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A Dog Joins the Chickens

18 September 2010

Tillie at 16 Weeks

I’ve not had time to sit down and write. Our new labradoodle has kept me running. We have become “guardians” of a pretty little female Australian labradoodle named “Country Matilda Lil Miss Q” or “Tillie”. She’ll grow to be about 35 pounds. She’s already a great garden companion; content to be by my side wherever I go.

Someone told me not to get a “bird dog” like a Labrador retriever or pointer as they were “just too interested in chickens for their own good”. We looked into terriers but they are “diggers” I wasn’t sure our large garden would be compatible with a Norwich, Jack Russell, or Wheaten. Then I heard about an Australian labradoodle. The medium size multigen grows to 30-40 lbs and are calm (bred to be therapy and service dogs) and non-shedding. Yes, they come from bird dog descent so we’ll just have to see how that plays out.

Tillie is Curious; Hens are Cautious

Tillie is curious, suspicious, and more than a little interested in those “squawking” hens. When I hold our tamest girls, Tillie nuzzles them trying to determine if there is something edible under the fluffy feathers. When I let her into the run she follows them around using her senses to figure out what these strange creatures are. Gentle Daisy follows Tillie, carefully removing bits of straw from her coat.


Daisy Gently Picks Straw from Tillie's Coat

I’m not so unrealistic as to think I can trust this little birddog with my hens, but I hope that Tillie’s curiousity will blossom into some kind of tolerance for these beautiful birds.

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9 Comments to “A Dog Joins the Chickens”

  1. ChristinaSeptember 18, 2010 at 11:04 pm

    Congrats, she’s a beauty! And I bet with proper precautions and training she’ll be fine with your chickens.

    Rather than avoiding bird dogs it’s best to avoid dogs with high prey drives! Terriers, for example, were bred to hunt independently, often underground, and to be fearless and indefatigable. Not to say that some terriers might be fine with your chickens but the deck would be stacked against you. If you need a dog to take care of ground squirrels and gophers, however…

    Retrievers were bred to retrieve birds who had been shot, (ie, not to hunt them) and also to have a ‘soft mouth’ so they don’t chew up the bird as they deliver it to their handler. I saw this in action with my Golden many years ago when she was outside walking around and waving her tail, with something obviously in her mouth. When I went out to check I found a small chick in her mouth, completely unharmed. Several had gotten into my yard from the neighbor’s and she, loving anything sentient, carried them gently in her mouth.

    Our present dog is a collie. Herding is a modified prey behavior, but toned down quite a lot. He loves herding sheep but he doesn’t try that nonsense with the girls — he’s a bit wary of them because they’ve pecked his toes occasionally! When we let them out of their run they often follow him on his rounds. And they sometimes try to use him as a dog taxi but he objects to that sort of treatment.

  2. Maryann PrattSeptember 19, 2010 at 11:09 am

    Congratulations and good luck with the newest member of your family. She is adorable! I have two min poodles and a breed with ‘oodle’ is a very good thing. They are smart, obedient and best of all, non-shedding.
    I, like you, have introduced my dogs with the hens under close supervision only. The hens are curious and the dogs are cautious.

    Your site is delightful and I look forward to your monthly articles.
    Here is the link to my blog and outdoor cam;
    http://www.coopcam.rawlus.com
    Best regards, Maryann

  3. LeeSeptember 22, 2010 at 2:55 pm

    Loved the pictures on your website! Your garden is lovely and Buff Orpingtons are my favorites! Couldn’t find the hencam. Am I missing something?

  4. LeeSeptember 22, 2010 at 3:00 pm

    Thanks for the wonderful dog and chicken l stories. I’m sure I’ll have a few to tell soon!

  5. MaryannSeptember 24, 2010 at 5:48 am

    Hi Lee,
    I hope you are able to see my hens. On the right side of blog page, under Pages is Coopcam Outdoors. (You will be my first West Coast visitor (I think), so please let me know if you are able to access it.
    By the way, I love the message board.

  6. LeeSeptember 24, 2010 at 9:26 am

    I did it Maryann! Oh, those beautiful Buffs. I will be able to see the change of seasons around your coop! How lovely! Our seasons are pretty much the same year-round. Cheers from the West Coast!

  7. Roseann & DeniseOctober 2, 2010 at 7:08 am

    Hi from Brooklyn!
    Congratulations, Tillie is adorable. Love the pictures of her with “the girls”. Does she seem interested in the chickens when she is in the garden? Hope your garden is continuing to do well. Here in Brooklyn we had a very hot summer, lots of 90’s. The backyard and rooftop gardens got a bit of a slow start with such hot weather so early, some problems with sun burning and the string beans did not like the hot weather. The fall weather seems to have settled in now 60’s and 70’s and the tomatoes, peppers and eggplants are ready.
    We enjoy reading your new message board and giving the girls credit on their egg production.
    Regards,
    Roseann & Denise
    PS Tried to post previously but computer got locked up so not sure if it went through. Pardon us if this is just a repeat message.

  8. LeeOctober 4, 2010 at 4:29 pm

    Hello Brooklyn,
    Glad you’re back. Wish I could grow eggplant and peppers. They need your hot summers. Sorry to say it has been a cool one here. We had a three-day heat wave that ripened a basket of tomatoes for our table. We do enjoy that home-grown taste of fresh tomatoes and basil.
    Tillie is good with the chickens. I have to watch her. She is still a rambunctious pup. If she chased them, they would run….then that prey instinct would set in. As long as Tillie and the hens stay clam, they are quite compatible.
    By the way, both your comments got through but I won’t post the first one since it is similar.
    Glad you both are doing well and still tuning in!

  9. MaryannOctober 6, 2010 at 12:06 pm

    Thank you for the ‘shout out’ on the message board!!!
    The Buff Orpingtons of Cape Cod

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