Thinking about getting a chicken for my doggies.

[mikeofaustin]

Thinking about getting a 'chicken' for my doggies.

Now, don't get me wrong, I love all animals, but instead of a kitten that my GSD keeps asking for, I'm thinking about getting her a little chick. Something that she could love and play with. My GSD has an absolutely wonderful personality, and I just know she would the first to be a loving mother to this little chick (chicken), even trying to teach her to play with her ball.... My only concern is that when this chicken gets older, what do I do with this hen? I wouldn't want to cook her, but let her live her life to her best of years... or just give her to a local farmer.

....Has anyone ever had a pet chicken for the dogs, and what do you do at the 'end of days'? (I'm assuming that a chicken lives a much shorter life than the average dog or human. Also, are they o.k. with just eating bugs on the ground, or do they need extra feed.

...yeah, I'm dumb when it comes to farm animals, but I'm thinking about my doggies. If it's something that's better not approached, fine. But I thought I would ask you guys first... the true knowledge base.

BTW, this was just a screwy idea I got today, so I might not do it at all... but I thought i'd ask you guys first.

 

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[NGE]

Re: Thinking about getting a 'chicken' for my doggies.

Why not just get another GSD? for your GSD? seriously.......NGE

 

[mikeofaustin]

Re: Thinking about getting a 'chicken' for my doggies.

Why not just get another GSD? for your GSD? seriously.......NGE

Reason being, that I already have a dog. Don't want another. Just want to give my wonderful Heidi a mothering experience. Perhaps I need to seek knowledge from somewhere other than this place....?

Not! there are people here that will give me advice.

 

[NGE]

Re: Thinking about getting a 'chicken' for my doggies.

Mike, I have no Idea what a GSD is, hence the ? mark after GSD in my post. Please don't put me on your ignore list because of this. Tell me what a GSD is? I am Ignor-ant........NGE

 

[mikeofaustin]

Re: Thinking about getting a 'chicken' for my doggies.

mike when it comes to wee little chicks I know what I am talking about...here is my pup with his chick.....what you don't see is the chick trying to get under the dog and the forlorn look on his face when he wonders what to do with it...Now my dog is as gentle as can be...but had I not been right there the chick would be no more as they break real easy...a chick is not the way to go unless you have no heart and are prepared to bury the poor little thing.

After some considerable thought, and I keep thinking, perhaps a little chick might not be the way to go. This reasoning is because I love all animals and perhaps I might actually take a shine toward the chicken, and find it painful to see her pass. But, as a german shepard owner (GSD), my dog has actually taken kind to moths (crazy isnt' it). She has a fantastic mothering temperament. Sure, I could be wrong when it comes to a little chick, but my 'guess' is that she won't kill it.

What got me thinking about this, was a friend of mine a long time ago, had a pet rat. This rat was just like a little kitten. It had it's way around the house, but it also sought out petting when you sat down to watch a movie, so it was very much friendly (rats are very smart). In fact, this rat got so big, it was like a cat... it would lay on the sofa like a big fat cat, and if you wanted to sit down, you had to shove her out of the way. This rat got along fine with his rhodesian ridgebacks and would share the food dish with them. It was crazy, but an experience. He would literally let his rat have the way of the house.... His neighbors would say, "I saw your rat in my kitchen the other day, and it was asking for food". Crazy, yeah!!! (((because his neighbor already met the rat, they knew of her... 'Beatle juice' was her name))).

I don't know, I'm just a lover of all animals... especially my GSD. She's a real sweat heart.

 

[Felinepeachy]

Re: Thinking about getting a 'chicken' for my doggies.

I'd get her the kitten that she keeps asking for. But you shouldn't leave them alone unattended until the kitten is older and you know how well they have bonded because you just never know. Kittens have needle sharp little claws and all it would take is the kitten to accidentally dig it's claws in your dog (say to climb on her while she's laying down) and your dog might, out of a painful surprise, snap at the kitten and injure it unintentionally. They will get along great, ya just have to have the time to be a protective daddy to your kitten like you are to your dog.



And Do Not Litter, Spay or Neuter.

 

[River Rat]

Re: Thinking about getting a 'chicken' for my doggies.

I agree with T and FP... a suggestion, just get a stuffed animal (they have some real animal looking things) at TSC.

RR

 

[mikeofaustin]

Re: Thinking about getting a 'chicken' for my doggies.

don't want to burst your bubble...but now you are thinking about a rat have you thought about all the many deposits this rat is going to leave around your home...do you know they mark their trail by peeing as they walk? and it will be e-v-e-r-y WHERE!!! So it is up to you....

NO! Not at all.... I am not thinking about a rat... just telling you a story. Oh geez wouldn't that be a thing with my neighbors with a rat in their house.... Nope, I was initially thinking about a hen in the back yard because a hen is very easily bought and sold (to and from local farmers). I was really thinking of some kind of 'friend' for my dog that she could spend time with. At the local flee market, you can buy a chick for 25 cents. When you sell it as a full grown hen, it's $4.

Another thought... my brother has a bread of hen that's pure black. He has these hens for chicken hawks. He says that when a chicken hawk see's a full black bird, they think, "Huge Pigeon" and don't even bother hunting. About 3 years ago, I hung out with him at his house and this big black hen (don't know the name of this type of bird) was his pet. We were watching a movie and he petted this bird just like his own pet while it perched on his knee. strange yes. this is my brother, not me. I only have doggies in my house. (This is in AK by the way).

 

[mikeofaustin]

Re: Thinking about getting a 'chicken' for my doggies.

You are right TexasTEE. For what it's worth, I spend just about every waking hour with them. I work from home. My problem is, that I'm 'working' all the time, and they sit next to me in my office, sleeping. I feel so bad for them. I love them to death... but I feel like they need something to do while I'm at 'work'.

yes, that was that black birds name. My brother loves his. This hen is often in the living room with him.

I won't be getting a chick. Initially, I was thinking that i could eventually give it to a local organic farmer and give her a good life, but then I realized that it would just make me teary eyed when I got rid of her because I'm so soft with animals and all.

Oh, I'm sure I brought this up before, but my brother (with the big black hen), also had a baby doe for a while. He rescued it from hunters when the mom was killed during hunting season. This doe grew up thinking it was a dog. It would join the 'barking session' at cars with the other dogs, when the cars went by the fence line. It was amazing. it eventually grew up and stopped coming by his house less and less often (it used to sleep with him in his bed at night). Sadly, he doesn't see it any more. His land borders the Ozarks's national forest. Lost of wildlife out there. But not a cell phone tower around for a 60 miles.