What happens when foxes start eating chickens (graphic)

[Aunt Angus]

The person I recommended LGD has three large dogs(not 24/7 guardians) and active predator problem. Still you think LGD is not answer?

The real problem is that people find some dog that somebody says is LGD and they think ok it is a working LGD.
A real working line LGD does not need training if he has a job that is the same of its ancestor. They do not need to be fenced and are they very low maintenance.
Somewhere else I said in this forum. Two of the LGDs I grew up with never saw a vet other than vaccination. Ever. Never been brushed ,or being walked or trained yet they were amazing(Caucasian Shepherd) .
If they are not healthy and are not low maintenance it is because they are not true LGD.

Meanwhile, yes they bark a lot . That is their job in a way.

I've thought about getting LGD. But three seems like a lot, and thats6how many you kinda need up here for mountain lions, wolves, and packs of coyote. I only have 16 chickens and 4 goats. And I only have a few acres of pasture. Is that enough room for 3 big dogs? And I'm not sure I'd be able to train them. I do love the idea, though.

 

[mowin]

I repeat, you seem reasonable to me, so I will try to explain to you again!
- You must not allow a predator to injure your animals! It is strictly forbidden!
- You don't allow him to attack if you properly fence the chicken coop!
- If by some miracle the predator managed to break through your properly protected chicken coop and killed the animals, the state will pay you the damages!

The comparison is like when we put children in a car seat and fasten them with a seat belt! We have protected that child in case of a crash! If we don't put a child in a car seat and fasten him with a seat belt, we are a bad parent and risk the child's life!
Parent - Farmer
Child - animals
Car seat - fence
Collision - Predator
(this is just a comparison, don't write now that I call children animals)

I will not respond to Mr. mowin because from the beginning of the topic he provokes and twists words. Classic forum troll!

You won't respond to me because you know I'm correct.

 

[Aunt Angus]

I don't think the Croation person is a commercial breeder, though. I think he names his birds and shows them. But maybe I'm wrong.

But even then. I can't imagine saying, "Welp, there's a fox in the coop. Look at it killing all the chickens I raised and can no longer use to sell meat/eggs/chicks/insert purpose here! I'll come back in a few hours when it's gotten its fill. Then I can call a hunting club to kill it and the government to issue my check. I'll just start all over again once that check is cashed. So glad I wasted all of my time just to feed the wildlife instead of my family."

Unless that's the racket: to bill the government for money? Maybe it's more lucrative than actually participating in the poultry market???

I really can't wrap my head around it. I don't want money. I want my beautiful birds. The thought is very distressing.

 

[Feathers of Eden]

Those are the messages of people who are deliberately provoking you because you are being so stubborn and narrow minded.
Croatia - 21,851 sq miles
USA - 3,717,813 sq miles
We are a very large and very diverse country. There are many areas here where certain types of animals are extremely overpopulated and they need to be thinned out for the sake of the animals themselves, because overpopulation leads to disease and starvation. Foxes are one of those animals.
Personally I love foxes, we have a lot of them on our property and for the most part they are not a problem. But if they are desperate enough to risk coming up into my yard or coop area during waking hours, they will be killed, either by my dogs or my 22.
That is not uncivilized, it's actually very much like natural selection in action. Those that are apparently unable to survive well in their own environment get culled. If you truly cared about and understood the wild animals you would realize that while harsh, it's for the greater good in the end.

Greater good should include the right of all parties involved. Your proposed greater good is great only for us humans. The predators share is a bullet or poison or ...
I am not buying it as greater good.

I used to shoot foxes for no reason. Or maybe the only reason was that I had a shot gun in my hand and the foxes did not. I am not squeaky clean but when I moved to Canada I found that I have no reason to hunt anymore. I still have no problem with my friends hunting. I have been in both parties and enjoyed both of them.
By the way, some of those messages came before my Croatian friend said anything.

I have hiked USA from Mexico to Canada so I am kind of eligible to say something about USA. You say USA is a huge ,diverse culture . I agree. I have found tremendous respect for Americans after I hiked Pacific Crest trail. I even have admiration mixed with fascination but that does not mean you Americans are all squeaky clean. No culture and no nation is .

That also means in this huge expanse of the land and in this huge melting pot of cultures there are some bad seeds and some bad comments.

 

[Aunt Angus]

By the way, some of those messages came before my Croatian friend said anything.

Actually, they volleyed the first personal attack, unless someone deleted a post.

And I believe the diversity spoken of refers to our country's geography. But I could be mistaken about that second part.

 

[Feathers of Eden]

I've thought about getting LGD. But three seems like a lot, and thats6how many you kinda need up here for mountain lions, wolves, and packs of coyote. I only have 16 chickens and 4 goats. And I only have a few acres of pasture. Is that enough room for 3 big dogs? And I'm not sure I'd be able to train them. I do love the idea, though.

You need only one Tibetan Mastiff. They stick to the homestead and do not roam. Their job in Tibet was guarding the monastery all day and night without interfering with pilgrims.

You need two or three LGD if you expect your LGDs to roam a vast land . Your case is more like one serious LGD is enough. Serious LGDs includes: Tibetam Mastiff, Turkish Kangal, Central Asian shepherd aka Alabai , Caucasian Shepherd or Kuvasz.

I have a kind of article about choosing the right LGD. Take a look at it if you are interested:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...ivestock-guardian-dogs.1546725/#post-26115453

 

[Aunt Angus]

You need only one Tibetan Mastiff. They stick to the homestead and do not roam. Their job in Tibet was guarding the monastery all day and night without interfering with pilgrims.

You need two or three LGD if you expect your LGDs to roam a vast land . Your case is more like one serious LGD is enough. Serious LGDs includes: Tibetam Mastiff, Turkish Kangal, Central Asian shepherd aka Alabai , Caucasian Shepherd or Kuvasz.

I have a kind of article about choosing the right LGD. Take a look at it if you are interested:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...ivestock-guardian-dogs.1546725/#post-26115453

I've read that. It's a very good article!

The problem here is mountain lions. They have killed single LGDs.

 

[Feathers of Eden]

I've read that. It's a very good article!

The problem here is mountain lions. They have killed single LGDs.

Not a Tibetan Mastiff. They do not engage with Tibetan Mastiff. I have seen two Alabai chasing a Leopard. One of the Alabai had lost one of his leg to another leopard yet he was chasing another to protect his livestock. When I say serious LGD I mean it.

Mountain Lions are not as big as Iranian Leopards. Iranian Leopards are the largest in the world according to some studies.

 

[Aunt Angus]

In any case if the predator load is heavy and/or the potentil predators are as big as your LGDs including Wolves, Bears, Mountain lions, Pack of coyotes or such then you definitely need more than one dog preferably three.

This is partly why I feel I need three.

ETA: I actually checked out some breeders. I can only find breeders of show dogs. Can I work show dogs? And I'd have to save up. $2k - $5k is a lot for a dog. I would pay it if I felt 100% that I could adequately train a dog and that it would 100% be able to fend off the huge male lion that hunts here.

 

[Feathers of Eden]

This is partly why I feel I need three.

I am not going to argue with what I wrote. I tend to agree with myself from time to time.