How To Protect Your Chickens From Your Domestic Pets

While your dog or cat is your best friend, she can be unpredictable at times. It is prevalent for these domestic pets to want to make a delicious meal out of your chicks or even the grownup chickens. Perhaps, cats and dogs have the ancestral predatory instincts that are yet to get eluded from them; hence, they may end up considering your chicks as easy prey.  Taking the necessary steps is, therefore, is vital to realizing benefits from your newly acquired chickens. Here are a few tips that will help you protect your chickens while maintaining that friendly relation you had with your pet before the new visitors arrived at your backyard.

1. Let the pets have the scent
Your pets should experience the chicken's trail first from you before you formulate an official introduction. After handling your chicks, call that dog or cat, offer it nose your hands. This way, she will be friendly to the chicks because it first got the scent from its owner.


2. Pets Learn from what they see
Select the time when your pet is at her finest. This is usually after a meal or playtime. Allow that cat or dog to observe you as you interact with the chicks. It will learn from your friendly handling and recognize that these chickens are also part of the family. Nevertheless, Do not be in a rush to leave your pet unattended with the chicks regardless of the much tolerance she demonstrates.

3. Install Low-voltage Electric Fence
When the chickens are in the open-air, keep a beady eye on your pets as they interact with them. If they prove aggressive or curious around the birds, installing an ultra-low-voltage electric fence around the coop may be a good move. Once bitten, twice shy — your pet will ultimately overlook the enclosure thanks to the occasional light zap on the muzzle.

Still, you may allow the pets to coexist with your chicken if they seem uninterested and lenient. But there is no assurance in the future that they won't act violently towards your birds.

Give your Backyard Flock a Treat
Want to give your feathery friends something they will love and make them healthier? Check our PopWorms! treats that will leave your chickens happier while giving you an excellent return to your chicken investment.