I wrote pretty in depth about my experience with Hurley, my german shepherd mix, and getting her used to the chickens. She was NOT a bird friendly dog- she was notorious for snatching birds out of the air after startling them by the backyard bird feeder. It was a slow, long process but she is now 100% trustworthy around the chickens, and is sometimes left outside with them during the day to protect them from predators like hawks and stray cats.

If you’ve had concerns about integrating chickens with a high prey drive dog, read my HuffPo article on the slow process of desensitizing them.