What can I do about coyotes?

[justbugged]

Llamas are also very good watch animals. They are very alert, and will kick and bite. They are real good kissers to if they like you.

Your American Mastiffs should be fairly capable of predator control also. I would see if they could be trained to hate the coyotes, and ignore the chickens. There are also the LSG dogs all of which are breed to guard livestock. A few of the breeds are the Great Pyrenees, Anatolian Shepherd Dog, Kuvasz, and my favorite the Komondor, and just to challenge a few, and what I wish I could have is a South Russian Ovtcharka. All of these dogs are extremely large dogs that have been bred for centuries to hate wild canines, like coyotes and wolves. Most of them are normally big couch potatoes most of the time. My Komondor doesn't eat nearly as much as some would think. They spend a lot of their day just laying around looking bored. On the other hand they don't miss very much either.

are times when all you can do is the 3 SSS's Shoot Shovel and Shut-up. It may not be reasonable if you have close neighbors, or in the city or town limits.

 

[BettyR]

I have no problem shooting coyotes and would do that if I could get anywhere close enough to do so but living in the area that we do there is just too much cover for them to hide in and there is no way I can sit in the chicken yard all day long to guard my chickens.

I agree my American Mastiffs would be good guard dogs for the chickens but they are here to guard me. My husband is a trucker and is gone a lot and I am home alone. With our economy being what it is we have a lot of migratory type people who come into our area looking for odd jobs and it’s not safe for me to be alone here with no neighbors. I depend heavily on my dogs to keep me safe.

I really appreciate all the suggestions… they were finally able to start working on getting my fence back up today and as soon as it’s back I think the electric fence will be the best answer for me.

Thanks to all…Betty

 

[Sonoran Silkies]

Consider adding another dog just for protecting the chickens.

 

[MysticScorpio82]

When you fix the fence, are you planning on putting the barbed wire back up along the top? If so I would imagine it would help keep the coyotes at bay (they may be able to scale it, but I bet it will only be once before they learn it isn't a good idea).

Also I agree with sonoran, maybe another guard dog for your chickies, like a great pyr?

 

[BettyR]

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There are people in our area who use Pyres to protect their chickens but I would have a hard time leaving the dog out there with the chickens. I know that's dumb and I've never owned a Pyre before so I don't know what type of personality they have...they may be perfectly happy on their own. But I'm used to American Mastiffs and I swear they are almost human in their need for human companionship. I could never leave them.

Yes, they will put the barbed wire back when they get the fence back up. I have to think that the coyotes knew the chickens were there before the fence went down and the barbed wire buried under the fence and the barbed wire over the fence has kept them out. Any way we are hoping they will finish getting the fence back up tomorrow and I’m praying that will be the end of my problems. But if not then I will invest in an electric fence.

I know that the coyotes are not that hungry and they are coming after my chickens only because it’s an easy meal. This area is just working alive with all kinds of prey animals and when you see a coyote on the road that has been hit by a car they have all been healthy well fed animals. I’m just hoping that my fence going back up will take the appeal away.

 

[woodmort]

First of all realize there is a difference between the eastern and western coyotes--the eastern specimens are considerable larger--I've seen both and can verify this. (There is some question as to maybe the eastern variety is a red or gray wolf cross.) I know they will easily dispatch a beagle-sized dog and will hunt in packs, attacking larger animals like an alpaca or llama. There food of choice here are fawns and, if they can get them, large deer.

Second, they are very territorial and will keep other coyotes out of their territory. This can be an advantage it the group in your area is not bothering livestock as they will not permit others in the area that might. For this reason, indiscriminate shooting of coyotes isn't a good idea.

Finally, and most disturbing, once they start on livestock they will keep at it until either they are dispatched or the source is eliminated. If this happens in NYS one has to either get a permit from the DEC, hire a licensed trapper or have a hunting license for in season killing as coyotes are a protected species with open/closed season. Check with your state fish and game.

 

[BettyR]

I don't know what type of coyote we have here but to give you an idea of what we are dealing with I'm posting so pictures of my yard.

As you can see the is a really good reason why they call this part of Texas "The Big Thicket"!!!
This is my back yard....

Off the the right there is where we cleared some trees to be able to build the chicken house. This is the chicken house under construction.

 

[TcherDawn]

I use the solar Night Guard Predator lights. We have a large pack of coyotes here, and before we had chickens, I have pictures and video of them in our yard. Since we built our coop and use the Night Guard lights, the only thing that has been around our coop is my own dog and a nightly deer. I have a game cam to watch our yard for me at night. Love my game cam.

 

[woodmort]

Here's what your NH fish and game says about them: Eastern coyotes typically weigh 30-50 pounds and are 48-60 inches long, approximately twice the size of their close relative, the western coyote. Eastern coyotes have long legs, thick fur, a pointy snout, a drooping bushy black-tipped tail and range in color from a silvery gray to a grizzled, brownish red. The average life span of a wild coyote is four years. Though coyotes are often mistaken for a domestic dog hybrid, recent genetic research has attributed the eastern coyote's larger size and unique behavioral characteristics to interbreeding with Canadian gray wolves. Unlike the wolf or domestic dog, coyotes run with their tail pointing down.

Here's the link for more information: http://www.wildlife.state.nh.us/Wildlife/Wildlife_profiles/profile_eastern_coyote.htm

This should help answer your questions and help to protect your animals from them.