Cockers and Chickens

[Dexterdog]

Hi all, does anyone have any experience of keeping chickens and how Cockers react to them. I would like to get some chickens but don't want Dexter to terrorise them.  Obviously they will have their own enclosure but I want to let them out each day as well.
Thanks in advance

[Deb H]

I have ducks but they have a large enclosure so no actual feather to fur contact. They get close by the wire fence but they don't bother each other just look. I'm sure my lot would chase them if they were in the pen though especially my pointer puppy little minx.

[Joules]

I have had chooks for about 7 years now.  Coco has never bothered them at all, but then she has never shown much interest in other birds - fezzies etc - although she will chase ducks by the river.    She does try and nick their food though 

I think one of my ex batts gave her a peck on the bum early on, so she learned not to mess with them    It depends on the dog obviously, but there is no reason why they cannot get on if you manage it right    I have loads of photos of Coco just pottering around with my ladies    Here is an old pic of her nicking their lettuce 

[Patp]

When I go to my daughters, Jinley makes the chickens life a misery, although she used to leave the ducks alone after one pinned her down when she was a pup.  In fact all of the animals, dogs, goats, chickens and horses would move away for this one particular female duck.

This is where the chickens usually end up, a bit extreme, but they obviously felt safe here!

[MrsOmalley]

Many years ago we had two dogs, one was a cocker, two cats and six chooks.  They all got along well, the chooks would come in the house if the patio door was left open!  We never had any issues with chasing them but my cocker would always chase seagulls when we went to the beach.  Like another post I have pictures of them all together.

[jennycockerspaniel]

I had chicken when Penny was a pup so kept her on a lead and went in their house and got a treat when told to leave and also a treat when they got their corn She is fine and they all wander to ether We had a cockerel when we had Jenny and he used to chase her I have ex battery girls and they are so friendly and steal your heart but started off with bantams I love them small for children to hold not so much poo and food also although tiny eggs have more yolk than white Enjoy and I get an extra now and again but does not work with cockers I have only have one I wish for another onex

[tillydog]

My parents used to have chooks, and both their dogs and our previous cocker used to wander around their 5 acres with the chooks.

[rubybella]

We have chickens. Only one incident with Bella and a bantam which was free ranging away from the rest of the gang. Fortunately, although working type, Bella has no idea about killing anything - she even bought me a worm alive from her mouth!!! She just wanted to play with the chicken and proceeded to bark at it and knock it with her paws. I was more worried that it would die from shock than she would put it in her mouth and harm it! The chicken was fine and she got a telling off. She has never bothered with the normal sized chickens, in fact she is scared of them! However my chickens do spent 50% of their day in an enclosure surrounded by an electric fence, one experience of a shock from this has helped to persuade Bella to keep her distance!!

[sodpot2000]

I think a lot depends on the dog and whether the dog has grown up with the birds from being a pup. We have about 30 chickens but they are kept in a large enclosure. Buster would chase them if he had the chance. ("I'm a spaniel - it's what I do"). I don't think he would harm them intentionally but the idea of a spaniel + 30 chicken melee doesn't bear thinking about.

[sue33]

our pups came face to face with our chooks over the Christmas break, they were all fine, the pups were more interested in eating the chicken poop    and the chickens didn't really take much notice of them, think they will get pecked if they go too near, our springer never used to take much notice of them either 

[phoenix]

Bob has high prey instinct, and would pin the chickens down and bark for me to come and release no and the poor bird.  Sadly the foxes ate them instead.

[Cockertime Blues]

Alfie and Genie would kill any birds they came into contact with.  I'm not so sure about Skye.  I used to have poultry and dogs wandering round together but that was in my pre-spaniel days.