Coyotes!!! Need advice, please.

[speckledhen]

Stacey, I would also be concerned about my kids, especially your little daughter. If you got a donkey, that would be fun for the kids I think, and I have heard so many great things about them for predator control.

 

[mrsgibber]

A coyote is afraid of a donkey? Really? How is that?

 

[Buster]

When you get that heeler raised up it will be a good alarm for your kids. I don't send my kids outside to play (for various reasons) without the dog. I'm not saying that the dog will win, I'm saying that the dog will alert you to possible dangers involving your kids. Heelers are good for that.

 

[gumpsgirl]

Thanks Cyn!

I am very concerned about my little girl, you are right there! She has strict instructions not to go out of this house without her brothers or my husband and myself. She is also not allowed around the woods. We are very worried about the goats and the chickens cannot free range now either.

This whole situation makes me so angry, because this never used to be an issue here until recently. The coyote population has gotten out of control and I truly believe the county should be the ones responsible for taking care of this issue. What the heck were they thinking??? My kids and I have done a unit on the eco-system and learned about what happened when coyotes were released into the wild in Arizona. It was not a good thing. I just wish that whoever decided to release these coyotes had done their homework first.

I guess we need to work on fencing the rest of this place in and get a donkey. My little girl would love that anyways!

 

[gumpsgirl]

Quote:
Here's a great article about donkey's being used as guardians.

http://www.icelandicsheepworld.com/guarddonkeys.htm

 

[gumpsgirl]

Quote:
Yes! That is one of the reasons I am so excited to get one of these dogs! I can't wait to get it! These next 3 wks. are going to be long ones, I'm afraid.

 

[chickenpiedpiper]

I am sorry you are having such a difficult time with these coyotes. Have you contacted fish and game with the info you gave us here? They may have relocated them to your region, but that doesnt mean they wont come back and thin the population if they need to.

We live very rural, and are also an area where they tend to relocate things, and thanks to my dogs, I dont mind. we have seen coyote sign on our property, (they always poop in the middle of the trails! yuck!) and we have seen them hit out on our road. But we never hear them. If you hear them, that is usually a sign you are near a den, and yes, that is a problem!

Donkeys and big dogs are a great step, but if your coyotes killed a LGD, please consider more than one, and a bigger breed. Great Pyraneese are a good choice with kids, but do your homework, they shouldnt be raised in the house if you want them doing thier job outdoors!

And definitely call the county, and if you get any sidestepping on thier part, talk to your selectmen, and town officials. Believe me, they have more pull than you might realize! We battle our Road Agent every year, cause he authorizies the trapping of our beavers. (the beavers are brought here by the county, and our tax dollars then pay to have them trapped by a guy who then sells the furs!) Not a good use of my tax dollars since the beavers are not threatening anything. But Road agent has the final say. Sooo, county brings more the next year. (heavy sigh)

Be the squeaky wheel. and get your neighbors on board to help you squeak louder! It will work given some time. No government agancy works quickly I am afraid.

Good Luck!

Edited to add; Oh, and I would be sceptical about the dog collars in the den info. It is not typical predatory habit to drag carcasses back to dens, where the decomposition would attract other predators. Adults consume the meat, and carry it back and regurgitate it. They would not consume a collar. That sounds pretty sketchy to me, and being hearsay anyways, not your best ammunition.

 

[gumpsgirl]

Thank you for that info! I have actually thought about contacting the fish and game warden, but have been chastised by neighbors for wanting to bring them in. Not sure what that deal is, but my thinking is that they started this problem, so they should fix it.

As for the Great Pyr. dog, it would not be suitable for our area. This area is highly infested with ticks and after the last long haired dog we had, I swore up and down we would never own another long haired dog again! Thus, I'm going with a Heeler.

I also appreciate the info. about the dog collars and the den. Some people are prone to telling big fish stories.

 

[chickenpiedpiper]

You have free range chickens AND a tick problem? I havent seen a tick since we got our girls!

Oh and the best tick solution in the world is that product Frontline. Before I got my Girls, years ago, when I lived in an OLD house in maine, my dog (same one I have now, is outside by choice all day and most fair weather nights, no ty down, just free) Got the worst case of fleas I had EVER known! I tried collars, baths, all the typical remedies, nothing was working, it was awful! he even infested the house.

My vet put him on that stuff, and I nearly croaked at the cost but was desperate. it WORKED! Almost imediately too! withing a few weeks, we were flea free, and even the ticks started to dissapear!. Now when you first start the stuff you do have to use it monthly for at least the first spring summer fall. (winter too if you are down south.) But now, that we have killed all stages of the little buggers, we only use it in the spring and summer, every other month as a preventative. so a one year supply lasts us for 3+ years! I havent seen a flea in over 5 years! It may seem pricey at first, but it is worth its weight in gold!

Our other dog is short haired. (great dane) and for most of the year, he is curled up near the wood stove. He is useless as a lgd. He freezes, and just hovers near the doorway. My lab mix I have to drag in during bad weather. He wants to be outside, on patrol. But he was also raised that way by an older dog, so it does make a difference.

I wish you luck, and again, absolutely call fish and game, I would want to know why the people telling you these 'stories' would not have made the calls themselves. A solution is a solution, and is always desirable, why question the means?

 

[PortageGirl]

Everyone has good ideas, and it sounds like you've got lots of info. Coyotes here in NE Ohio can be heard too, but I haven't had trouble with em (yet? let's hope it stays that way!) I've also heard that Llammas hate them too, and will protect the flock.

Anyway, I looked up about Coyotes in VA and it seems like they're considered totally a nuisance species that can be killed anytime (except you can't shoot them on Sundays, that gave me a laugh). It says they're not native at all, and started moving into the state as far back as the 1950s. (which is about the same in Ohio from what I've found) I'm not saying the state DIDN't introduce them, but I curious if that's just an anti-government rumor? You know, the sort of thing that gets repeated so often everyone is convinced it's gotta be true?

Every article I've ever found says they've moved into the eastern states on their own over the years, that's when I was trying to find out about em here in Ohio. Checking just now about Coyotes in VA turns up the same info there. You can't RE-introduce something that was never native to a state in the first place. *shrugs* not trying to pick a fight over it, just saying.