Miniatures and wild beasties?

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MelissaAH

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Maybe I am being paranoid but I am just trying to get as much info as I can about Minis before I buy my first one. We will be moving soon to a property with a 1/3 acre turn out (that's big in Socal
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) and the property also has a 4 stall breezeway barn. The whole property is fenced and even has wire coverings across the gates which is common out here because of coyotes and bobcats. The barn of course is made for big horses but had attached paddocks. The only time I would out both big and little in the barn is in the evenings and during bad weather. I am going to put up a divider for the mini's in the turn out because I don't want them out with the big horse. Does anyone ever have problems with wild life stalking the mini's? I know most won't even think of approaching a big horse. We always left out main gates open here and didn't have wireing of any kind on the turn out. Just curious.
 
Knock on wood, I've been extremly lucky with wild animals. I live right next to a waterline and that runs through over 200 acres of protected land. We have coyotes, bear and bobcats. So far nothing has bothered us but foxes, fisher cats and racoons. For all of my animals I buy solar lights and I put them outside. I constantly take the dogs around the property to help mark the territory.
 
I think it's wonderful that you are doing as much research as you can - good for you!! And congratulations on your new property!

I'm not sure where you are located in So. Cal., but you are correct that we have problems with coyotes and bobcats. We keep the mares with babies inside the barn (closed) at night and I have hotwire around the minis pens that are outside (not foolproof, but at least it's something).

You may have heard about this story that occurred over the weekend...it was a wakeup call to all of us in the area (this is the area in which I live).

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26136927/

So yes, attacks can occur - I have never had a problem, and wishing you the best!

Liz R.
 
I think it's wonderful that you are doing as much research as you can - good for you!! And congratulations on your new property!
I'm not sure where you are located in So. Cal., but you are correct that we have problems with coyotes and bobcats. We keep the mares with babies inside the barn (closed) at night and I have hotwire around the minis pens that are outside (not foolproof, but at least it's something).

You may have heard about this story that occurred over the weekend...it was a wakeup call to all of us in the area (this is the area in which I live).

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26136927/

So yes, attacks can occur - I have never had a problem, and wishing you the best!

Liz R.

Wow...Liz....I'm in Acton and I have been dealing with Susan at Rocking H.....I am most likely going to buy from her when ready. She has a mare I am crazy about now!
 
Yikes, if there were that many mountain lions working all together, it must have been a mother lion with her older cubs, teaching them to hunt.
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Just ONE mountain lion is scary enough!
 
I used to live in Lancaster...maybe 30 miles from where that happened?? I had TWO Great Pyrenees dogs..not one but two. We had coyotes coming in the horse pasture all the time before I got them. My main fear was loose dogs and pitbulls! The desert seemed to be peoples favorite place to dump pit bulls. At least once a month we would see one just sitting in the street waiting for its owner to come back. We had 5 foot fence with hotwire and the coyote could clear it NO PROBLEM!
 
The coyotes in SoCal are a bit more aggessive than what I've seen up here in NorCal - I think its the total lack of fear of humans whereas up here they will still run away from you. Most predators are opportunistic so making your place less 'available' is the best you can do. Hotwire works wonder as a deterrent, not fullproof but it helps - dog nose height and across the top for jumpers.

We're on 65 acres surrounded by 100s of acres of orchards with a river as one border that is a protected wildlife area. We have four llamas that are tolerant of our dogs, but we've seen chase a coyote across 20 acres at a full out run. Admittedly though some of my minis are like that too though - I've seen them chase a fox and a deer on different occassions.

We've had coyotes, bobcats, foxes and one mountain lion here in seven years. The majority of the predators are after small easily caught game, which up here is the abundance of ground squirrels. I would be more fearful for foals than for full size minis - although we're rather vigilent and my neighor has 'removed' the majority of the larger coyotes - we had some that were almost German Shepard size. Most wildlife up here are resepectful of a gun and dogs - so I keep a small rifle for shooting in the air - it tends to send them elsewhere.

I do worry though about dogs - we had someone running his dogs on our property until I threatend to shoot them (he was putting them over the fence to get exercise!!!). Any dog showing up here, is caught and taken to the pound. I know my neighbors dogs and they know mine anything else we take care of.

The worst problems we've had to date are losing a cat and a flock of chickens/ducks to the foxes and the previous flock of chickens to dogs from town that went on a killing spree. The foxes at least were eating them not just butchering. We did lose an aborted foal born out on the hills(preterm we never found the body) to the foxes.
 
We have a coyote den on a property not far from us. We also have mountain lion(s) spotted about 10 miles from us.....and then there are the neighbors' dogs........

All anyone can do is take as many precautions as possible and that includes making our animals a little more difficult to reach. Most predators go after the easiest targets, as Michelle posted.

Good fencing is important. And backing it up with an electric strand either on top or bottom, or BOTH is wise. Coyotes and dogs tend to crawl or dig UNDER fencing. Cougars/Mountain Lions and Bob Cats tend to go OVER.

A single horse or "herd animal" is always more vulnerable. Keeping them in groups is best. If that isn't possible, the single animal should be brought either into or up close to the barn at night. A group with foals should be managed the same way. Having good lighting outside your barn is important too.

Someone also has mentioned "marking" your fenceline.......I believe in this too. Encourage your dogs (and even your husband!
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) to mark the perimeter of your property. Predators are territorial and actually respect that!

People have mixed results with Guard Animals........Livestock Guard Dogs, Llamas, Donkeys....... I feel they shouldn't be your ONLY method, but can sure make things a little more difficult for a predator, so that they may choose to go on to an "easier" target. (We personally have Llamas.)
 
LOL....Imagine what the neighbors would think.....3 dogs squirting the fenceline and my husband joining them
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I was driving up my street here in Acton about a month ago at night and right there in the middle of the paved street was a bob cat. His eyes lit up with the car headlights and it ran back into the bushes. We have had coyotes at the back fence (chain link) running back and forth with our dogs. Never seen a cougar and don't wish to. Our biggest problems are the Ravens, those nasty birds destroy everything.

The coyotes are brave here. I have a friend that lives in Juniper hills and she has had coyotes follow her on horse back.

I do have a big horse plus I plan on more than one mini...arn't they like potatoe chips?
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YES, they ARE like potato chips!
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And don't laugh about the "squirting"......... I've heard stories of people hanging USED disposable diapers along their fence lines! (Yikes).
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Probably shouldn't question........ Whatever works???
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When I lived in socal, we were very careful about wildlife, mainly coyotes. We were in the foothills, the last houses before the mountains started. We had mountain lion tracks outside our corrals when we only had biggies, our neighbor had a black bear chase her big horses in their turnout, and we had a coyote jump our 8ft rod-iron fence and go back over with our cocker spanial. When we decided to get into minis, we took a lot of precautions. We put up a very high fence( at least 8ft, may have been higher, I don' remember), with wire from bottom to top. We also had a way to lock them in at night if need be. We had been planing on breeding the mare we had then, and wether or not they would have gone after her I do not know, but I have no doubt that they would have attacked a foal if given the chance.
 

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