Does anybody seem to have issues with cougars or other predators?

Howdy. I have recently became a mother to a couple of goats all under a year old. I live in an area that is very populated with mountain lions. Every since adopting my kids, I have been nervous of predators coming to our property. Coyotes also seem to be an issue over near our home but I have been hearing more and more stories of cats coming into neighborhoods and killing livestock. Just recently there was a cougar that killed two horses down the road from us. We have a pen for the does to hang out in which provides very great fencing and then a couple acres of land which we use for pasture but is poorly fenced in comparison. When I am unable to supervise the goats on the pasture, I place them back in their pen which consists of playground area, watering area, food and shelter. At night, I lock them up in their shelter and keep them there until morning. I feel like this is a fool-proof way to keep the predators away at night but I'm starting to wonder if I should still be considering the threat of mountain lions during the day. Has anyone on here ever had an encounter with cougars and their livestock during the day or at night? Are there extra steps I can be taking to keep predators away? I know taller,better fencing in the long term is my goal for the remaining pasture, but anything else that can help keep my babies safe is good advice to have! Please share with me your tips and stories!

Livestock guardian dogs!! You can find some for no rehoming fee. I am picking up my second set tomorrow. Got my first set back in November. Otherwise you have to buy them. Either way it is a great investment to protect your livestock.

goats&moregoats said:

Livestock guardian dogs!! You can find some for no rehoming fee. I am picking up my second set tomorrow. Got my first set back in November. Otherwise you have to buy them. Either way it is a great investment to protect your livestock.

Click to expand...

Thank you for your input. I briefly looked into LGD before we got our herd but then I thought that out of my three family dogs, maybe one of them could learn to protect and herd our goats. Boy, was I wrong! Our family dogs usually don't want anything to do with our does and our goats usually greet our dogs with a headbutt (so I'd like to assume that they aren't the best of friends). I don't keep our dogs unsupervised with our goats (more for our poor doggies protection from the goats, not the other way around) so having them as the "goat protectors" doesn't work. If we were to adopt a LGD, are they able to stay out with the goats day and night (in the barn with them at night and pasture/pen during the day) or would we have to keep them in at night with our pack of family dogs? I absolutely love canines and wouldn't mind taking care of another, but at this point I don't feel like my home has adequate room for another big dog. My many acres of land has plenty of room though. Also, is it difficult to find an already trained LGD to adopt that fits the special criteria for an individual farm? Or would you have to start training at an early age to get them to work with your herd? I'm sure my husband would LOVE adding another family member to the farm

LGD is your best bet but if it is cougars you want to keep away you need more than one dog and you need big adult dogs. Getting them from a rescue can be iffy, glad it is working for goats&moregoats, but that isn't always the case.

The dogs are an investment, money and time in training, but oh so worth it. It seems that most predators are a threat more at night but that isn't always true. But these dogs are amazing, night or day, they are on the job and they let me rest easily.

Hot wire is another option. While not bullet proof of course, it will at least give the coyote something to think about. It stopped them from coming over our fences. I had an area that the goats and dogs were locked out of most of the time and I started seeing the fence broken down and hair stuck in it. We put up a hot wire, not more coyotes coming over.

May I ask where you live?

@babsbag , is correct about rescues. I have been lucky enough to actually get mine straight from previous owners with working farm before they hit the rescues. Both set are pure GP's. So far awesome with first set. Trying to make the right decision on second set.

The LGD will stay with the goats 24/7, they usually insist on it and don't like being away. If you get a pup you can bring it into the house for some "house" time but it sleeps and lives with the goats. It is crucial that they bond to their job but you also want them social with your family including your other dogs as they may come a time that they meet and they need to be friends. Chances are that as the LGD matures they will NOT let your family dogs into their field, they take their job very seriously. Until you own one of these dogs you cannot fully understand their behavior and their differences.

Finding a trained or started pup may not be easy, and certainly won't be cheap unless you find one that needs rehoming; but unless you know the people getting rid of it it could be that it is being rehomed as it has an issue with livestock, fences, people, etc. Most people would never dream of getting rid of a successful dog unless they are getting out of livestock.

Depending on where you live there might be some started dogs available from BYH members.

We have a Jenny donkey guardian for our goats and she is very protective of them, but we don't seem to have cougars in our area. I moved from an area that has cougars though and a neighbor who raised sheep. He said donkeys as guardians were better because of their size. A cougar could kill a donkey but is more intimidated by a larger animal than perhaps a dog. He also said that marking the territory with human urine was an ancient way to help deter some predators. Sounds gross but could work. Our donkey gets very loud and vocal if a strange animal enters her field and she will chase anything that comes near her goat family.

@babsbag @goats&moregoats Thank you for the information on LGD. I hope to one day be able to bring one home to our expanded farm. I will keep an eye out for any LGD that are being rehomed in our area just in case

Today while I was out walking I did see cougar sign. Thankfully it wasn't close enough to home to have me immediately wanting to turn around and protect our property but it reminded me that my girls are still babies and I need to be extra cautious when taking them on trails, not just when they are at home.

outdoorhoney said:

@babsbag @goats&moregoats Thank you for the information on LGD. I hope to one day be able to bring one home to our expanded farm. I will keep an eye out for any LGD that are being rehomed in our area just in case

Today while I was out walking I did see cougar sign. Thankfully it wasn't close enough to home to have me immediately wanting to turn around and protect our property but it reminded me that my girls are still babies and I need to be extra cautious when taking them on trails, not just when they are at home.

Click to expand...

You need to be extra cautious when you are out walking too.
It is not common for cougars to attack humans but not unheard of, particularly young male cougars pushed into a new territory.

outdoorhoney said:

@babsbag @goats&moregoats Thank you for the information on LGD. I hope to one day be able to bring one home to our expanded farm. I will keep an eye out for any LGD that are being rehomed in our area just in case

Today while I was out walking I did see cougar sign. Thankfully it wasn't close enough to home to have me immediately wanting to turn around and protect our property but it reminded me that my girls are still babies and I need to be extra cautious when taking them on trails, not just when they are at home.

Click to expand...

Ummm ! your walk may seem quite a long distance , however it is just a short jaunt for a cougar. They have a 100 square mile territory .....