Re: [Blackbelly] Coyotes
Contact your local Animal Damage Control unit of the USDA. usually they have an office in the state ag department. They will trap coyotes. LGDs and LLamas are great, but to get rid of the problem you cannot beat a trap. You will probably find dogs running with the coyotes also. If you can see a coyote you ahve a chance to shoot it, but a trap works 24/7, and gives you a better shot!! If it is a dog, either shoot, shovel, and shut up or gut shoot it with a 22 and let it go home to die. Sounds cruel, but I am protecting my Family... Cecil in OKla Pantalone, John A (GE Infra, Energy) wrote: I have lost several sheep to coyotes and bobcats. I recently purchased a donkey. I havent lost any yet, but it has only been 6 months. All my neighbors are goat owners and have LGDs with lots of success. I wanted something I didn't have to feed if I was out of town, so I went with the Donkey. Time will tell. -- Message: 2 Date: Wed, 10 Sep 2008 11:19:25 -0500 From: blueberryfarm [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: [Blackbelly] Coyotes To: blackbelly@lists.blackbellysheep.info Message-ID: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Content-Type: text/plain; format=flowed; charset=iso-8859-1; reply-type=response We are primarily blueberry farmers, but started with American Blackbellies about two years ago and have two small flocks of about a dozen animals each. Coyotes have been stealing my neighbor's chickens one by one. A couple of weeks ago we found a dead ewe with her rear eaten out. We are regularly seeing and hearing the coyotes now and a neighbor saw a couple of pups a few days ago. The word around here is that the fox hunting club brought in some coyotes to hunt and they are now running all over the county; we had not seen or heard of any until this year. I have 4 foot field fencing around all five of my small sheep pastures, each about one+ acres. I understand that a coyote can sail over a four foot fence, but I have not yet seen one in any of the pastures. I have read that donkeys, llamas, and Great Pyrenees dogs are good at protecting the sheep. What are your experiences with any of these? Is an adult ram a good protector? I have a young ram (about 10 months) in with the flock where the ewe was killed and adult ram with the other flock. Your advice in dealing with coyotes and guardian animals or other protection methods will be most apprciated. Eat more blueberries! Jerry Windmill Farms LLC Picayune, Mississippi ___ This message is from the Blackbelly mailing list Visit the list's homepage at %http://www.blackbellysheep.info ___ This message is from the Blackbelly mailing list Visit the list's homepage at %http://www.blackbellysheep.info
[Blackbelly] Coyotes
We are primarily blueberry farmers, but started with American Blackbellies about two years ago and have two small flocks of about a dozen animals each. Coyotes have been stealing my neighbor's chickens one by one. A couple of weeks ago we found a dead ewe with her rear eaten out. We are regularly seeing and hearing the coyotes now and a neighbor saw a couple of pups a few days ago. The word around here is that the fox hunting club brought in some coyotes to hunt and they are now running all over the county; we had not seen or heard of any until this year. I have 4 foot field fencing around all five of my small sheep pastures, each about one+ acres. I understand that a coyote can sail over a four foot fence, but I have not yet seen one in any of the pastures. I have read that donkeys, llamas, and Great Pyrenees dogs are good at protecting the sheep. What are your experiences with any of these? Is an adult ram a good protector? I have a young ram (about 10 months) in with the flock where the ewe was killed and adult ram with the other flock. Your advice in dealing with coyotes and guardian animals or other protection methods will be most apprciated. Eat more blueberries! Jerry Windmill Farms LLC Picayune, Mississippi ___ This message is from the Blackbelly mailing list Visit the list's homepage at %http://www.blackbellysheep.info
Re: [Blackbelly] Coyotes
You need to put at least two barber wires over the top of your fence, and you need LGD, the best one for me are the Great Pyrenees but you need to buy them from farmers that are raising the same animals that you are raising now or that you would raise in the future. Where are you located? Have a great day!!! The biggest mistake people make in life is not making a living at doing what they most enjoy. - Malcolm S. Forbes (1919-1990) ... Notice: This email message and any attachments are confidential, intended only for the named recipient(s) and may contain information that is privileged or exempt from disclosure under applicable law. If you are not the intended recipient(s), you are notified that the dissemination, distribution or copying of this message is strictly prohibited. If you are not the intended recipient, please immediately reply to the sender and delete the message from your email system. Thank you. --- On Wed, 9/10/08, blueberryfarm [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: From: blueberryfarm [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: [Blackbelly] Coyotes To: blackbelly@lists.blackbellysheep.info Date: Wednesday, September 10, 2008, 12:19 PM We are primarily blueberry farmers, but started with American Blackbellies about two years ago and have two small flocks of about a dozen animals each. Coyotes have been stealing my neighbor's chickens one by one. A couple of weeks ago we found a dead ewe with her rear eaten out. We are regularly seeing and hearing the coyotes now and a neighbor saw a couple of pups a few days ago. The word around here is that the fox hunting club brought in some coyotes to hunt and they are now running all over the county; we had not seen or heard of any until this year. I have 4 foot field fencing around all five of my small sheep pastures, each about one+ acres. I understand that a coyote can sail over a four foot fence, but I have not yet seen one in any of the pastures. I have read that donkeys, llamas, and Great Pyrenees dogs are good at protecting the sheep. What are your experiences with any of these? Is an adult ram a good protector? I have a young ram (about 10 months) in with the flock where the ewe was killed and adult ram with the other flock. Your advice in dealing with coyotes and guardian animals or other protection methods will be most apprciated. Eat more blueberries! Jerry Windmill Farms LLC Picayune, Mississippi ___ This message is from the Blackbelly mailing list Visit the list's homepage at %http://www.blackbellysheep.info ___ This message is from the Blackbelly mailing list Visit the list's homepage at %http://www.blackbellysheep.info
Re: [Blackbelly] Coyotes
My ram is ferocious, but really in a predator situation, all evacuate. What has protected my sheep this year is the ponies. This has not been ideal. Some of the ponies enjoyed chasing the sheep and I had some lameness. Donkeys will sometimes do this too. Finally I put an escape route - a paster with a raised fence the sheep can go under to get away from the ponies. Wish the ponies could have protected my ducks...Now my ducks are locked in a dog kennel at night. I have friends with Great Pyrenese and Llamas. Honestly... I can't imagine my sheep tolerating a big white dog, but perhaps a llama. And I LOVE blueberries! Tracy Wessel Wessel Farm (Blackbelly sheep, Welsh Harlequin Ducks, various chickens and fine Belgian Shepherds) http://tracywessel.com/sheep/2008_sheep.htm I have read that donkeys, llamas, and Great Pyrenees dogs are good at protecting the sheep. What are your experiences with any of these? Is an adult ram a good protector? I have a young ram (about 10 months) in with the flock where the ewe was killed and adult ram with the other flock. Your advice in dealing with coyotes and guardian animals or other protection methods will be most apprciated. Eat more blueberries! ___ This message is from the Blackbelly mailing list Visit the list's homepage at %http://www.blackbellysheep.info
Re: [Blackbelly] Coyotes
When the coyotes moved into my neighborhood (North Carolina Piedmont), I purchased 3 gelded llamas. They have been magnificient at predator control. We also have problems in this area with vultures attacking lambs and (goat)kids. The other day we watched the llamas run off the vultures from our day-old lambs. They are very protective of their sheep. I did have to try out a few different llamas before I got the right combination, though. Lorie Triplecharm Farm - Original Message - From: Tracy Wessel [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: blackbelly@lists.blackbellysheep.info Sent: Wednesday, September 10, 2008 6:32 PM Subject: Re: [Blackbelly] Coyotes My ram is ferocious, but really in a predator situation, all evacuate. What has protected my sheep this year is the ponies. This has not been ideal. Some of the ponies enjoyed chasing the sheep and I had some lameness. Donkeys will sometimes do this too. Finally I put an escape route - a paster with a raised fence the sheep can go under to get away from the ponies. Wish the ponies could have protected my ducks...Now my ducks are locked in a dog kennel at night. I have friends with Great Pyrenese and Llamas. Honestly... I can't imagine my sheep tolerating a big white dog, but perhaps a llama. And I LOVE blueberries! Tracy Wessel Wessel Farm (Blackbelly sheep, Welsh Harlequin Ducks, various chickens and fine Belgian Shepherds) http://tracywessel.com/sheep/2008_sheep.htm I have read that donkeys, llamas, and Great Pyrenees dogs are good at protecting the sheep. What are your experiences with any of these? Is an adult ram a good protector? I have a young ram (about 10 months) in with the flock where the ewe was killed and adult ram with the other flock. Your advice in dealing with coyotes and guardian animals or other protection methods will be most apprciated. Eat more blueberries! ___ This message is from the Blackbelly mailing list Visit the list's homepage at %http://www.blackbellysheep.info ___ This message is from the Blackbelly mailing list Visit the list's homepage at %http://www.blackbellysheep.info
Re: [Blackbelly] Coyotes
I have also used livestock guardian dogs (LGD's) for several years to protect my Blackbelly sheep, and have been very happy with them. As has already been said, there are a number of breeds that do this job well, and I'd like to put a plug in for the breed that's done so well on my farm - Maremmas. They are also BWD's (Big White Dogs) similar to Great Pyrenees, but not quite so broad. They originated in Italy. They tend to be less laid back than Pyr's (at least my Pyr), and are always on the job. They tend to stay with the sheep rather than just guard the perimeters of the pasture. As with any LGD, you need to find a breeder you can trust, and realize you're working with a live animal - a dog - rather than an inanimate object that can be put in place and then forgotten. In other words, there is a learning curve to having LGD's on your farm, but if you find someone who can provide a great dog and then guide you, they are well worth the peace of mind they provide. Unlike an electric fence, they are always working. You can learn more about them at: [EMAIL PROTECTED] A very excellent breeder and trainer of Maremmas that I can personally recommend can be found at: http://www.windancefarms.com/ Best of luck, Stephanie Parrish Westminster, SC On Sep 10, 2008, at 12:19 PM, blueberryfarm wrote: We are primarily blueberry farmers, but started with American Blackbellies about two years ago and have two small flocks of about a dozen animals each. Coyotes have been stealing my neighbor's chickens one by one. A couple of weeks ago we found a dead ewe with her rear eaten out. We are regularly seeing and hearing the coyotes now and a neighbor saw a couple of pups a few days ago. The word around here is that the fox hunting club brought in some coyotes to hunt and they are now running all over the county; we had not seen or heard of any until this year. I have 4 foot field fencing around all five of my small sheep pastures, each about one+ acres. I understand that a coyote can sail over a four foot fence, but I have not yet seen one in any of the pastures. I have read that donkeys, llamas, and Great Pyrenees dogs are good at protecting the sheep. What are your experiences with any of these? Is an adult ram a good protector? I have a young ram (about 10 months) in with the flock where the ewe was killed and adult ram with the other flock. Your advice in dealing with coyotes and guardian animals or other protection methods will be most apprciated. Eat more blueberries! Jerry Windmill Farms LLC Picayune, Mississippi ___ This message is from the Blackbelly mailing list Visit the list's homepage at %http://www.blackbellysheep.info ___ This message is from the Blackbelly mailing list Visit the list's homepage at %http://www.blackbellysheep.info
[Blackbelly] Coyotes
I have lost several sheep to coyotes and bobcats. I recently purchased a donkey. I havent lost any yet, but it has only been 6 months. All my neighbors are goat owners and have LGDs with lots of success. I wanted something I didn't have to feed if I was out of town, so I went with the Donkey. Time will tell. -- Message: 2 Date: Wed, 10 Sep 2008 11:19:25 -0500 From: blueberryfarm [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: [Blackbelly] Coyotes To: blackbelly@lists.blackbellysheep.info Message-ID: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Content-Type: text/plain; format=flowed; charset=iso-8859-1; reply-type=response We are primarily blueberry farmers, but started with American Blackbellies about two years ago and have two small flocks of about a dozen animals each. Coyotes have been stealing my neighbor's chickens one by one. A couple of weeks ago we found a dead ewe with her rear eaten out. We are regularly seeing and hearing the coyotes now and a neighbor saw a couple of pups a few days ago. The word around here is that the fox hunting club brought in some coyotes to hunt and they are now running all over the county; we had not seen or heard of any until this year. I have 4 foot field fencing around all five of my small sheep pastures, each about one+ acres. I understand that a coyote can sail over a four foot fence, but I have not yet seen one in any of the pastures. I have read that donkeys, llamas, and Great Pyrenees dogs are good at protecting the sheep. What are your experiences with any of these? Is an adult ram a good protector? I have a young ram (about 10 months) in with the flock where the ewe was killed and adult ram with the other flock. Your advice in dealing with coyotes and guardian animals or other protection methods will be most apprciated. Eat more blueberries! Jerry Windmill Farms LLC Picayune, Mississippi ___ This message is from the Blackbelly mailing list Visit the list's homepage at %http://www.blackbellysheep.info
Re: [Blackbelly] Coyotes
Jerry I have sheep and goats - I use to loose them to Coyotes and packs of dogs - I got a 1 Llama ( I have a female and she is better with the sheep ) and then I also added a Donkey. The Donkey is great - would not trade her for the world - she is easy to feed and pasture and I hear her at night out in the pasture making the rounds. We had two donkey - but they tend to do better watching and become part of the herd if you only have 1 donkey. I have also found that the female donkey and Llama's do less chasing of the sheep when young. Don't get a Mini - they can be taken down by a pack - got with a standard donkey. It has been 6 years now and no losses due to Coyotes and dogs. nate --- On Wed, 9/10/08, blueberryfarm [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: From: blueberryfarm [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: [Blackbelly] Coyotes To: blackbelly@lists.blackbellysheep.info Date: Wednesday, September 10, 2008, 11:19 AM We are primarily blueberry farmers, but started with American Blackbellies about two years ago and have two small flocks of about a dozen animals each. Coyotes have been stealing my neighbor's chickens one by one. A couple of weeks ago we found a dead ewe with her rear eaten out. We are regularly seeing and hearing the coyotes now and a neighbor saw a couple of pups a few days ago. The word around here is that the fox hunting club brought in some coyotes to hunt and they are now running all over the county; we had not seen or heard of any until this year. I have 4 foot field fencing around all five of my small sheep pastures, each about one+ acres. I understand that a coyote can sail over a four foot fence, but I have not yet seen one in any of the pastures. I have read that donkeys, llamas, and Great Pyrenees dogs are good at protecting the sheep. What are your experiences with any of these? Is an adult ram a good protector? I have a young ram (about 10 months) in with the flock where the ewe was killed and adult ram with the other flock. Your advice in dealing with coyotes and guardian animals or other protection methods will be most apprciated. Eat more blueberries! Jerry Windmill Farms LLC Picayune, Mississippi ___ This message is from the Blackbelly mailing list Visit the list's homepage at %http://www.blackbellysheep.info ___ This message is from the Blackbelly mailing list Visit the list's homepage at %http://www.blackbellysheep.info