Sam sleeps soundly
Bad Sam Sam was not raised to protect poultry but he has been running the fox off the fields whenever he sees them. So we figured our 13 chickens would be safe just like the remaining 3 ducks, esp...
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Sam is almost 4 and works the night shift; we hear him at night out with the sheep barking at perceived threats. In the heat of summer he typically sleeps during the day in the back of the barn where it is cool. Come cooler weather we expect he'll go back to roaming during the day (after he has "clocked out") and he'll have to go back on a drag. We do not want to get another dog until he is less likely to entice a buddy to go roaming with him. We're likley to look for an adult working LGD that has been "downsized" out of a job.
Based upon how he reacts to sounds while he's awake, his hearing is fine. This is not the first time he has not reacted to noise (or being called) while he was asleep. The previous times we just figured he was not interested in coming (or reacting) to us.
We had ducks before we got Sam (when Sam was 8 months old) he was corrected once for trying to play with the ducks and that was the end of it (he has not killed any of our ducks).
Two chickens are gone; the third (attacked in the barn) was injured on the back of the neck but managed to escape through a small hole in a door to the silo. Hopefully the healthy chickens will leave the injured chicken alone which was treated with Blu Kote and 50 mg of oxytetracycline dihydrate (LA-200).
Fortunately, a friend has offered to farm sit while we're away competing this weekend. She is taking one of her dogs to UPenn Vet hospital for complex dental work because of her confidence in their surgeons and her alumni discount. That means we'll have a vet to keep an eye on the injured chicken.
Based upon how he reacts to sounds while he's awake, his hearing is fine. This is not the first time he has not reacted to noise (or being called) while he was asleep. The previous times we just figured he was not interested in coming (or reacting) to us.
We had ducks before we got Sam (when Sam was 8 months old) he was corrected once for trying to play with the ducks and that was the end of it (he has not killed any of our ducks).
Two chickens are gone; the third (attacked in the barn) was injured on the back of the neck but managed to escape through a small hole in a door to the silo. Hopefully the healthy chickens will leave the injured chicken alone which was treated with Blu Kote and 50 mg of oxytetracycline dihydrate (LA-200).
Fortunately, a friend has offered to farm sit while we're away competing this weekend. She is taking one of her dogs to UPenn Vet hospital for complex dental work because of her confidence in their surgeons and her alumni discount. That means we'll have a vet to keep an eye on the injured chicken.
