Should I Worry About Coyotes?

[AngC]

In the past, we've heard the coyotes, off in the distance, nailing some chickens.

(The sound is pretty distinctive; you hear the yowls of the pack and the sound of the chickens... escalating...

and... then the chicken kill-sound.)

Last night, we heard the coyotes, and I think they took out a near-by dog. Will the coyotes attack two mini horsies at night? [One interesting dynamic, I observed, is that our little mare has been being a total bitch and giving our little guy the 'what-for' lately, but in this case she let him take point.] Thanks.

 

[Hawks_Eye_Minis]

YES they will attack mini horses!!! We have a pack of 5 that go thru our yard a couple times a month my horses will NEVER spend the night outside thats why i stall them at night in a closed off barn

 

[fancyshadow]

I, too, bring mine in close at night because of coyotes.

 

[Lori W]

I bring my little ones in at night, too - just because of the coyotes. My three full size horses stay out 24/7 (they have a run-in shed for bad weather), but the miniatures come in every night at dusk. I just don't want to take a chance. I can't imagine what it would be like to come outside in the morning and see the effects of a coyote attack on our little herd.

 

[lucky seven]

We don't have coyotes, but do have coy dogs or just a pack of dogs that run at night. My boy is tucked safely in his stall 'cause sometimes we can hear the pack quite close by our house at night chasing deer or whatever they find. I know in the past they have chased horses and killed cats close by. Don't take any chances.

 

[Equuisize]

Just as a matter of course I bring everyone in at night including my big guy, all year.

I'd rather spend time cleaning bedrooms, every day, than something happening to someone when

I am soundly sleeping away the night.

We do, in the spring, seem to have a single small coyote come and play in our manure pile.

Not sure why...he just frolics around then is gone like a wisp of smoke. He seems more like

a small pup rather than a predator. Never seen more than one.

I'm more concerned that there was a big cat in the neighborhood, this summer and less

than 2 miles from us there is a pack of 6 wolves, that make a wooded area part of their

cruising territory.

 

[Allure Ranch]

If you hear them and know that they've killed other animals there a threat....

 

We have have a game fence surrounding our property. However, our neighbor's don't and they feed the deer in the area (not for hunting). Occasionally, they typically find a few deer each season that have been killed by the packs that roam the area. We've actually heard them being killed on a few ocassions.

 

Therefore, I make sure your horses a safe.....

 

 

 

 

[Hawks_Eye_Minis]

the pack we have here comes right up to the house even.. My dad was out with hubby on the deck talking while dad was having a smoke... one of the coyotes walked up the ramp and came with in 4 feet of them before they realized it was there

 

[Munchkie]

I would suggest looking into your hunting regulations and 'encouraging' someone to hunt them....

 

[StarRidgeAcres]

Wow! I'm learning something new here. I had no idea that something the size if a coyote was a threat to any size horse. I assumed my cats and any small dogs would be at risk but didn't know about the risk to horses

 

[little lady]

Should you worry about coyotes...yes and no. As a rule coyotes hunt in pairs and prefer mice, rabbits, ground dwelling birds(smaller prey), they also have been known to eat cats and smaller dogs in urban areas, but if hungry or if the right opportunity presents itself they will eat what they can catch. They do live in packs of about 6 closely related mix of adults, yearlings and pups. Putting your horses in of a night might help but they do hunt during the day also. Just this spring we were doing some landscaping and yard work, the tractor had been running, the hedge trimmer was in use, four wheeler, our Shih tzu was out with us and had ventured into the pasture less than 50 yards from us. When we looked up he was face to face with a coyote!!!!

We yelled and started walking towards him and he looked at us and started walking to us and the whole time the coyote just sat and watched us. My husvband headed to get a weapon and I snatched up the dog. Needless to say that coyote will not bother anything else. It was a young male so he was probably venturing out to find his own territory. It is not the first time we have seen them during the day "hunting". Every evening we hear them. I personally would be more frightened of wolves. They hunt in packs and have been well known for taking down larger animals(moose, caribou, etc).

I would also suggest find someone to hunt them providing it is legal where you live.

 

[mydaddysjag]

Yes, I would be (and am) worried about coyotees. In my area, they DO go after larger animals. We get them here, this past summer they were circling my parents, about 20 feet back. The neighbor guy is into hunting them, so had no problem taking care of them. They wiped out the HUGE stray cat population, which was the first hint they were around. I lock all of my horses in stalls at night just because of coyotees. If you have a facebook, check out this link - Coyote taking down a white tail buck

 

[Charlotte]

Also Many of the 'coyotes' in this country have crossed with domestic dogs and seem to be less wary of humans and livestock. Then there are the neighborhood dog packs......those are REALLY bad. And only takes 2 to make a 'pack'.

 

[Double T]

Coyotes are an opportune preditor. I can attest that it doesn't matter how much 'natural prey' they have around, if they find a dog, cat, or whatnot easy enough to get they'll go for that over their natural prey, any day. Mine come in at night to the pens, becuase i don't want to chance it. I know they'd take a foal easy as pie, not entirely sure of a grown one, but wouldn't put it past them. They'll take calves if they can get them, and we always have one or two come in missing tails or ears becuase of it when we wean, so there isn't a lot of difference in size there really, so it's a chance i just don't take. Plus we have bobcats and mnt lions too, just a lot safer at the house in the pens at night here.

 

[Katiean]

The place I am putting my minis has coyotes. They said that if one walks through the pens, the horses just watch them. If they go too close to the horses. The horses chase and try to stomp them. I think Dusty will protect the girls. He even gets agressive to the dogs because Brandi will move them when she thinks she is protecting them. Besides, There is a ton of little rabbits and stuff out where they are going.

 

[LAZY J MINIS]

WE HAVE COYOTES HERE TOO, THATS WHY I HAVE GUARD DOGS. THE DOGS STAY OUT AND GO AFTER THE COYOTES,SCORE HIGH FOR DOGS AND 0 COYOTES. THE DOGS KILL THEM AND DRIVE THEM AWAY. MY HORSES ARE CLOSE TO THE HOUSE, WE KNOW WHEN THE DOGS GO OFF.

 

[cretahillsgal]

WOW! You guys must have "super coyotes" or something. I live out in the middle of nowhere in coyote country. Have a pack behind my house and one right accross the road. Knock on wood, I've never had an issue with them.

I have known them to attack a cow calving or goat, but only when the cow is down. Or if there is a sick one. I certainly wouldn't want to leave my foaling mares outside. Or leave an individual horse out alone. I do have a pyrneese dog who patrols at night and probably helps keep them away from the animals.

 

[Double T]

Ours aren't super, they aren't really that big body wise compared to other parts of the country. But they aren't scared of people, or their surroundings either. They'll take what is the easiest to catch, and 9 times out of 10 around a home, it's your pets.

 

[valshingle]

I have lived in coyote country (CO and TX) for quite some time now. I have lost cats and small dogs to coyotes. I have not had a miniature horse attacked - YET.

That being said, my area of the country (TX) has been in a severe drought. Lately, I have seen a pack of 5 coyotes circling the miniature mare herd. There are also 4 large burros in the same pasture. I have a Great Pyrenees dog and an Anatolian Shepard cross dog. The Great Pyr recently completely tore his ACL chasing off the coyotes. He's now laid up for 5 weeks and may never be able to resume his 'job' without tearing the repair job. The vet who did the repair said that a pack of coyotes will work a single LGD to exhaustion so they can kill him. I'm sure that the coyotes in my area are starving, due to the lack of their usual prey (rabbits, etc impacted by the drought). I imagine that a pack of coyotes can take down a miniature horse if they are hungry and bold enough. My mares are now in a pen by the barn at night and we are in the process of hunting down the coyotes (1 down, 4 to go). I also plan on adding some more 'aggressive' burros to the herd. I may need to add more LGDs as well. Right now, I'm waiting for the weather to improve so we can hunt the coyotes again. I'm also keeping all the dogs in the house during prime coyote hunting time (dusk and dawn).

 

[barnbum]

I bring my little ones in at night, too - just because of the coyotes. My three full size horses stay out 24/7 (they have a run-in shed for bad weather), but the miniatures come in every night at dusk. I just don't want to take a chance. I can't imagine what it would be like to come outside in the morning and see the effects of a coyote attack on our little herd.

Exactly! We have them around here. Better safe than sorry has always been my motto. My five are stalled every night and the sliding door is secured a bit with cement blocks from the outside. Does it make more work to clean five stalls 365 days a year? Yes. Do I want to have less work and take a gamble? Nope.