Animals are disappearing from my ranch...

[texascowboy1979]

Ok... As many of you know... I live on a large Ranch...

HEre is the Ranch out lined in RED...

This next picture shows two areas we consider ranch center... the yellow one is wher I live with all the animals.

The blue circle is what we call the other ranch... thats where we have 1 horse and some goats and sheep... I used to have all my turkeys there until this past novemeber, my turkeys started to dissapear and I decide to take all the birds to the yellow ranch where I live..

We rotate the goats from ranch to ranch and always have the new born goats at the yellow ranch.... we just switched the goats about 1 week ago and took all the 3 month old kids to the blue ranch and moved the new borns from the blue ranch to the yellow ranch..

and now were missing some goat kids at the blue ranch..

Here is a list of the known predators in the area.

Bobcats, Which has been over a year since weve seen one,
Coyotes.. They never come near the ranches because both ranches have dogs...
Indigo Snakes.. Not sure if they could take down a goat kid...
Hawks... They might just be able to lift and take off with a kid... but it be a heck of a fight.
Stray dogs... We have not seen strays for about a year
and finally... the unknown predator...

Thougths..

Im missing about 6 goat kids.

 

[LarryPQ]

I would vote the scary baboon, but there is a conspicous lack of chupacabra representation.

 

[stumble_n_mumble]

chubacabra! definately?!

 

[vicki2x2]

What kind of dogs do you have? Do you have LGD's in with the goats? I wonder about 2 legged predators?

 

[charmed one]

Are you sure that they are not being stolen? Have you seen any kind of blood trail to point to a predator? Foot prints?

 

[ducks4you]

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I agree-- I think the culpret walks on 2 legs. You might have to invest in some webcams.

 

[rancher hicks]

I'd say the bottom two on the right, but I haven't seen any of them in awhile. Though the one in the tree looks like my DD's last boy friend.
Seriously w/o a blood trail I'd say a two legged pred.

 

[texascowboy1979]

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I know... sometime we hear noises that I can not identify... Lets just say this.. I never wonder the ranch alone at night... and when I do... i take ALL the dogs!!!

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Im not sure about the chubacabra... wheres the goats body?

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The yellow ranch has 2 yellow labs, a german shepard, and a wolf dog named Josie. Josie keeps all predators away from the ranch. Josie's Pen is 40 X 50. We never let her out without a leash, but I do take her for walks. When the coyotes start crying in the distance, Josie starts to howl and the coyotes quickly stop!!!

The blue ranch has 1 Male Weimaraner who barks at everyone one or any new animal he does not know... His pen is about 150 X 150... So he should scare away any predators...

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Finding blood on the ranch is hard... and footprints is worse... I too think someone is stealing them... and I bet its the neighbors... there the only ones who know when we are at the blue ranch... but since we dont converse, i'd hate to accuse them.

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I thought my turkeys were stolen and killed for thanksgiving.. but ill never know. I have a wildlife digital camera... Ill set it up today at one gate and leave it there for a week, and then move it to the other gate... see waht comes up...

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Its sad... people work so hard to breed, feed, and raise animals, and then someone just comes by to take them away..

Im glad that the 2 labs we have are mean towards strangers... and one time I came home with a friend in his truck, and my german shepard Ranger was out of his pen. I normally let ranger out from time to time to mark the ranch as his territory, any hoo, he was out for the week, and Ranger Approaced the truck very scary looking, he even scared me the way he approached the truck... His hair was all up and his teeth showing and barking and growling. Ranger looked like he was rabbid...

But when I come home or my mom, or dad, or family, or sisters or a car that ranger knows he leaves them alone, comes up all happy and waggin his tail, licking everwhere... its only when he does not know the vehicle or the person that ranger gets mean...

At least that keeps the animals on the yellow farm safe...

 

[vicki2x2]

I think it is time to invest in some Livestock Guardian Dogs, and preferably adults ready to work now! They would protect for all predators, 2 legged, 4 legged and those from the air. I would also put up those camera's! Someone is helping themselves and pretty bold about it!

 

[mom'sfolly]

I think your predator walks on two feet and drives a pickup. I don't think you are losing animals to anyone other than a low down dirty snake.

I"d invest in a couple more cameras too. Maybe some nice electric fencing too. If the goats still go missing with electric fence, you pretty much know it's people.