Farm dogs nail pecking order

WHEN it comes to protecting their chickens, free range egg producers Angela and Phillip Glover now have some fourLegged recruits.

The couple who run Mt Roland Free Range Eggs introduced their first Maremma dog Boss to the operation 12 months ago.

Since then they have also bought a female Maremma and bred a litter of pups.

They now have four Ma- remmas on the property, including four-month-olds Chief and Maggie.

Phillip said their main problem had been predation of the chickens by eagles and hawks.

“We were losing quite a lot of birds because once the eagles and hawks know they’re here they would just keep coming back,” he said.

In the past Phillip said their only options had been to keep the chickens locked in their portable shelters for a few days until the predatory birds lost interest — but they would often return a few weeks later.

“I did a bit of reading and thought the Maremmas might be the way to go, so we got Boss to start with to see if it would work,” he said.

Maremmas are originally from Italy where they were used for centuries as flock guardians for sheep and goats.

The dogs bond closely with the animals they are protecting and live outside with the Glovers’ chickens.

Phillip said when Boss spotted an eagle he would bark loudly, jump up and down and push the chicken away from the threat.

“It’s amazing to watch actually,” he said. “They have such a protective instinct and the pups are starting to show some of his traits too.”

Since introducing the dogs the Glovers have not lost any chickens.

Phillip said an unexpected benefit was an increase in egg production.