Coyote took my RIR...

[citrusdreams]

Kelli, I don't know how long it would take before you could free range your chickens safely again, so I can't help you there.

But are you in the financial position to support another dog or LGD? What kind of dog do you have? My suggestion would be to either get a LGD such as an anatolian or great pyranese, or call an animal rescue and be fitted with a dog that is well behaved among livestock. Starting out with a puppy probably wouldn't work for you until puppy is big enough to help patrole.

I do believe that having a few big dogs around will deter most predators. But believe me, your dog is probably not safe himself. I have friends that have lost medium and large sized lone dogs to coyotes. If you cotoye is coming out in the daytime to attack your stuff, he's having a hard time finding food.

So I strongly recommend having more than one big dog.

 

[NarutoTn]

get a gun. get traps. get electric fence.preadetor proof you coop.
.___
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[Monk]

Contact a local Trapper, they could help with coyotes as well as a rifle kept nearby would be handy.

 

[Marie66]

Quote:

 

[AnnieOakley379]

The "projectcoyote" link looks like it's anti-hunting/anti-private livestock owner to me. I don't agree with the use of snares & leg traps, but I think that predators can/should be killed as needed to protect ones livestock, children, & self.

I'm always armed when walking the dogs or outside in the yard. I've seen coyotes about 300' from the edge of my land, in my neighbors yard. While I haven't had any come onto the property while I'm outside, I know that there are coyotes, foxes, & racoons in my neighborhood, & I will take them out (humanely) if they come into my yard or threaten my animals.

 

[Monk]

Quote:
I really don't want to start a whole debate, but trapping is an effective tool to control predators, humanely.

 

[AnnieOakley379]

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I don't disagree with you Monk. I don't think it should be outlawed or anything. I just personally don't like it. If I'm going to kill an animal, I want to do it as quickly & painlessly as possible. Whatever someone else chooses to do to control predators is fine with me.

 

[Judy]

Quote:
I have no problem with killing a predator on my property. At all.

But what was interesting to me in this link is that some other methods of predator management were working better than killing. It was not so much about killing or not killing, as it was, finding things that work. They were simply exploring other options that might work better, since just killing wasn't getting the job done.

They did not forbid livestock owners from shooting a predator.

 

[janinepeters]

Great points, everyone. It is certainly a difficult topic to grapple with. I cannot speak for the people that wrote the material at that link I posted, but I can assure you that I personally am not "anti-hunting". Far from it. I am very much a proponent of hunting...for food, that is. But let me share a little more information with you:

Coyotes not native to the east? An interesting perspective, but not entirely accurate. Recent genetic studies by Drs. Brad White and Jonathan Way have revealed that the eastern coyote differs substantially enough from the western coyote to be considered a distinct species. While its current scientific name is the same as that of the western coyote (Canis latrans), this will probably soon be changed. I won't go into detail about the genetic studies, but the upshot is that the eastern coyote is NOT an introduced species; rather, it EVOLVED here.

How did this happen? Western coyotes began migrating eastward to fill the predator niche that people created by eradicating wolves from the east. But because the habitat and prey base available to coyotes is different here in the east than it was in the west, natural selection caused them to change gradually over time. A small amount of interbreeding with the red wolf helped facilitate that process and make the eastern coyote distinct. Not present in the east when European colonists arrived? True. Non-native to the east? False.

Coyotes a danger to children? Well, let's try to put that into perspective with some facts. As of 1994, there were 20-30 coyote attacks on humans in recorded history. Yet, a 1994 telephone survey conducted by the CDC (Center for Disease Control) estimated that 4.7 million people are bitten by dogs annually. In addition, the Humane Society reported that 300 people have been killed by domestic dogs in the US since 1979. Yes, my numbers are dated, but feel free to contact the CDC and organization for an update. I guarantee you won't find data that show that coyotes pose a threat anywhere as great as do dogs, cars, and many other things we all accept as part of the usual risk of day to day living.

Arguably, a far greater threat to our children and future generations is ecosystem degradation, and lethal control of predators is but one of the things we do which contributes to that. A crash course in Ecology 101: We humans depend on healthy ecosystems for clean water, clean air, fuel, food production, flood control, erosion control, medicines, and medical research. The scientific literature is full of innumerable studies to support that. Famine, water crisis, natural disasters and outbreaks of human infectious diseases occurring all over the world have been incontrovertibly linked to human induced ecosystem degradation. One infectious disease well known to those of us in the northeast, Lyme disease, has been linked to ecosystem degradation.

Still skeptical? Check out this compelling UN sponsored volume assembled by more than 100 scientists from around the world: "Sustaining Life: How Human Health Depends on Biodiversity" (Eds. Chivian and Bernstein)

An anti-hunting plea? Far from it. No, this is a plea for responsible behavior that will make the planet a safe and healthy environment for our children and generations to come.

I apologize - this is lengthy and way beyond the scope of this forum. Please send me a PM if you are interested in further info.

 

[Camelot Farms]

Interesting info JPeters. We grapple with the kill/no kill concept quite often and have found what we think is a middle of the road approach.

We own 2 acres surrounded by 50 acres of woodland. So, its a given that we will have predators. So, in an effort to balance our needs with the local wildlife, we use as many no-kill deterents as possible...a dog...lights...a radio playing in the barn...good locks on our coops and cages...keeping the grass low and the property line clean.

When that doesnt work and a predator comes onto the property we are forced to take the next step as humanely as possible.

Interestingly enough, we have lost more stock to 'civilized' predators than to wildlife...namely our neighbors dogs and cats.