Another coyote question...is it normal for them

[Sanny]

Get worried about this???

First off....we don't live out in a rural secluded area. We do have 10 acres and we do live in an area where most people have 5 or more acres - lots of horse people around here and there is a very large 5,000 acre park preserve just down the road from us BUT we are also in a metropolitan (suburban) neighborhood - just 20 minutes or so from downtown Minneapolis. We are just about 1/2 mile off a major highway.

This past fall leading into winter, on some nights we can hear coyotes howling to each other, and a month or so ago our neighbor came over to tell me he had seen a large coyote go through his property across the road and into our pasture.

This morning, I was walking back from our barn after feeding hay outside to the horses and I noticed the horses all looking at something, and right behind our house we have a big pond. I couldn't believe it, a large coyote was trotting across the pond not more than 50 yards from me. I yelled HEY (me and my big mouth) and he/she stopped in their tracks and just stared at me right in the eyes for a minute and then just continued across the pond, through the fence and across the road onto the neighbors land. This was on a bright sunny morning during morning rush hour, so lots of cars around AND our kids about to go out and wait for the school bus within a few feet of where the coyote crossed the road. I could see new tracks criss crossing the pond and our dogs don't go out on it so I have to assume the tracks were from that coyote or more that I DIDN'T SEE.

Are they normally THAT BOLD?!?!?! It clearly wasn't afraid of me at all....and it had to have been coming from the back of our larger horse pasture WHERE THE HORSES WERE EATING HAY. I do sometimes leave some of the horses out, but in a small paddock that is split rail fencing lined with that wire field type of horse fencing in small squares, there is a STREET LIGHT that illuminates that paddock and I keep a radio on in the adjoining barn so I don't think a coyote could or would even try to get in that pen to get at a mini, but should I worry?

I'm just a little freaked that the coyote this morning was so bold and nonchalant when he/she saw me, obviously not afraid of me.

 

[hhpminis]

We had a coyote problem last year in our area. All of the neighbors made it very clear that they were not welcome. I am not going to expound on how we did it.

We do not have them around here anymore and yes they are that bold. I have field fencing around all my pastures for the purpose of dogs. The young and old are especially vulnerable to an attack. I dont want to scare you but they are a nuisance and can hurt your horses. We had one take a young deer down in our side field last year and that was the final straw for me. Several neighborhood cats went missing but the deer made the possibiity of a mini foal too much of a reality.

 

[Gini]

Sanny

Here in AZ as people move more into coyote territory what you experienced

was not unusual. However, that being said we have had children attacked

on playgrounds and smaller pets taken from back yards. It's always better

to protect yourself and your animals just in case. It sounds like that coyote

has no fear of humans with the way it acted. Just be careful...

 

[CyndiD]

We have them occasionally and I truly think they are getting bolder...and some are obviously getting crossed with dogs.

I put up the cattle panels especially for that reason and when the horses are in our big field they are always several together, never just one or two. We have homes across the road from that field and the neighbors down there keep a good eye on them...which is really great. I seldom hear from those people unless there is something going on with the horses..and they call me right away!!

 

[mininik]

I used to live in an area with many coyotes. I remember once seeing a coyote closely trailing a woman down the street who was walking her tiny dog. The woman had no idea she was being followed. I also often saw coyotes checking out my front porch, presumably smelling where my own small dog had been. There was only one close call when I let my Phillipe (a Toy Poodle) wander while I was feeding and he came nose-to-nose with a coyote who had two pack members waiting nearby. When I saw what was going on I ran towards them, screaming frantically and you know what? The only one I scared was my pup who took cover under the horse trailer as the coyotes slowly loped away... At least where we were they never bothered the horses.

 

[Danielle_E.]

We also have them around our place and I usually see them or hear them late in the evening when they are running in a pack. That is why I always bring my horses in at night, full size and minis and my barn cats are locked-up in the barn at night too because I am tired of losing cats

. Those coyote are lucky I don't own a gun....

 

[Relic]

Yes they are that brazen at least up here where we are we lost a colt to them still seems like yesterday and they are still around but it has gotten to the point where lately now my kids can't run up and down the road practicing for there marathons anymore because they are afraid of getting attacked. l know the past little while they aren't coming for food but have been using the cattle dugout beside us for water. l feel every women should have a coyote coat in her closet.

 

[Magic]

There are coyotes near our new property, and my plan is to keep the miniature horses in the barn at night, AND get one or more Livestock Guardian Dogs. Our fencing will be "no-climb" mesh with electric on top. We also have a gun. I want to make it as difficult as possible for any predators to get to my horses.

Don't underestimate coyotes-- they are extremely adaptable.

 

[shadyacersminis]

Do I have wierd horses or something

Mine will attack anything smaller than them that comes in the pasture... If it crosses the fence line into the pasture, They are after it no matter how far away they are from it, They get in a pack and take off after it... They arent playing either, Its far more than that, So far everything that has crossed paths with them has escaped, but I have seen them come close to killing a couple dogs... I still havent been able to even put our Great Pyr out with them because they do the exact same thing to him....

We are out in the middle of nowhere here, Nothing but woods for miles in eery direction of our farm, We have loads of coyotes around here, but I have yet to see any come anywhere near our pasture... I hear them howling all the time at night, not very far away either, maybe 450 - 500ft from the house off in the woods, but so far they havent messed with us, And Im sure they dont want to tangle with those Big Bad Broodmares

out in the pasture...

 

[HGFarm]

Unfortunately the ones that live near a poplulated area seem to lose a lot of their fear. They walk right down the roads in broad daylight where I live (AZ desert). They dine on cats, small dogs, chickens and anything else they can grab.

My horses are fenced in a fence inside the back fence (double fenced) with my big dogs in back too.

When we lived in Oregon many years ago on a cattle ranch, they used to come in especially during winter when food is scarcer and grab the calves as they were being born out in the pastures. Pretty gross.

I dont think they will bother your grown Minis, but any other small animals beware (Like house pets, etc...) but I am always wary of the wildlife and the diseases they may carry also, like rabies. (skunks, foxes, etc....)

There was, however, an incident a couple of years ago, where a two year old child was attacked in their own front yard by a coyote here in a fairly populated area!!

 

[NMMack]

Hi Sanny,

I live just south of you in Hastings (So of St Paul), and yes, the coyotes are getting VERY bold! They are not as afraid of people because in the sub-suburban areas that we have here, they are more exposed to humans, and their fear of us and ours, is getting less all the time.

Last Summer, we had a pack come up the ravine behind our house and start howling, I opened the window, and yelled out for them to Stop (and a few other choice words)! They kept right on howling and barking. My hubby tried next, and they still didn't run - he ended up taking a shotgun outside and shooting it into the ground out back before they would leave.

We keep our horses in at night, and we have the strong, heavy duty bull panel fencing up so that they can not get in with our horses. The entire perimeter of the pasture/corral is fenced this way.

I am all for wild critters, I truly love watching/studying them, but any critter that wants to hurt my babies is on warning!

Nancy

 

[EminentArabians]

Coyotes are a royal pain! When I lived in California, close to the mexico border on 8 acres, they never bothered the horses, but there were huge packs of them that were always around our property...and very close at night....you could hear their howls as if they were only a few hundred feet away. Our horses stayed out at night either in a pasture, or in a stall that had a small pen to walk out into if they wanted. The only thing they ever bothered were our chickens, and we always herded them into a pen at night so they couldn't get them....although, they did start going after them during the day after they had caught a couple at night.

To be honest, I was more worried about rattlesnakes, other peoples mean dogs and mountain lions. But yes, coyotes ARE that brave....they will come out in daylight, even in lesser populated areas. this is one of the reasons why I like mesh/no climb fences, stray dogs, etc are a whole lot less likely to get inside the fence. They are and can be dangerous, so be careful!

 

[Miniv]

We have a pack of coyotes that live just over a rock ridge and across the road from us.

They don't bother our minis, but I'm not sure about our neighbors' newborn calves.

During foaling season, all of our little ones with their moms come inside at night. And no matter what time of year, all of our horses are in good sized groups.

We also have a radio on and a light on at the barn 24/7....for whatever that's worth.

Yes, coyotes are very adaptable, but so far we have taken certain precautions (including an electric fence), but we are always watching........

MA

 

[Range]

Coyotes will get desensitized to anything you put up. I lost a flock of chickens to them this year, in the daylight. One came up to the house while I was on the deck and killed a chicken. We no longer have cats, due to the coyotes. Our little dog doesn't get to go outside. We live in an extremely unpopulated area, but they have gotten used to the lights and the noises and even the radio I put up. I am usually against shooting things, but I WILL shoot the coyotes. We are in a severe drought, so they come for water and anything else they can eat. If I put our minis out in a wire fence, I make sure there's plenty of room for them to run and not get cornered. The big horses will stomp coyotes if they feel threatened, but broodmares about to foal do NOT get to be unprotected.

Be careful, they are nasty (though kinda' pretty) critters.

 

[Michelle@wescofarms]

Our llamas and our adult minis have chased coyotes out of their pastures. We do keep a gun and I don't shoot directly at the coyote, just the sound going off is enough to scare them off. It generally is at certain times of year here they get a bit more bold, usually late winter/early spring when they're regular food source becomes scare.

They are very bold and opportunistic. That is why they're so successful living among humans - they learn quickly and will come back once they've located a feed source. I would definitely worry about them with young/old minis as they do take down deer, goats, sheep, domestic dogs and calves in the same size range.

It was recommended to me to get a starter pistol as its the load noise more than anything, especially if you don't really want to shoot to kill.

 

[Black Magic]

Yes, here in Florida, we back up to 284 acres and there are pesty critters out there. A friend said to me, a dead give away that we have a problem is that there are no squirels around, no raccoons, not small birds, nothing living in that area. So he said, that was a sign that they were being forced to be more aggressive, because they needed food.

A dear friend that has a multi million dollar horse farm... fabulous barn... said for years she had them coming onto her property for water. She said they never bothered the full size horses... but always goes for the water.

Our "R" gelding... all 325 of him... would kill anything that he did not want around our two other minis... I still worry about the little guys... very scary, very.

God Bless,

Lynn W

 

[Margaret]

I see them trotting down the farm alleys from the desert around "sunset "in the area I live in.. Lots of neighbors around here dont fence in their chickens at night and these coyotes know it. I can almost hear them humming the "Im going to have chicken tonight" tune, as they brazenly trot down the alleyway. They definatly have a mission on their minds.. I dont have chickens anymore but if I did, they would be fenced in a coup by sunset.

 

[coopermini]

Coyotes can be very adaptable in a very short time. We are in a somewhat rural area and have had them for 20 years. We never had any problems from them. We have 30-60 head cattle here all the time and most calve out in pasture. Our neighbors used to raise sheep and never lost any to coyotes. For years when we had large swine operation here any of the baby piglets that died went out with manure and the coyotes would come nearly every night and dig them up and eat or carry off. We would see coyotes in the pastures and had a few litters of pups born on the back corner of farm.This summer one evening there was a large famale coyote walking to the pond just outside horse paddocks. As she got close the horses all stopped to watch and when a couple moved in her direction she made a wider pass and headed into woods. appears she was a fraid of the horses or at least a group of them.

Over the past 15 years we have shot 3-4 coyotes that did appear to act strange with no hesitation.

On the other side of town there is a couple sheep farms that have had major coyote problems over past 15 years. They all use llamas and dogs now. Once those packs learned lamb was good eating they never stopped.

A game warden told how to get rid of coyotes if you lived in a very rural area with no pets around. It was not pretty but he stated it was the most effective method they knew of.

 

[Kim]

I think that the danger that coyotes pose really must vary depending on where you live. We have tons of coyotes around our place and we see them almost every day and of course hear them every night. They don't come into our yard at all, but they're always hanging out in the horse pastures, and they sometimes even clean up leftover bits of grain. We've never had any problems at all with them and they never bother the horses or the cattle at all. We've never lost even one calf, and we calve out hundreds of cows each year.

 

[Jitterbug]

We live in area of North Carolina where the coyotes are not phased by lights, cars, trucks, noise,etc. Our three Great Pyrenees plus our 5 ft. high fence made of 2' X 4" non-climb wire have kept our minis and goats safe for the last five years.

We have seen several coyotes that have been hit on the highway less than a mile from our farm so I know they're still "around". I firmly believe in LGD's and couldn't sleep at night without them.