Keeping Predators away.

[Tapsmom]

Everyone is locked in the barn at night. In the warmer weather I do let my horse go in and out but everyone else is locked up inside. My question was about daytime. We generally open up the barn around 8:30 and they are back inside by dusk. The fence does have a heck of a charge (I've hit it by mistake and it hurts!) and I am going to send my hubby around the perimeter ;-) I know nothing is fool proof, but I am trying to make them as safe as possible.

 

[Pips]

With your fence, a little marking by hubby and maybe allowing him to have a beer party and after three or four every beer drinker gets a post , during the day your risk is decreased by ten. Here we have some wolves, bears, foxes, elk & Lynx.
I mention Elk because they can be very dangerous not just to humans but to livestock as well. plus love to break fences to get at fruit trees.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/oddstuff/9152820/Gang-of-drunken-elks-terrorise-homeowner
http://www.thelocal.se/20140224/swedish-countryside-slams-undemocratic-eu-wolf-hunt-ban
We have around 1200 wolves estimates by local park wardens, the article is not correct, but gives you an idea of how many predators we have to deal with. Our own property borders on the woods that connect to every other forest and free land in Sweden, and sit in the predator corridor between the wolf populated areas and the boar populated areas.

Day time is really not an issue, most predators prefer attacking at night, no sure about coyotes.

http://www.wildsweden.com/about/the-wild-animals/
I would also put up fence chimes so when it is pushed they tingle if you can but don't make noise in the wind.
And motion lights work really well if you get good ones that don't switch on when a mice runs past, even if locked up at night if any predators come sniffing after dark they will get spooked by the lights so make your days a lot safer.
Something like this http://www.amazon.com/Sunforce-82156-Solar-Motion-Light/dp/B0052SF0LO
I think you are fine if you do the above, lowering your risk a lot.
Nothing beats a guardian though tbh. Kinda drops your risk, depending where you are and predator population down to just above zero.

 

[pjmceadie]

Sorry to jump in at the end of a conversation, but I'm not computer savvy..
We just got 2 Nubian does and the fencing issue is worrying me. Dolly and Matilda have been in our garage, actually, while my husband has been trying to get the chicken/goat fence up. The fencing we have is 6' cedar and the enclosure is a wood enclosure that sits on the ground made of 2x4's and particle board. My concern is that these two are EXTREMELY noisy! They cry all the time, and I was wondering if we should be putting up some sort of electric system now after reading your posts. Tonight will be the first night they are locked in their makeshift barn. Is this satisfactory and if not, what should we put up? I am new to this so I have no idea what an LGD is?
Any help would be greatly appreciated!
Thanks!

 

[HoneyDreameMomma]

My concern is that these two are EXTREMELY noisy! They cry all the time, and I was wondering if we should be putting up some sort of electric system now after reading your posts. Tonight will be the first night they are locked in their makeshift barn. Is this satisfactory and if not, what should we put up? I am new to this so I have no idea what an LGD is?
Any help would be greatly appreciated!
Thanks!

"LGD" stands for Livestock Guardian Dog. There are many excellent threads on this site regarding choosing breeds, training techniques, etc. Livestock Guardian Dogs can't be trained like a regular house dog - as Southern, one of Backyard Herd's LGD experts often says, they're almost like their own species.

As a fairly new LGD owner (abt 2 years), I would highly suggest avoiding the urge to get an adorable puppy as your first guardian - unless you have a lot of time and patience on your hands. If you can, get a trained, experienced adult dog. Lol - then when you have a good adult dog, you can get a puppy... (LGDs are so awesome - they are almost addictive! I was not really a 'dog person' until I had an LGD).

We did the puppy thing first, and after months of trying several different training techniques (including consulting a professional trainer), we ended up trading our wild, somewhat agressive, chicken chasing 10-month old pup for a 4-year old Great Pyrenees. What a difference! It was such a stress relief to have a dog that took care of the goats without any drama. After we'd had him for several months, we decided to try the puppy thing one more time, because LGDs work well in teams. We were careful to go to the breeders and observe the puppies for a significant amount of time before selecting one with a temperament that we wanted. We actually ended up with two puppies, and because we had such a great adult LGD to help train them, I can honestly say that training the two of them has been 10X easier than training one puppy without an experienced adult LGD.

I'm sure other people have had different experiences, but if you're interested in getting a Livestock Guardian Dog, I would definitely recommend a trained, proven adult for your first LGD. They usually cost more, but I swear they are worth every penny!