And so it begins....

Would like to take a moment of silence to remember young Orpington #16 (as we think it was the smallest out of the 17 Buffs) taken way before its prime.....

Rest in peace.

We've been awaiting the day most poultry farmers dread.  The sad day we loose a bird to predators.  HOWEVER, we were fully expecting it to be from the common coyote, raccoon, weasel, snake, etc.  NOT our livestock guardian puppies!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 

Lately, Samson, the largest of the two puppies had taken some interest in the birds, apparently under the impression that the birds were placed in the vicinity for his amusement purposes...doggie play things.  He'd follow us to the barn investigating what yummies we were going to leave in the coop and then mischievously sneak into the coop via the chicken door (yes, still small enough to squeeze through).  Gobbling up the scraps.  So perhaps the "incident" came from jealousy?  Nah, couldn't be, as he and Judah eat better than most families on their mostly raw meat diet.  Honestly, I believe it boiled down to curiosity, predator instincts and puppy play.  One day we discovered a few birds had migrated close to the house and even one hanging out on the trampoline.  Definitely territory that belongs to the dogs.  On another close call day, a Buff wandered too close to the house and away from the flock, to which Samson responded by chasing, catching and pulling out feathers.  That is when probation began. 

Then one day while we were schooling, Noah runs upstairs and hears barking in the front yard and not the usual play barking of the puppies.  He yells frantically for me to come; Samson was eating a chicken!!  When we got him away the bird was still breathing and had eyes open, but quickly all vitals stopped.  There appeared to be no blood loss, but quite a few feathers removed from his rear.  No telling what actually happened, whether it was play gone bad or "fowl" play.  We followed the feather trail and guessed that it began with a stray wandering too close to the house, again.  Thankfully, we got there before any blood was shed, with our snow white dog sporting a bloody, feathery coat, yuck.  So, glad Joe works from home as I quickly summoned him from the office to dispose of the evidence.  In good taste, he took the carcass up the mountain for a proper burial (well not really burial as the woodland critters would make short work of it). 

So, in my quest for information on how to quell this pretty common problem I consulted Google University and discovered some pretty "interesting" deterrents.  Here are a few:

1. Keep hens fenced in (duh!).

2. Shock collar or electrical wire near the barn, where one must hide in barn to zap dog who might chase the chickens.  (Who has time for this?)

3.  Smack/reprimand dog who shows interest in birds until they associate pain with bird. (Makes sense...kind of like raising kids, although PETA and CPS would have fits)

4.  Shoot dog in rear with a .22 BB rifle (country folk advice)  :)

5.  Fill dog with lead (for repeat offenders....also country folk advice)

6.  Walk dog on leash to where birds are while doing bird chores, reprimand if shows any interest in birds, done several time a day for several days.  Once this phase passes, then graduate to phase 2 where they follow without a leash.  (good common sense approach)

7.  Get the right breed!  (seriously, I read folks complaining about their Rottweiler and Chihuahua killing off their birds...and wondering why?)

8.  Reassured that Great Pyrenees were by far the most reliable and trainable.  Protective instincts hit around 18 months of age.  Hopefully ours will too!!

9.  The most mixed in opinion and surprising remedy... TA DA...to tie the DEAD chicken carcass around the perpetrator's neck behind the ears, put the dog in solitary confinement until the bird rots off the dog.  Got the visual?  Wow!  Even one vet recommended this.

So, not sure what route we will take on this.  We are eventually going to pen in a run for the hens outside, so this will hopefully take care of the issue.  In the meantime, doggies are under surveillance, praying that we will not have to resort to tying dead chickens on them.