Many countryside people have to travel to the city to take care of some business. They need to leave someone behind to guard the vicinity when they are gone. Most of them have dogs to do so, and if they are from the United Kingdom, most of the time, that dog will be a Corgi.
Even though corgis are excellent guard dogs, some people still ask, “Are corgis good with chickens?” which is perfectly justified.
It’s in human nature to evolve daily, and we mainly do that by learning new stuff. It may come as a shock to some people, but corgis can coexist with chickens if they are appropriately trained.
Aren’t corgis aggressive towards every other animal? When people stumble upon them in the dog park, they try to pass them because corgis exhibit belligerent behavior. Sadly, there are plenty of misconceptions regarding corgis, and it’s my job today to address all of them.
Sit back and relax as I’ll go into heavy detail regarding the topic at hand!
Day-To-Day Life With Corgis
Nowadays, it’s impossible to take your dog for a walk and not stumble upon some corgis along the road. They are a fan-favorite breed among dog enthusiasts. Corgis can adapt to any kind of weather conditions and thus and can be found worldwide.
Dog parks are great places where you can take your dog for them to have some fresh air and exercise. On top of that, your dog can meet many new friends out there. I guarantee you that it won’t just pass by a corgi – your dog, no matter what breed it is, will try to play with that corgi.
Many corgis are thrilled to play and goof around the dog park with other dogs, as long as they treat them properly. Many dog breeds are larger than an average corgi, and that can cause some specific problems while they play along.
You see, corgis tend to suffer from a small dog syndrome or, more popularly, the Napoleon syndrome. When corgis interact with dogs bigger than them, they will sometimes misbehave when playing with those dogs.
If corgis feel threatened in any way, they will act up and attack them for whatever reason they see fit. Most of the time, Corgis draw the shorter straws and have a rougher time properly playing with other larger dogs, but that will never stop them from giving a maximum effort!
Naturally energetic, corgis will always crave long walks and exercises. Be prepared on time and buy a long leash if you plan on having a corgi! They get quickly exhausted when they overheat – be sure to bring along a bottle of water to offer them whenever they need some.
If you don’t have lots of free time at your disposal and can’t correctly provide a corgi with long walks – fear not! If a bare minimum of a house with a spacious backyard is met – corgis can adequately run from one side of your fence to the other whenever they feel like spending some excess energy.
Make sure that you lock the main gate of your property whenever you leave your house for work. Corgis will sometimes try to escape their main habit in search of new challenges. They are courageous dogs that are in constant need of some adventures.
Even if corgis escape from time to time, you shouldn’t concern yourself too much with that. They know what’s best for them and will return whenever they feel hungry. But just to be safe, check all the locks before you leave your property!
Many challenges can occur when you have corgis living by your side. On some occasions, people have more animals that they keep. If you feel like taking some chickens and have a corgi beforehand, some stuff needs to be addressed.
Are Corgis Compatible With Chickens?
Corgis can be separated into only two different breeds; The Pembroke and The Cardigan Welsh Corgi. If you put them under a magnifying glass, you can see that they only differ in height, weight, and color. The Cardigan Welsh Corgi is the larger one.
Even though corgis are generally considered small dogs, don’t let their size fool you. They have long roots, dating even from the time when the Vikings were alive. Vikings used them as herding dogs, mainly to carry cattle from the villages to the markets.
They mostly remained as herding dogs until people in the early 20th century tried to make them into regular pet dogs. Nowadays, corgis are rarely used as pastoral dogs, but some remained pastoral and specifically used for that.
If you are searching for a good herding dog, I suggest considering The Corgi Cattle Dog. By mixing The Cardigan and The Pembroke breeds, people have discovered a unique breed that is even better at herding than regular corgis.
Unlike regular corgis, The Corgi Cattle Dog has stronger herding instincts, making them a better choice for keeping livestock in place. Like sheep, cows, and horses, many animals are harder to be managed by dogs as small as corgis, but chickens, on the other hand, aren’t.
Chickens stand less than 27.6 inches tall and weigh approximately 5.7 pounds. Where corgis lack in height, they make up in weight. Corgis have around 27 pounds, making them five times heavier than chickens.
The size difference will add up to the balance between corgis and chickens – giving a clear edge in favor of corgis. It’s up to you to choose how your corgi will use its size advantage when dealing with your chickens.
Let’s clarify that corgis can be compatible with chickens as long as you adequately teach them to behave themselves. Most corgis will be delighted to have a friend in the house, only if that friend doesn’t bother them when they need some space.
Some Roles Need To Be Set Between Corgis And Chickens
Corgis can get easily irritated, and everyone that crosses paths with them when they are grumpy, to say the very least, will be warned. It’s necessary to educate them properly so that accidents never happen.
If your corgi attacks you by some chance, you should immediately punish him in a way proportional to that attack. Don’t let their small size fool you; corgis are dangerous dogs when they charge at someone fully enraged.
The same can be said for chickens – any inappropriate behavior toward hens shouldn’t be tolerated. Corgis were used as herding dogs for a long time, and that should be their only job – to correctly herd your chickens whenever necessary.
With time, I’m sure that you can teach your corgi to always treat chickens with dignity and respect. You need to understand that there needs to be a specific order to some things when dealing with corgis and chickens.
The most crucial ones being:
- Corgis love to eat. I was shocked when I found out just how much exactly they can and need to eat daily. You need to separate corgis and chickens when you’re serving your corgis a meal. If chickens come close to corgis when they eat, they won’t hesitate to attack them.
- Even if you have lots of free space in your yard, corgis and chickens are bound to meet sometimes. I mean, you can’t let your corgi take dumps inside the house! Unfortunately, chickens will sometimes try to peck on those dumps, and you should prevent them from doing that.
- Just because your corgi is loving and caring towards you doesn’t mean that it will exhibit that behavior towards chickens. You can never tell when will corgis’ predatory instincts kick in. To be on the safe side, always be present when corgis are near hens.
- In most cases, chickens will mind their own business, pecking on the ground and running along the yard searching for some stuff. They can unintentionally bump into your corgi, and that may catch him off guard. Teach them to never overreact to such things!
- Everyone needs to know where their main home is located. Corgis should have a unique dog house where they usually rest and sleep. On the other hand, chickens need to have a hen house situated separately from the corgis’ dog house.
| To provide protection – that should be the main job of corgis, not just for us, but to other animals on the property, like chickens! |
At first, many of the stuff above can be challenging to achieve, but it’s doable with proper space management. Although corgis mostly hang out with us or alone, they will sometimes enjoy a good interaction with other animals. Oddly enough, chickens will try to play with corgis if they feel safe!
Final Thoughts
Just because corgis tend to charge at any animal doesn’t mean that they are insensitive beings. Most corgis are gentle and caring dogs that will gladly play around with anyone as long as they treat them with respect. With that in mind, the question are corgis good with chickens rises.
Many skeptics will try to say otherwise, but to truth is that corgis will be delighted to have hens around them. Still, before introducing corgis to chickens, it’s necessary to set boundaries that mustn’t be crossed.
Carefully plan where you will place the dog house for your corgi, as having it too close to the hens’ house might cause some troubles. When feeding corgis their daily meals, try to separate them from chickens as corgis will attack them if they bother them while they eat.
Fortunately, if all of the conditions have been met, corgis can adequately coexist with chickens!
