We're new to Montana, just 2 1/2 months since the goats and dogs and I moved up, we then acquired our LGD pup and the chicks...
The chicks are 2 months old, so the 3 "picky roos" got evicted from the brooder in the garage down to the goat barn where they frolic and live the life of Reilly, not harassing my pullets any further. 1 disappeared- no signs of any existence of the most handsome of the 3 (of course!). Strange, I thought, but hey, maybe he just ran off and got eaten...
2 nights later, the LGD pup, and all 7 goats (including the rude/preggo herd queen) are out of the barn. The pup is alerting us to the barn. We run out with the shot gun and flashlights, Dierks pointed to the tree where the coon was climbing up. We shot him down with a home invasion round (slug+6 pellets) after the initial "Should we? He's cute... Could he really be the one they're scared of?" Then "Oh wait- that third rooster.... yup. He's gotta go." BANG. Wouldn't you know, that thing was over 35 lbs and 38" nose-to-tail. It's mouth resembles the feline most closely in my mind. I have close-up pictures if anyone's interested. But perhaps the most scary thought I had was "He could kill half my herd of GOATS!" (I have many young dwarf goats whose necks would easily be broken by that mouth, or at least bleed out from the damage). Coons are cute when young, but in the end- they pose a huge risk to my flock and herd. I'm very fortunate to have an LGD who takes his job seriously.
Turns out, it was a "he." Here's the offender in the proper "hands up" position (camera was set a year ahead for some reason):
Edit: Dierks is a 4 month-old 1/2 Anatolian Shepherd 1/2 Great Pyrenees puppy, for clarification
The chicks are 2 months old, so the 3 "picky roos" got evicted from the brooder in the garage down to the goat barn where they frolic and live the life of Reilly, not harassing my pullets any further. 1 disappeared- no signs of any existence of the most handsome of the 3 (of course!). Strange, I thought, but hey, maybe he just ran off and got eaten...
2 nights later, the LGD pup, and all 7 goats (including the rude/preggo herd queen) are out of the barn. The pup is alerting us to the barn. We run out with the shot gun and flashlights, Dierks pointed to the tree where the coon was climbing up. We shot him down with a home invasion round (slug+6 pellets) after the initial "Should we? He's cute... Could he really be the one they're scared of?" Then "Oh wait- that third rooster.... yup. He's gotta go." BANG. Wouldn't you know, that thing was over 35 lbs and 38" nose-to-tail. It's mouth resembles the feline most closely in my mind. I have close-up pictures if anyone's interested. But perhaps the most scary thought I had was "He could kill half my herd of GOATS!" (I have many young dwarf goats whose necks would easily be broken by that mouth, or at least bleed out from the damage). Coons are cute when young, but in the end- they pose a huge risk to my flock and herd. I'm very fortunate to have an LGD who takes his job seriously.
Turns out, it was a "he." Here's the offender in the proper "hands up" position (camera was set a year ahead for some reason):
Edit: Dierks is a 4 month-old 1/2 Anatolian Shepherd 1/2 Great Pyrenees puppy, for clarification
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