what we asked for

We started asking for a big dog a while ago. Our Jack Russell has been a great addition to our farm, and she does a great job here.

But the nighttime predators continue to deplete our flocks, and the past few days have been particularly awful: 12 chickens one night, a couple of laying hens, then 12 chickens again on Monday night. 

What is most frustrating: whatever is doing this is just killing them and leaving them. 

This week there are just enough birds to fulfill our CSA shares. The other 24 are birds we would sell. They were full size, which means we paid for the birds and the feed to get them there. 

We have seen dogs develop their true instinct to protect their flock if they have shepherd in them. 

Enter Chaz. 

He is large enough to set off the seat belt alarm in the truck. He spent the night outside (with me) on alert most of the night. No birds were attacked, he got out of the truck several times, growling and slowly heading after things that went bump in the night. 

He was certainly a family pet before. Like our Jack, he will take little time out here to develop what his breeding probably is: a protector. 

Although if you pulled in our parking lot last night he was right at the gate, barking. And if you happened to be a neighbor dropping stuff off and usually open the gate and walk right in: sorry. He was not meant to keep you out, he's supposed to keep the fox and all the other nighttime chicken killers out. Oops!