Feeling bad :(

[Dodgegal79]

Also to add my chickens are locked up at night and free during the day. The coyotes are coming in the daylight and getting them. I don;t like keeping the chickens in, I have over 50, its just to fair to them.

 

[HillCountryMomma]

Well, darn it was a dog and not a coyote. Though honestly, aside from being a bad way to go it's just as well the stray as gone. Strays get shot on site around here. To darn many people have lost lambs and kids to stray dogs, even had calves get badly injured.

I don't blame you one bit for killing the predators.

The way I see it, we can all exist in peace until the wild things start trying to kill my animals. There's no reason for a wild animal to kill a domestic animal, especially a non-predatory one. But once they get a taste for the 'ease' of killing domestics, there's often no stopping them. At least not until all your animals are dead and the predators move on to the next ranch/farm.

I don't want fenced in chickens. I want free range chickens. The health benefits to the birds and me are worth it. I don't want pale anemic eggs from fenced in hens. I don't want to raise fat ugly broilers that sit in front of a feed pan. I don't want animals that have eaten nothing but 'dead' feed that has been processed and milled to the point of having about as little nutritional value as the overprocessed crap most Americans eat on a regular basis. I have a nice healthy free range layer flock, and a nice healthy flock of Freedom Ranger meat birds.

Something has been getting my younger birds just here lately (first predator in a couple years). I suspect a racoon. Just as soon as I catch it one night it's meeting the business end of my 12 guage and I don't feel one bit bad about it. Shouldn't have come in my yard and messed with my birds! The wild things have hundreds of acres of wild ranch land around here. Lazy animals can go hunt or meet lead.

Those of us homesteading have a vested intrest in protecting our stock. Sometimes it ain't all rainbows and butterflies pretty. Though I do like those days too!

Liz

 

[Dodgegal79]

You said exactly how I feel!!. LOL. I am wondering if I should call the Natural Resource poeple and compalin about these coyotes. I have not seen any wild rabbits this year, I usually have lots. Also the chipmunks, raccoon and opposum have all dissapearred. I read they will hire a professial sometimes to get rid of the nusciense population. I might try that.

 

[bionic_chicken]

That is absolutely awful. Poor, poor dog. Please get rid of that snare. Please.

 

[HillCountryMomma]

Do you have a Game Warden up there? Down here in Texas we can usually call the GW. Good ones will come help set up the traps, may even get out there and help shoot predators when things get real bad. They might also be able to refer you to local trappers who would be willing to come out and help you. I know that's done around here as well.

I guess it was about 2 years ago now we had a serious problem right in my area with Mountain Lions (also called cougars, pumas, etc.). They were killing off full sized sheep and goats, kids and lambs and even attacking peoples calves. We were advised to keep small children in the house at dawn and dusk (when they are most active) and to go armed in the 'back 40'. It was scary for a while. I know several were shot. Apparently the population just gets too big every few years, and they also tend to migrate around. When the overpopulation occurs in one area, it gets hit hard. We were that lucky area.

I was so worried about my old mare. She's just too old and feeble to get away from a big predator like that. None of my animals were hurt, but people all around me lost animals. Some took a real economic hit. My neighbors lost a $500 ram and several high dollar ewes out on there 140+ acre brush pasture.

Liz

 

[Dodgegal79]

Thats the thing, this snare did not kill the dog, the coyotes did. Thats why I am totally disgusted with these animals and they have to go. They run in a pack of about 7, we did shot the alpha female, so they have been fairly low key for a while.

We have conservation officers here, they rarely do anything good. I think I have to complain alot and maybe get some of the neighbours on board too. I know the guy next door just got two miniature horses and I would be worried about them too. My other neighbour seen the pack going after his nieghbours cows and calf the other morning.

 

[Dawn419]

Just a friendly reminder about the rules for the Predator and Pest forum...

Quote:
Thanks!

Dawn

 

[SterlingAcres]

I would probably feel bad, had it been the neighbors pet dog... however, you said it was wild. Wild dogs kill livestock, chase deer and injure people. It's better that it's gone.

I would have no problems killing any predators that attacked my birds. Free range or no.

 

[yotetrapper]

Sounds like your coyotes are getting rather brave. How far from the house/yard was the snare set?

At least it was a feral dog that got ate by those nasty coyotes.

Good luck snaring! As a trapper by trade, my only advice is to make sure you check them snares once a day at least.

 

[Dodgegal79]

Thats what I keep telling the DH. They are a fair ways back, I don't want my dogs, she is usually penned up or my cats getting stuck in them. The back acres are bushy so we found all their trails and such, and where they are coming under the fences. DH did not want to put them under the fences, which I would have done, easier to keep track of them. He put them on some of the trails they used.