LGD, chickens pastured w/cows issue...

[watchdogps]

Oh, and in regards to how to use an LGD without having them in directly with the stock, I have seen what I call "dog moats" - a dog pen around the stock pen, so that anything has to go through the dog yard before it can get to the stock. Friend of mine used this for her mini horses - she also had a shetland pony that was a dog-kicker.

 

[Snowhunter]

A good LGD is suppoosed to be "as aggressive as the threat warrants" so, if a human was really nice and sweet, they might well be able to get in and steal stuff anyway. Granted, the dog would bark to begin with, so you'd have an alert and it might be enough to scare people off. But, to have an LGD dog who is really persistant and aggressive to thieves, you would have to have a not so well socialized dog who had a somewhat sharp temperament. That's not going to be appropriate if you have visitors to your farm that the dog should not bite, kids who have friends over etc. if the liability isnt an issue, you could look into that, but consider that first. Personally, I'd rather put up hot wire or barbed wire.

The whole perimeter is barbed wire, 5 strand. Up until a couple days ago, we'd always left the front gates unlocked and open, but now they're padlocked.

I'd LOVE hotwire, but 68 acres, oh my. That'd be one heckuva charger

We're mullin over some ideas right now... unfortunately, an LGD probably isn't gonna work, I'd hate to have the poor dog stomped.

 

[doo dah]

Would a donkey scare off a stranger? I've heard that donkeys may kill goats and sheep, but since you only have cows and chickens maybe it would work.

 

[aggieterpkatie]

Is the thief opening a gate? If so, can you electrify only the gate?

 

[carolinagirl]

Would a donkey scare off a stranger? I've heard that donkeys may kill goats and sheep, but since you only have cows and chickens maybe it would work.

donkeys are usually only affective against 4-legged predators.

 

[Snowhunter]

We've got donkeys in with the cows... they do good at chasing off 4 legged predators as carolinagirl mentioned. Ours are frightened of people, actually!

We've got the gate padlocked now, but they could just as easily cut through the barbwire fence and steal anything they want.

Ugh... this thievin issue just makes me mad

I appreciate yalls help... but I think we're gonna go with some form of permanent ID like tattoos or something for all the animals on the property. If they're not stealing to eat, it might help track/identify them in the future, if we can ever get all this mess situated.

 

[genuck]

Wildlife cameras or low light home security cameras? Confine your chicken in a small area for a while or in the tractor as 'bait' where the thief will be caught on tape, and maybe put one on the gate if you think that's where they are coming in. I think most can be monitored on your tv or pc.

 

[redtailgal]

.

 

[Snowhunter]

GEESE!!! Y"eah, DH had issues w/em when he was a kid, so that just MIGHT be a good option

Since all this happened a few weeks ago, we've moved everyone around to less conspicuous spots and things seem to have settled.

We padlocked the 2 entrance gates to the property as well.

I appreciate yalls help and advice. We'll probably be implementing GC's as funds allow