Chickens- chasing or guarding?

[Jeneanxo]

Hello- we got 3 chickens a couple of months ago and we let them out to free range during the day. Lately Hopper (about 1 year) has been prancing around after them. Not chasing, but he does seem to be a bit frisky when he does it. The chickens generally head for a place where Hopper can't be after them (their run, under the steps). I am wondering if anyone has experience with this? Will I come home to a chicken in his mouth? He is not an LGD- though he judging by how much he barks he seems to have pretty strong guard instincts. Any opinions are appreciated!

[DPW]

Chickens just seem to draw a Pyr's attention. When Cider was younger he killed two of ours. Apparently it was not a predatory response as he did not eat them. I found him simply "playing" with them. Tossing them into the air and running around with them. Like he does with sticks.
He did not get over his "interest" in chickens until he was about a year and a half old.
It would not surprise me if you came home one day to find you have one or two less chickens to feed. Of course there is no way to tell for sure.

[Jeneanxo]

DPW- thanks for the response. I wonder if we kept them in their run while we aren't here until Hopper is about 1 1/2 if that would be better. He certainly doesn't seem to want to be aggressive toward them, but what you described (tossing in the air etc) sure sounds like something he would do. Better safe than chickenless...

Is this age (1 - 1 1/2) a sort of teenage years that they go through?

[Jewel]

Was talking to someone at the Pyr Nationals last week. They have free range chickens on their property and the chickens would sometime go sit on top of the 6ft fence of the dogrun where their pyrs are kept. Every so often they'd come home and find a few feathers in the dogrun but would never see any blood or body parts. I have to say their male dog has a very nice coat, with the raw food supplements of free range chicken

[fluffylove]

Hey Jewel, I was at the specialty too! I did the rally o Novice A and got first place, and I was the one that got the draft dog title, were there on the Wednesday?

He should be calm around the birds, not playing with them, as he will end up hurting or kiling one eventually, not on purpose. There was a great episode on dogs with jobs with an Anatolian dog guarding prize chickens. Very calm, letting chickens do their thing.

[Jeneanxo]

He's very good as soon as we say something- basically stops dead in his tracks. Buuuuuuut he's just kind of a big oaf, and I'm sure playing with a terrified chicken would be fun for him.

[indypyrenees]

We got our baby because she killed 2 of the previous owner's chickens and ate their eggs.

The woman said the same thing that she didn't eat them just almost was playing with them is all.

[Davey Benson]

Chickens are prey, and they know it. My Great Pyrenees take less interest in my birds (about 70 of them) than my border collie does. It's the reason they stay pretty much in the coop and in the hen yard. I let them out from time to time, but only if I'm around. If a bird or two get out, it's pretty much a fifty fifty chance they will live to tell the other birds about it, because my border loves chicken so much.

Oh, the Pyr's love eggs. Sissy followed me into the hen house one day, and stuck her nose into a nesting box, then trotted out of the hen house before I knew what was going on. By the time I caught up with her, I could tell she had an egg in her mouth. I said "give it" and at that moment I heard it crack.... *sigh* So she had an egg then and there, and hasn't been in the hen house since.

[DPW]

When we first got Cider at around 10 weeks old he would not give the chickens a second glance. For the first couple of months he was fine. I thought "Great. He's fine with chickens and needs no further training to leave them alone." Then sometime around six or seven months things changed.
If we were around he left them alone. When we left him alone in the pasture with the chickens, and he didn't know we were watching, it was playtime.
All we had to do was step around the corner so he could see us and he'd slowly slink away with tail between his legs. He knew it was wrong. He just couldn't help himself.
He's over it now but I think most run of the mill Pyr owners with chickens will tell you that getting them to leave the chickens alone is a very hard behavoral issue to deal with. The birds jerky movements, running, wing flapping etc is very enticing to adolescent Pyrs. Or any dog for that matter.
Doing whatever you can to avoid leaving him alone with the chickens until he is older is your best bet. But don't completely seperate the two. Take him with you when ever you feed the chickens or collect eggs. They all need to spend time together before everyone is comfortable.

[Jewel]

Hey fluffy, great job at Nationals! I was only able to manage to be there for Saturday. My breeder's male made it to the final group for BOB. She also showed a bitch that has the most unblievable movements I have ever seen in a pyr. When this dog strides out she looks almost like she doesn't touch the ground. But it wasn't enough for the judge, she didn't even make the first cut. It was overwhelming to see so many big white dogs in one place.