Chicken Wrangling

Those danged chickens will not stay off the back porch. They seem to have developed a taste for cat food that just won't be quenched. Today I took out herding them away with all three border collies and what a sight that was. Four chickens, two hens, two roosters, with three black dogs in "driving" mode, pushing them away from the house. It might have seemed like overkill, but those birds are determined. They kept trying to cut back around the dogs, but three was just too many for them. They finally left and stayed away the rest of the day.

Driving is less natural to a border collie than gathering, that is bringing the animals towards you. Nick did me real proud, for a young dog with very little formal training (and none on hens). A short year ago he thought chickens were just made to be chased, and preferably popped like feather balloons. Today he worked like a pro, even though he is still limping from the hit by a car incident. He only angled around in front of them once, and then came right back "inside" when I called him in.

Mike showed what kind of dog he is, driving chickens with obvious disdain and turning towards the bull on the other side of the fence every time I called, "lie down". He knows what his calling in life is supposed to be and it doesn't have anything to do with poultry. I have never let him work the shorthorn bull, but he measured him as a threat and wanted to go put a whup on him so bad he was quivering with eagerness. I am unfailingly amazed by these dogs' ability to read stock and pick out the ones that mean harm. I can't let him go after the bull though, because of his age and the deep mud out there, but I sure would love to. That bull could use a little formal education. He doesn't like me much.