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The suburban farm update: Drew herds chickens (sort of)
By Gina Spadafori
March 26, 2009
I am prepared to be mocked by the folks with “real” herding dogs. But I’m telling you that in the last two weeks, Drew the pretty little bon-bon of Sheltie sweetness has learned to herd the chickens.
Or something like it.
I have seen the Aussies of our newest blogger, Liz Palika, put her geese back in the pen with efficient delight at being useful. And I have certainly seen and admired working border collies and other breeds herd livestock.
But Drew? Pretty Drew? I’m not really going to call it herding, but it’s kind of like that. He is clearly proud of his accomplishment, which came about, as things often do, pretty much by accident.
The chickens love wandering the fenced yard outside of their enclosure, eating grass and snarfing up bugs, so about a month ago I decided to start giving them a couple hours out every morning and afternoon. They have to go back behind their gate before I let the retrievers out, though, because they are not safe with the bird dogs around. (McKenzie will retrieve them, with force if need be.)
Drew is a gentle sort, so one day when putting the hens back into their yard I saw no reason why Drew couldn’t go out, too. I figured he’d sniff around, take a pee and that would be pretty much it.
Instead, he circled behind me and then alongside, eyes on the chickens. They moved away from him, he took a couple more steps forward and they moved again.
“Good boy, Drew,” I said, realizing that I might have had something fun developing right in front of me. Drew wasn’t sure what he was being praised for, but he liked the praise and the chickens still interested him, so he stepped forward again. They moved closer to the pen and kept moving with him three-five feet behind them. More praise, more walking, more praise. I closed the gate on the chickens and told Drew he was brilliant.
He liked that. A lot.
I wouldn’t bet the suburban farm that this is a matter of instinct with Drew. He’s a little shy and that’s why he kept his distance, moving forward only when they moved away. The chickens were heading in the right direction not because Drew was pushing them, but because they know when I come out it’s time for them to go into their pen and get cracked corn for a treat.
Drew is bright, loves learning and lives for praise. He was “caught doing something right” and kept doing it. And just like that, Drew’s skill repertoire was just a little bit bigger.
Just now I got home and took Drew out with me to move the chickens. “Put ‘em up, Drewbie,” I told him, and he did his thing, walking behind them and ahead of me slowly as they crossed the yard and went through the gate. He didn’t have to bunch them — they bunch on their own – and I said, the chickens know the drill.
I’m pretty sure if one had challenged him, he would have backed right down. But they’re all hens, no rooster, and know there’s corn at the end of the journey. If a dog wants to think it was his idea that they go into the pen, they’re good with it.
As for Drew, he’s really good with it. Delighted to have a little something to do that’s just his own, no retrievers included.
I have a little bit of a farm here, and now, I have a little bit of a farm dog. And we’re both pretty happy about it.
***
Chick update: I lost two of the new chicks. One was no surprise at all, since she was the smallest and the weakest, and probably would have died within 24 hours had I not tried to keep her hydrated. The other was unexpected, since all the others looked healthy and seemed to be eating and drinking well. Still, they are so fragile at this stage, and it’s not unusual to lose a couple.
I thought I’d have lost three. Yesterday when I came home at lunch to feed McPregnant and check on everyone, one of the chicks had the condition referred to in poultry circles as “pasty butt.” She had a big glob of mess plastered on her backside. Untreated, the mess blocks up the chick and death soon follows. I wet a paper towel with warm water and cleaned her up, and put her under the heat lamp to dry. She was shivering and a little unsteady on her feet, and I figured she wouldn’t make it.
This morning, I couldn’t figure out which one she was. Everyone looked fine, active and eating, and no sign of pasty butt anywhere.
I’m feeling like a pretty good chicken mom tonight, let me tell you!
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I’ve seen a couple Shelties that had very nice instincts, good balance, and real ability with light stock. (The best one was a natural bobtailed black and white, and tiny. The owner had been sworn to secrecy by the breeder, who didn’t want the world to know her show dogs had produced such a freak. This was probably the only Sheltie I’d have bought for myself if I could have.)
Not too many kinds of stock that are lighter than chickens!
Don’t sell the boy short.
Now, would I have thrown those Shelties up against an ornery cow, or a Targhee ram? Not unless I had need of a new plush rug.
But a dog with some caution is nice when dealing with … er … flighty and reactive livestock.
Sending Rosie to put the chickens up when she is afflicted with a “mood” is guaranteed to make half of them miss the pop door in a fluttering fluster and require several follow-up passes to do what one deliberate drive would have accomplished in a quarter the time.
But I’ll need that heedless enthusiasm with the goats pretty soon.
Comment by H. Houlahan — March 26, 2009 @ 11:11 pm
Herding Shelties!
http://sheltiehomepage.mcf.com.....lties.html
Gina, if you ever get a chance, take Drew to see Linda Rorem, who is in NorCal (Pacifica, last I heard). She’s my go to person for all things about herding. Linda breeds and trials her herding Shelties, and has achieved advanced titles on them. Ask Linda about the time the Border Collie could not get the sheep out of the pen, so they sent in her Sheltie to get them out.
Comment by LauraS — March 27, 2009 @ 12:16 am
Love it! Go Drew!
Patrick
Comment by PBurns — March 27, 2009 @ 1:41 am
Over the course of many years, I had 3 shelties. They all had some degree of herding instinct. The last one got to move my sheep which were trained to a dog, so when they saw him with me, they would move more or less in the direction I wanted. Thank you for writing up Drew’s experiences as a working dog! It is thoroughly enjoyable reading, especially for someone who loves shelties!
Comment by Anne T — March 27, 2009 @ 3:00 am
Good on Drew!! Its nice to have a job that you can be the expert at!
Comment by 2CatMom — March 27, 2009 @ 6:26 am
Good for Drew! They can always surprise us. And good for you for saving Little Pasty Butt. I love looking at my sister’s chickens, she has a big fenced wooden coop. The chickens are beautiful as she gets several types.
Comment by Phyllis DeGioia — March 27, 2009 @ 6:46 am
Years ago I had a house bunny who was allowed outside in the backyard (stockade fence) under supervision so she wouldn’t dig out. When it was time to come in, or go into her outside bunny house, she sometimes would be understandably reluctant. All on his own initiative, my shepherd mix herded her against the fence line, exactly how you describe Drew with the chickens. Slowly advancing, stopping to let bunny hop along the fenceline in front of him. When the bunny reached a corner, he’s move to block both “escape” routes and I could then walk in and pick her up. Bunny got a lot more outside freedom once I knew I could get her back safely and quickly.
Comment by Louise — March 27, 2009 @ 7:52 am
For anyone who might be interested, you might like to check out the American Working Collie Association, http://www.awca.net.
There’s a nice picture on the home page of a sable collie moving goats. The organization also seems to be front and center whenever there are collies needing rescue. They also offer a variety of working titles for collies.
There’s nothing quite like a collie, and I include shelties, who has “done their job”. They’re so cute and proud of themselves.
Comment by Susan Fox — March 27, 2009 @ 7:52 am
Heym Shelties ARE herding dogs and were used so on the Shetland Islands for many years - probably still are. So yes, I would expect him to have those instincts. And it’s fun to watch those instincts kick in!
Comment by Liz Palika — March 27, 2009 @ 9:23 am
Not sure what my smooth Collie would do if we do get chickens, but I tell you he herds squirrels. I thought he was mentally defective when we first got him. He won’t chase a squirrel in stright line, he does an out run each and every time and tries to come up behind them. Poor Finn, they are long gone before he gets there, but he never stops trying.
Comment by Nancy Freedman-Smith CPDT — March 27, 2009 @ 9:41 am
I wouldn’t recommend underestimating shelties as herding dogs. I’ve seen a number of them with good instincts, and in the right hands, they can make lovely herding dogs. Drew’s ability doesn’t surprise me at all.
Of course, as someone observed in a previous comment, they are not suitable for all situations, but that’s true of many working dogs.
Have fun with Drew!It sounds like he’ll be a good assistant for you.
Comment by Patricia Nelson — March 27, 2009 @ 10:43 am
Maybe I am selling him a little short. Just now we went to put the chickens in the pen he went back and picked up a straggler. Charlotte was poking around and didn’t come in with the flock. I pointed her out to Drewbie, and he walked behind her, then towards her. She trotted right in to the pen with him walking along behind her.
So maybe he does have some natural instinct, after all.
I do know that he LOVES showing off his new job. He is clearly proud of himself, and blooms under all the lavish praise.
Comment by Gina Spadafori — March 27, 2009 @ 10:48 am
So now that you have a working herding dog you can get a pond and flock of ducks too. :O)
Comment by Original Lori — March 27, 2009 @ 11:04 am
Dogs herding chickens - great stuff! I’ve spoken with no fewer than five My Pet Chicken clients who have unintentionally potty-trained their pet chickens… One client’s “house chicken” learned by watching how the dogs waited until they were let out; another learned to go in the kitty litter box by watching the cat. Incredible! We’ll refer clients to your blog who are curious about how chickens interact with other animals. :)
Comment by Traci at My Pet Chicken — March 27, 2009 @ 5:31 pm
Thanks, Traci! I love MyPetChicken.com. And yes, I have a lot of critters. My rule with all interspecies interactions: Better safe than sorry.
That’s why the chicken-retrieving McKenzie isn’t allowed to retrieve hens. Cute could turn deadly in a flash, even if she didn’t mean to hurt the hen.
Comment by Gina Spadafori — March 27, 2009 @ 6:03 pm