Best protection from coyotes?

[wendy4mini]

I have had a pack of coyotes come on my property twice in one week. Once they were eating something and this morning trotting in my pasture. I have a standard donkey that does a good job. I am thinking of getting another donkey to help out. The minis are stalled at night except for two of the rescues that go crazy in the barn. I spoke with a Wildlife agent and he said a livestock guard dog was the best long term solution. What is everyone's idea for the best protection? These coyotes appear to be a dog coyote cross due to the size and the pack size of 5 -7 animals.

 

[lyn_j]

[SIZE=14pt]A pair of Great Pyranese dogs. When we got Heidi from a farm in Ohio her parents had killed 6.[/SIZE]

Lyn

 

[lilfoot]

We too have a large population of coyotes. Living close to wilderness areas always brings with it some uninvited quests but hungry predators are scary! I've always brought my horses in at night & have "guard donkeys" (lol), a llama & more than enough dogs in the yard. The donkeys are more like sentinals letting out deafening brays whenever anything isn't right. I doubt they'd chase anything tho? Our perimeter fenceline is pretty tight with 4" squares but I know you can get a more expensive type too.

 

[chandab]

I was just thinking of this last night, as I listened to the coyotes talk on the other side of the creek last night.

We have mostly mesh around the corrals, we raised cattle and have them near the yard during calving season. I will be putting up mesh around the mini corrals as we work on the conversion from cattle safe to mini safe.

I've thought of a guard llama, but my husband doesn't like them. I think they are unique.

 

[Miniv]

Several different options available...... People use one or several with varying degrees of success.

**Guard dogs

**Electric fencing (multi strands is better)

**Llamas

**Donkies

**Well lit areas and radio noise from the barn.

There is one other thing that also works, but it's a bit embarrassing to mention..... Coyotes respect other animals marked territory. And ummm.....if your husband(?) is inclined to "mark" different areas along your fenceline.....?

We have a pack that lives very close to us and they go AROUND the perimeter of our property. (We have electric fencing, two guard llamas, a couple of mini donkey jacks, our barn has a light on and radio on 24/7.....and Larry "marks" his territory.

)

MA

 

[lilfoot]

Yes Miniv, I've always believed that marking territory would keep animals away. But I used to get my German Shepherds to do the job. lol Kinda thought it was the canine scent but who knows?

 

[tuffsmom]

We had coyotes EVERYWHERE, they kill small dogs, cats, it's awful. One surefire way to keep them away (and this sounds sooo redneck and gross), shoot you 2 or 3 of them and hang them on your fence spaced out. I KNOW, it sounds awful, but it works!

We have just moved to a new home, and thankfully, coyotes are not a problem down here, but bet your butt at our old home, we had one hung about every 300 feet on a fencepost (not around the house, of course, but you get the idea).

 

[chandab]

There is one other thing that also works, but it's a bit embarrassing to mention..... Coyotes respect other animals marked territory.  And ummm.....if your husband(?) is inclined to "mark" different areas along your fenceline.....?

 

We have a pack that lives very close to us and they go AROUND the perimeter of our property. (We have electric fencing, two guard llamas, a couple of mini donkey jacks, our barn has a light on and radio on 24/7.....and Larry "marks" his territory. 

)

MA

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Well, that explains alot... Between our male red heeler marking everything in sight and DH "marking" his territory because it's more convient than coming to the house. The local coyotes don't seem to come into the yard area.

 

[Marty]

Wendy the coyotes here are very brave and will come right on up close and personal and don't fear much except for my dogs.

I use field fencing backed up with hot wire and they haven't gotten in. I am sure they could if they were persisitant enough but seems that my dogs raising he** changes their minds. My dogs live in the house but can sense them and hear them a mile away and know when they are heading this way so they go out to patrol and that keeps them at bay.

Use a lot of lights around the house. Get the motion sensored ones and also we have the ones that come on by themselves, the dusk-to-dawn lights.

For the two resuces that are out at night, use cattle panels and contain them in there at night if they won't go in the barn. Put hotwire on the outside of it too down low just in case.

MA is also right.

I got three male subjects here that have no problem peeing all over the place.

I've only got one bathroom!

 

[Miniv]

LOL! Yep your dogs are probably better at the marking thing.....Unfortunately our most aggressively territorial dog is a Spade FEMALE.

MA

 

[tagalong]

Don't rely on llamas. I have personal experience with a few llamas who did NOTHING about coyotes - even when the coyote trotted right past them. But when the dogs ran into the field to run the coyotes off - watch out! The llamas went after them.

Not every llama is a guaranteed guardian.

 

[Danielle_E.]

Yes, now that the cooler weather is here I could hear the coyotes last night. I am pretty sure a pack of coyotes, if they really wanted to and were really hungry, could jump a fence, even an electric one no problem. I guess the best thing is to have all animals secured at night INSIDE. Mind you last night doing the bedtime check I found that DARN skunk digging away UNDER the front of the barn trying to get in

. Just what I need a skunk in the barn with the horses and the barn cats, I can only imagine the smell

At least the racoons have stopped coming around and trying to get into the barn. We have alot of fox around here too and they aren't afraid of lights or noise (radio) but at least I don't have chickens .... would they go after cats?

 

[lilfoot]

Speaking of foxes...& guard donkeys?...& llamas for that matter too. I've had a fox frequenting our farm for months now & have even seen her? trot right past the donkeys out in the field. They could have cared less! Guess maybe she? was such a regular they thought she belonged! I don't own a gun but nice neighbour finally took care of this situation. Plus we no longer will have free range anything. Chickens & ducks were too enticing!

 

[rosaroca]

Four years ago, I lost a mini gelding to something (we found a neighbor's dog chewing on the carcass, but no proof that he killed it) then nearly lost a mare, too. This time, I saw the culprits - the two black labs from down the road. Two days later, I bought a standard size donkey jenny who was a proven dog killer. The seller had personally witnessed her stomping a dog that was dumb enough to come into her pasture.

I've had no trouble with dogs or coyotes since then, except for a couple of possible "near misses." The donkey came in with teeth marks on her nose one day, and another on her hind cannon. Looks like she got something! Then, just last week, when I called the herd in from the pasture, the donkey came galloping in (I swear, she was coming to get help!) then galloped back out, braying like crazy. I never did find out what she saw, but she brought the herd in at a dead run.

It did take the minis awhile to accept her, though. Believe it or not, they chased her away from her food, and still would, if I didn't feed her seperately. Now, though, she has several friends in the herd, and seems to love all of them.

The only problem with her is that she won't tolerate new horses in her herd, unless they've been in an adjoining pen for a few days for her to accept them. Otherwise, she'll try to chase them away from her "babies."

She even chases my cats and the local squirrels out of their night pen!

Pat Elder

Rosa Roca Miniature Horses

Oklahoma City, OK

Author of "Outstanding Miniature Horse Stallions, Past and Present, Volume 1"

 

[lilfoot]

Lucky you! To have such a dedicated donkey jenny. I've heard the jacks are the best for this sort of thing. I've had a jack here on the farm & he would go after every small creature that he could. Even leaning over the fence to grab at the pot belly pigs. He especially hated black animals?! I now only have a jenny & gelded senior citizen which do an ok job but nothing like what you describe.