Please tell me about Coyotes

mrbstephens

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I live on Long Island where coyotes have been unheard of till the past couple of years. There have been several sightings. I have no experience with coyotes and how to keep my animals safe from them. Please tell me how to keep them out and what else to expect. Thank you!
 

blueberrygirl

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I am in a semi rural part of northern indiana. We have plenty of coyotes here, see them often, & hear them every night. We have never had a coyote attack. We have a German shepherd that runs free & have always kept our chickens close to the house. 2 yrs ago we started using a portable electric fence for the chickens & also had about 10 that roamed free in the yard with no troubles. One time part of the fence was down but I think it was most likely a neighborhood dog. We got goats last fall & they are farther from the house but still within earshot. We have them enclosed in about 1/2 acre in a 7 wire electric fence on a solar charger. No problems. Truthfully we have had more problems with dogs (ours included - not the shepherd tho), raccoons & opossums. It might be different if we kept the animals "out back" on our 38 acres tho. We keep the animals as close to the house as we can & use the electric fence as a precaution. I'm sure the dog helps too.
 

alsea1

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Coyotes can become a problem once they figure out your livestock are easy targets. They are very smart animals.
Most people in my area shoot them whenever they see them. They are viewed as vermin.
They do serve a great purpose in keeping rodent populations down in my opinion.
 

Bossroo

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Coyotes can become a problem once they figure out your livestock are easy targets. They are very smart animals.
Most people in my area shoot them whenever they see them. They are viewed as vermin.
They do serve a great purpose in keeping rodent populations down in my opinion.
Where I live in Central Cal. ... there are so many coyotes that it isn't even funny. I see at least 6 of them just pass through my 20 acre horse ranch even in every daytime. Community sings bring together dozens of them at night. I as well as all of our neighbors shoot them on sight with no apparent decline in their numbers. If they are so great at rodent control, why do I have to buy poison grain ( warfarin [blood thinner] as an indgrediant )from the State and place them in bait stations every year with ground squirrel body counts upwards to 100 every year ( not counting those that expire underground). However NO ONE in our area can keep chickens, ducks, geese, rabbits, sheep, goats, or even cats and dogs on our own properties without playing TAPS at every turn. The only way that I can keep meat chickens is to raise the Cornish X in a very secure horse stall inside a very secure barn. I process them at 35 days of age as Cornish game hens and /or at 6-8 weeks of age for BBQs. One time 5 coyotes tried to kill one of my 3 day old foals , but the mare was able to keep them at bay until I was able to run out to the pasture and start to shoot ( I killed 2). One of my neighors has 20 ewes then during lambing season he looses between 25- 40% of his lamb crop. Another neighbor owns 300 +/- beef cows on his 5,000 acres. During calving time, coyotes wait nearby the huge open covered calving barn in a coral while the cow is in the act of giving birth , then as the calf is about 1/2 way out the coyotes run in and start eating off the nose and tongue and then the rest of the calf as it is finally delivered. Coyotes are the very embodyment of VERMIN and PEST and livestock KILLER ! :somad KILL , MAIM, and DESTROY on sight !!! :old
 

M.L. McKnight

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I'm against killing coyotes just for the heck of it, they have their place in nature and help maintain balance. To keep them off of your place I would suggest that you secure your trash, place urine in strategic locations and spread the hair of a large dog or two.
For the urine: you can pee on a post or a tree if you want OR you can fill a gallon jug or bucket. An open top bucket works but if you opt for the jug, give it a pin prick at the base so it slowly drips.
For the dog hair: brush your dogs and sprinkle it around, get hair from a friend or find a dog groomer and tell them what you want and why.

I live in the country and there are both coyotes and wolves here (not many wolves but I have seen a few). I have large dogs, hop off of the tractor to water the bushes when I am in the fields and I have a mule. IF that doesn't deter an unwanted critter then a rifle bullet will but that is only if it were to become a problem. I have free range chickens, my goats kid outside, my cows calve outside, my pigs farrow outside and my ducks do their thing. I DO have a flock of guineas so that could be another option for you, the guineas raise cain if they hear a blade of grass bend or see a stray shadow- but they eat ticks like a champ!
 

AshleyFishy

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Well coyotes are smart creatures. They also will attack anything from mice to calves and small horses (or children).

I don't know about the ones up that north but down here they are human savvy. Meaning they know about human sleep patterns, dog doors, garbage cans, open windows, the tick of a working electric charger.. etc.

The best thing I've noticed here for keeping them at bay is no climb fencing + electric fencing with donkeys. The ones down here HATE donkeys, they might yowl and carry on but they don't like to mess with property populated by a few donks.

Our local yotes travel mostly in singles but pack up at night. Dealing with singles of course is alot easier.

Methods of removal are typically shooting them or trapping. I don't use poisons but have heard of people doing so. I have heard in the past antifreeze soaked meat works well, this will kill other things as well though....I would suggest looking at your state laws for hunting and trapping regulations.

On a more fun note coyotes are great for faux fox hunting or gun and dog hunts. They are popular game here to keep the numbers down and for their pelts.
 

goatboy1973

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Coyotes in E. TN are a thorn in my side. They kill everything and are smart enough to hide the evidence. It was 2 yrs. ago coyotes took everyone of our Spring kids. 2-3 kids were missing a night, and before we discovered what was doing it, they (our baby meat goats) were all gone. We traded a few brood does for a couple of proven guardian llamas and no more missing kids. We also use the little solar charged red blinking lights mounted at intervals along our perimeter fences to scare off the coyotes. They are too smart and elusive to hunt/ shoot.
 

BrownSheep

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Coyotes seem to be a bit different in the West than in the East.

Ours are typically people shy, unless in areas that are populated, They can and will kill dogs. they generally do this by one coyote leading the dog off by itself then the pack going at it. Our dogs have no problems running off coyotes though.

They will typically leave full grown cows alone unless they are old/ill, or are in the midst of calving. Ours don't really go after a flock of full grown ewes often.

We have a pack to the North and a pack to the South and have never lost a ewe or lamb too them. They do how ever clean up our bone yard nicely. They will have full grown ewe picked clean in less than a week.

Ours aren't too much trouble compared to what I hear about the ones in the East. We do have more public lands and I think that contributes to it. It is easier for them to eat rabbits, mice, and deer than to go against farm dogs and farmers.
Legally, they are considered vermin where I live and most people will shoot them if they happen to have gun on them.
 

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