don't really expect my two to know the difference between a domestic chicken and a wild pheasant if they flap about under their noses, I would expect them to flush either if they got a chance. I think the key is to have a reliable command to call them off the chase. With Tilly, no matter what she has flushed as soon as I yell 'hie down!' she drops like a stone. Alfie is not at this stage yet at all so he is never off lead in this situation at the moment because I would just be setting him up for a fall if he was because I know he would chase the bird into the next county and it doesn't matter if it's a chicken, a snipe, a pheasant, a crow or a sparrow!

Other than keeping the birds in a secure run I don't really know what you can do to stop them doing this when you're not there. If they're used to being able to flush birds freely when out and about then instinct probably just takes over when confronted with some flappy, nervous chickens and no owner to call them back 

[*jean*]

they were bombproof.. I think the cockerill just pushed his luck and tried to chase them..bad move.
 also is it a coincidence but they were given squeaky pheasant toy as a joke and killed it. so do they think catch chicken and make it oven ready now? 
pepper never mouths game. but that day she plucked that hen...brat.  liath refused to join in. I was roaring at them hens were squawking... what a carry on.  my mother is threatening to get rid of the hens...( pretty please!! ) the ducks are never near the house they just bimble around one field and the pond and stream so that will help.
 maybe it will never happen again they used to egghunt for mam not now if the foolish hens lay under a bush the blinking eggs can stay there . they refuse to lay in the henhouse... they really are not worth the feed. they look cute but in reality they poo everywhere and are not great layers..

ok rant over.. ( I hate those hens! ) well maybe hate is too strong  its  extreme dislike..
 

[Nicola]

ok rant over.. ( I hate those hens! ) well maybe hate is too strong  its  extreme dislike..
 

In that case maybe you should just let Rolo and Pepper at 'em then! 

[*jean*]

I was thinking along those lines ..... evil laugh rubb hands devilishly!!