Kirislin Posted October 4, 2012 Share Posted October 4, 2012 I got some ex battery hens around April this year. I've had them penned for many months and been gently telling the whippets that "we dont chase the chickens". I recently started letting the chooks out, and of course they love to now be able to forage. Initially I kept the dogs locked inside when the chooks were out, but gradually I've been supervising them together. I'm not kidding myself, I need to watch them, I wont be going out and leaving chooks and whippets loose together unsupervised, but I think this is pretty impressive. If anyone here knows my dogs you will know how good this is that I'm able to let the chooks peck around and not have chicken bits strewn around the yard. I'm so proud of my whippets. :D Tag and Blackie 5F6A2651dppt by kirislin, on Flickr Puck with Blackie and Brownie 5F6A2670dppt by kirislin, on Flickr Puck with Brownie and Blackie 5F6A2678dppt by kirislin, on Flickr Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheCheekyMonster Posted October 4, 2012 Share Posted October 4, 2012 I got some ex battery hens around April this year. I've had them penned for many months and been gently telling the whippets that "we dont chase the chickens". I recently started letting the chooks out, and of course they love to now be able to forage. Initially I kept the dogs locked inside when the chooks were out, but gradually I've been supervising them together. I'm not kidding myself, I need to watch them, I wont be going out and leaving chooks and whippets loose together unsupervised, but I think this is pretty impressive. If anyone here knows my dogs you will know how good this is that I'm able to let the chooks peck around and not have chicken bits strewn around the yard. I'm so proud of my whippets. :D Tag and Blackie 5F6A2651dppt by kirislin, on Flickr Puck with Blackie and Brownie 5F6A2670dppt by kirislin, on Flickr Puck with Brownie and Blackie 5F6A2678dppt by kirislin, on Flickr love it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HazyWal Posted October 4, 2012 Share Posted October 4, 2012 That's fantastic :) I would love to have chooks but not with my two Love how much thought you put into the chooks names :laugh: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
toshman Posted October 4, 2012 Share Posted October 4, 2012 That's fantastic :) I would love to have chooks but not with my two Love how much thought you put into the chooks names :laugh: Good work with the Whippets! Love the chook names, too - we had a Blackie once, along with a DB - short for Dirty Bottom :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kirislin Posted October 4, 2012 Author Share Posted October 4, 2012 That's fantastic :) I would love to have chooks but not with my two Love how much thought you put into the chooks names :laugh: Yeah I'm pretty proud of how creative I was. :laugh: I never thought I'd be able to trust mine, but I've just been watching and discouraging any excitement. I still have to watch them, I think Puck is a bit jealous of the chooks, he thinks they're getting food he should be eating but as long as they're supervised I think the chooks can enjoy a happy few hours foraging in the garden. They're out there right now and the whippets are all asleep in the house. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kayla1 Posted October 4, 2012 Share Posted October 4, 2012 That's fantastic :) I would love to have chooks but not with my two Love how much thought you put into the chooks names :laugh: Yeah I'm pretty proud of how creative I was. :laugh: I never thought I'd be able to trust mine, but I've just been watching and discouraging any excitement. I still have to watch them, I think Puck is a bit jealous of the chooks, he thinks they're getting food he should be eating but as long as they're supervised I think the chooks can enjoy a happy few hours foraging in the garden. They're out there right now and the whippets are all asleep in the house. That's great. I'd love some chooks too, but I wouldn't trust one of my dogs with them. The chooks I had many years ago were named after Doctor Who companions. So there was Romana, Nyssa, Tegan..... :laugh: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kirislin Posted October 4, 2012 Author Share Posted October 4, 2012 Truth be told, they were so sickly and miserable when I got them I didn't know if they'd survive, so I just gave them names to identify them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HazyWal Posted October 4, 2012 Share Posted October 4, 2012 Truth be told, they were so sickly and miserable when I got them I didn't know if they'd survive, so I just gave them names to identify them. Poor little buggers, they look very healthy and happy now though. There's something quite theraputic about watching chooks peck and scratch around the yard. A friend of mine has a few and when I visit we sit out on the backstep and just watch them. They are all brown though and look the same( isa browns I think they are called ) so he just calls them " the girls " :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tlc Posted October 4, 2012 Share Posted October 4, 2012 Well done to you and the whips! I think it is really fantastic as you have two things to conquer, the fact that the dogs want to chase the chooks and that the chooks are foraging for food, like you said Puck thinks they are getting something he should be having. That would be my Bronson, he would think he was a chook and be foraging too. :laugh: They all look pretty relaxed in the pictures! Good job. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kirislin Posted October 4, 2012 Author Share Posted October 4, 2012 Truth be told, they were so sickly and miserable when I got them I didn't know if they'd survive, so I just gave them names to identify them. Poor little buggers, they look very healthy and happy now though. There's something quite theraputic about watching chooks peck and scratch around the yard. A friend of mine has a few and when I visit we sit out on the backstep and just watch them. They are all brown though and look the same( isa browns I think they are called ) so he just calls them " the girls " :) I agree, I find them fascinating. Well done to you and the whips! I think it is really fantastic as you have two things to conquer, the fact that the dogs want to chase the chooks and that the chooks are foraging for food, like you said Puck thinks they are getting something he should be having. That would be my Bronson, he would think he was a chook and be foraging too. :laugh: They all look pretty relaxed in the pictures! Good job. Puck sneaks into their house and eats the chook food, then he poops out the whole seeds next day. :laugh: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Salukifan Posted October 4, 2012 Share Posted October 4, 2012 I"m waiting for the first shot of a chook perched on a sun baking Whippet. Looks like it's only a matter of time I don't think I'd get the same result here. Howard likes chooks in the worst way. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kirislin Posted October 4, 2012 Author Share Posted October 4, 2012 I"m waiting for the first shot of a chook perched on a sun baking Whippet. Looks like it's only a matter of time I don't think I'd get the same result here. Howard likes chooks in the worst way. awww come off it, that's just taking it too far! :laugh: Up until fairly recently Puck would charge the pen wire and snap at them, he was pretty intense. I've never had to speak harshly to him, just discourage him in a flat monotone voice, almost disinterested. My whippets are pretty in tune with me, I suppose we're in tune with each other really. When I first got them I didn't imagine I'd get this far with the whippets. You never know with Howard. Maybe get your self a secure chook enclosure first so if he cant be trusted at least you have the chooks safe. Even though mine still haven't given me any eggs and I suspect they never will, I still like having them. I think I'll have to give in and buy a point of lay chook, or I'll never get eggs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loving my Oldies Posted October 4, 2012 Share Posted October 4, 2012 That's fantastic :) I would love to have chooks but not with my two Love how much thought you put into the chooks names :laugh: I'm impressed on all fronts too. :laugh: :laugh: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MadWoofter Posted October 4, 2012 Share Posted October 4, 2012 Well done whippets !! I love that third pic - Puck looks totally relaxed. I adopted two chooks a couple of months ago, and was a little concerned about Fleming as he just luuurves to chase things. It only took a couple of days before he was totally comfortable around them, and I can leave them out together for hours without a problem. They're so comfortable with each in fact that the other day one of the girls got so excited at the thought of food that she flapped around and ended up on Fleming's back !! It was only for a few seconds (I think she got a bigger fright when he moved than he did her landing on him), so Haredown's comment is not completely out of the question :) Great pics as usual :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Squidgy Posted October 4, 2012 Share Posted October 4, 2012 Yay!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adnil444 Posted October 4, 2012 Share Posted October 4, 2012 Love it - great work. I can't imagine my girl ever accepting chooks. Yes love the names too!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Podengo Posted October 4, 2012 Share Posted October 4, 2012 Great pictures, looove the whippets! We always had chickens growing up... We had blackie, brownie, snowy and my personal fav - greyback! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
persephone Posted October 4, 2012 Share Posted October 4, 2012 Of course they are ! :) :) They are doing so well ..congratulations on your training! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
griff Posted October 5, 2012 Share Posted October 5, 2012 Excellent !! and proud you should be :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LizT Posted October 5, 2012 Share Posted October 5, 2012 Well done Kirislin! Great photos. My mother in laws Whippet bitch never bothered her hens. I had a Schipperke that killed one of our chikens once...never said boo to them up until then and one day...POW!...she got told off plenty at the time...found her with dead chicken and guilt written all over her face. Didn't kill another chicken for 7 years, then went on a bender and killed a bunch of over a period of two weeks. That's when she went to live with my mum. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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