Timberwolves and cougars...

[BlackBart]

I live on Vancouver Island and there are more cougars per square mile than anywhere else in North America. Never had a problem with them going after the chickens, horses and sheep, yes.

Never have had a problem with wolves, yet. There is a pack that lives in the woods behind my house but I think the reason don't bother the livestock is because there are so many deer (they are overpopulated)

But my neighbor had something taking his chickens.
They would disappear, no noise or feathers left behind. He put up a electric perimeter fence and the problem stopped.
If you live in or near the woods you should have electric perimeter fencing.

 

[centavo71]

Yeah, we live in the woods...in the middle of nowhere. Never thought of doing the electric fence thing, maybe I should look into it.

We lived on Vancouver Island for a short stint - dh keeps saying he wants to move back. Didn't realize you had such a cougar pop there.

 

[grandmaof5]

I watched a show on tv yesterday about wild pigs; they said there are more wild pigs in some areas than meat-producing 'farm' ones. The documentary said in some areas in the south men hunt wild pigs with dogs and one man said even if they hunt 16-20 each night, they are still over-populating beyond their ability to keep numbers manageable. There was research that said they are related to wild boars of Russia...longer legs and snouts and almost twice as big. Apparently, someone brought 8(!) wild pigs from there and released them back in the 70s and they've bred with local pigs. They showed a couple of them attacking hunting dogs...nasty work! There have been numerous people and livestock killed, and one person has been killed by wild pigs (although not in North America, I believe). They said they will eat almost anything, are very hardy, and are spreading northward each year.

I think I'd take my chances with a wolf before a wild pig...

 

[centavo71]

Quote:
Ha! Somehow 'little pig little pig please let me in...not by the hair of my chinny chin chin!' doesn't quite fit!

That is some crazy stuff!

 

[feathersandfluff]

anybody know any thing about the "Nite Guard" that is advertised to scare off preditors? Wondering if it really works.

 

[Bear Foot Farm]

What do you mean by a true LGD???

A true LGD is one of several specific breeds with hundreds if not thousands of years of selective breeding for traits that make them livestock protection dogs:

http://www.lgd.org/

The Great Pyrenees is the most well known, but there are others as good or better at what they do.
I like Maremmas myself:

http://www.dogbreedinfo.com/maremmasheepdog.htm

 

[feathersandfluff]

Since we put up the electric fence two weeks have went by with no more kills. Husband only ran a electric line on top of the fencing since he is concerned if he puts the line on the bottom also, the geese can get into it and it can kill them. We had a neighbor that lost one of her small dogs that got into a hot wire and standing water. Husband has put pegs and stakes on the bottom of the fencing to keep it secure but it still concerns me that there is no no hot wire on the bottom.

As my husband says, with winter coming we are going to have a lot more problems with hungry preditors.

Looking into the I know some people use the large breeds of dogs against preditors but I have heard stories about the dogs suddently attacking what they are suppose to be protecting.

Looking into the "Nite Guard" on line but very expensive to cover the large area we would need it for. It would be worth it if it would work but not many reviews on it and the ones that are posted are mixed
reviews. Also another one (can't think of the name right now) that uses sound of animals to scare away the preditors. Not quite as expensive but wondering if it really works.

 

[deb1]

Do some people call othere breeds of dogs, LGDs?

 

[vicki2x2]

The breeders we got our LGD (maremma) from have their dogs guarding their livestock also. However when she heard the dogs barking one day and stepped out on her porch and saw a large wolf within 50 yards of her front steps, she decided she needed something to keep any eye on her kids! They have wolves, cougar and bears also.

So now they have a Maremma that is trained to protect the children. It lives in the house with them, goes out whenever the kids do and she don't have to worry about them anymore. This particular dog is now 8 and they are raising another now to take her place as she gets older. She has kept their yard safe for many years now.

 

[centavo71]

So, my husband came home with a pup last night. I didn't know he was such a sucker for those puppy dog eyes. I probably would have done the same. Her momma is a Great Pyrenees (saw her) and the daddy is an Australian cattle dog (heeler...right?). She is 9 weeks old and a sweetie. I am hoping that this wasn't a mistake...the heeler is quite the dog...we need a job for her to do...is guarding my chickens enough? I doubt it! I have been trying to talk dh into goats...hmm...she could guard the goats.