!#+%! COYOTES!

[FarmerChick]

I feel for ya big time
had it happen to me and worst is just wondering if what is there is safe.
and you just keep checking and fixing and varmint proofing
ugh
sorry for you having this battle now

 

[i_am2bz]

I am so sorry! You must be in shock. What a sad story.

I had originally wanted to free-range my chickens, until I realized all the predators (hawks, cats, etc) that could get them. Their coop & pen are like Fort Knox now. I know I would just be devastated if anything happened to them (or any of my other critters)...altho I know the hawks, etc are just doing what comes naturally, unfortunately. I hope you can find a way to keep them all safe.

 

[Shiloh Acres]

Thanks again everyone.

Karen, sorry to hear about your cats. I'm glad now that I didn't get kittens for my barn when a neighbor offered. That would just make me feel that much worse. So sorry to hear about yours. Why is it so often our favorites or the best ones we lose?

I started out free-ranging my chickens as I have always done. I can't let them out tho without being there to watch. I've lost a lot of them this year.

I wish I could have a pack of LGDs but that's not in the budget. Not right now. And it would be such a lag before they'd be trained. I have a dog over 100lb probably. But he's only 10 months old. I'd be afraid a full pack of coyotes would just take him out, and I'm pretty attached to him too. Plus he's just not reliable to leave alone with goats or chickens. He likes to chase them.

I'm still surprised they went to the trouble to break into my barn, when other animals are just pastured around.

I did want to make sure everyone around here with livestock knew about it, so they could protect their own. A couple of the men are coming around tonight to try to shoot them for me. I didn't turn them down. I feel exhausted by all this. I had to work a half day today and our school had Thanksgiving dinner for the students and parents, so by the time I finished and got home I was just tired.

 

[Blackbird]

How are you holding up??

Any news?

 

[Shiloh Acres]

They didn't come back last night. Maybe they knew the guys were there. I hoped the coyotes would try. I'm going to bury the remains today.

One of the local dogs came this morning. I think he knows there's a kill in there and was drawn to it. But he was also VERY nervous and paced a lot, sniffing around. He finally marked the middle of the road and just left. So I'm thinking yes it's coyotes, if he was too afraid to approach.

I didn't sleep much last night. A friend reminded of putting on radios to keep them away. Dunno for sure if it works but I might try it she also said she let her goats go in and out of the barn instead of locking them in. I keep wondering if my girls would have been safer if I'd left them free. They could have run and probably would have raised more of an alarm.

I'm just sick about it still.

 

[Shiloh Acres]

And thanks for asking, Blackbird. I was typing the update and hadn't even seen your post. I appreciate it.

 

[Blackbird]

We have a radio in our barn but it's only playing when we are in to milk.. So I haven't a clue about that.

We do have those solar sidewalk lights/lanterns perched out all over around the pens and buildings, we like to think that helps deter some predators, but I'm not entirely sure it does.

Now that our girls are in the big pasture, if they are spooked they can get out of the pen entirely which they have done in the past.. We assume they've been scared by deer that sometimes pass through.. If it was a coyote I think we'd know. We lock our girls up at night.. I think if a coyote really wanted it could probably get in but I try not to think about it.. (does that sound bad?)

Our chickens are easy pickings, so I would hope they'd go for a bird before a goat...

Have you thought about a llama as a guard animal? We had a donkey that was great for protection, against our own dog anyway. Expect we couldn't keep him with the goats because he'd beat up on them. We no longer have him but I've thought about a llama since then.. Supposedly they are good guardians and I've seen them for around $100.

 

[i_am2bz]

We had coyotes around our house in VT but didn't have critters then so didn't much worry about them. Would lights on a motion-detector thing help, I wonder? If the lights came on suddenly would that startle them & they would leave...? We do have those on our chicken coop, but don't know if they're ever spooked anything/one. :/

I just can't imagine coming out in the morning & finding any of the animals killed. Our neighbor's chickens were killed (by dogs, we think); DH found one behind his woodshop, he just buried it & didn't even show me, he knew how upset I would be...

 

[Shiloh Acres]

I have a llama actually. She couldn't actually fight off a determined pack of coyotes, though she's pretty big. Llamas in pasture in herds have been killed by packs of dogs and sometimes coyotes.

That may be part of why the coyotes left the boys alone. I'm not sure. They are pastured at night with the llama. The girls used to have that pasture, with llama, during the day.

A neighbor did say she thought she heard goats during the night, and what she thought was a donkey. A llama's alarm call sounds a little like a donkey. So maybe she did call out. I just can't believe I didn't hear it. I'm a very light sleeper and normally I wake hearing the animals several times each night, and that when they are just stirring about and not alarmed.

Then again, I ALWAYS wake when the dog makes any noise. He will give a very quiet bark if he isn't sure or wants attention, but if ANYthing is outside he barks loudly until I check it out.

 

[Beekissed]

Leg traps, SSS.