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Barnyard Buddies:  Guard animals  |
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SandraM
True Blue Farmgirl
295 Posts
Sandra
Coldwater
Michigan
USA
295 Posts |
 Posted - Jul 16 2012 : 7:09:56 PM
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I was wandering if anyone has used dogs, llamas, or donkeys as guard animals.
If yes, can you share your experience?
Thanks
Sandra
www.mittenstatesheepandwool.com |
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grace gerber
True Blue Farmgirl
2804 Posts
grace
larkspur
colorado
USA
2804 Posts |
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KansasFarmMomma
True Blue Farmgirl
91 Posts
91 Posts |
Posted - Jul 16 2012 : 8:13:11 PM
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I haven't but I am sure that other people here will have plenty of other info for you! We have a guard "horse" who personally feels it is his responsibility to rid the world of coyotes. A few months ago one of our cats came tearing out the woods with a coyote on her tail and the horse ran across the pasture, intercepted the coyote and proceeded to kick his butt all the way back to the woods. He's killed at least 2.
Nicole
Farmgirl # 4209
www.bearpawphotography.weebly.com
www.KShappyhomemaker.wordpress.com
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SandraM
True Blue Farmgirl
295 Posts
Sandra
Coldwater
Michigan
USA
295 Posts |
Posted - Jul 17 2012 : 04:35:24 AM
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We have great fencing and have never used guard animals, but Michigan is in a serious drought my pastures are spent. We have an area across the road that has several fields that we have never use, never needed to.
Anyway he only fencing there is a couple of strands of non electri fence. We would need to use electric portable fence. There are coyotes over in the wooded area , we hear them sometimes.
We have a barn that we could bring them in at night. I am just thinking of guard animal as well.
I am worried about putting them over there.
We have never lost a sheep/goat to a predator.
We just need to do something. There is no hay to be had.
Sandra
www.mittenstatesheepandwool.com |
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SandraM
True Blue Farmgirl
295 Posts
Sandra
Coldwater
Michigan
USA
295 Posts |
Posted - Jul 17 2012 : 04:42:29 AM
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Nicole , we had a stray dog that got through the fence . I was on my way out to chase it off. I never got the chance....our pony spotted that dog and charged . That dog high tailed it out of that field so fast. It was a sight to see. We do not have him anymore...or he would of gave me some price of mind!
Sandra
www.mittenstatesheepandwool.com |
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kysheeplady
True Blue Farmgirl
1291 Posts
Teri
KY
USA
1291 Posts |
Posted - Jul 17 2012 : 04:47:40 AM
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I did have a donkey once (didn't purchase him as a guard tho) he kept chasing and trying to "thump" MY DOGS. So I suppose a donkey would work. With that said he was rehomed to a farm that had cattle, and is working out great! I have really good fencing, you pay a lot more up front for it, but it really does pay off. I don't think I could use a dog, I'd want to make him a pet, I do have an Aussie, that will soon be trained to gather my sheep ... I hope.
Teri
White Sheep Farm
www.whitesheepfarm.com |
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MiaBella
True Blue Farmgirl
100 Posts
Michelle
New Caney
TX
USA
100 Posts |
Posted - Jul 17 2012 : 06:41:35 AM
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The farmer that sold us our 4 Longhorn steer uses donkeys. He said they are great for cattle.
We have an 8 ft. game fence all around our 22 acres so don't need any guard animals. We also have 6 large breed dogs that will chase off anything that does not belong here, should it find it's way on the property. We have 1 yellow lab, 2 chocolate labs and 3 Rhodesian Ridgebacks.
What type of livestock are you trying to protect?
Michelle
Farmgirl Sister #4097
MiaBella Farm
New Caney, TX
www.miabellafarm.com |
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ceejay48
Farmgirl Legend/Schoolmarm/Sharpshooter
13666 Posts
CeeJay (CJ)
Dolores
Colorado
USA
13666 Posts |
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SandraM
True Blue Farmgirl
295 Posts
Sandra
Coldwater
Michigan
USA
295 Posts |
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Keeper of the Past
True Blue Farmgirl
925 Posts
Sarita
Battle Creek
Michigan
USA
925 Posts |
Posted - Jul 17 2012 : 5:02:07 PM
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I have 2 Guard dogs. We have watched them get a whiff with noses in air and they are up and gone and then seen Sadie right on the behindy of a coyote. Coyotes are terrible here. We have cattle and sheep. Our neighbors saw a coyote pack trying to get the baby calf as mom was having it. Some stood at the head of the cow while the others were trying to get to the baby calf. 2 years ago we lost a calf this same way and the cow was a mess for months.
Our flock of sheep always is brought in to the barn close to the house at night. The two GD bark lots at night but at times we know when to step out of the house and bring out the big lights and shotguns. It no longer phases the sheep to have the guns go off.
The neighbor on the other side of us had a donkey in with her sheep but a fellow driving by saw coyotes chasing down a large ewe, he stopped and shot his gun, she still lost the ewe. The guy said her donkey was not doing anything to help the ewe.
I was ready to sell my sheep prior to getting my dogs. They like to be petted but I always go to the sheep pasture and pet them. They are kept in the pen with the sheep...we have all good fences that we have seen where the coyotes were trying to dig under. We have also watched the coyotes go over the fences after a deer.
My daughter got me some little red lights that are suppose to help keep predators away, she got them off of the internet. But they are only good of a night.
I would bring your sheep in at night and set up a good electric fence for your sheep...I love my big white girls and praise them daily for guarding my flock.
www.coffmanspinningcfarm.blogspot.com
"It takes courage to grow up and turn out to be who you really are." EE Cummings
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Bear5
True Blue Farmgirl
13055 Posts
Louisiana/Texas
USA
13055 Posts |
Posted - Jul 17 2012 : 5:43:11 PM
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I don't have guard animals anymore, but I do have five cats; four outside. When I see or hear them running, I know someone is here or around the house.
Marly
"It's only when we truly know and understand that we have a limited time on earth- and that we have no way of knowing when our time is up- that we will begin to live each day to the fullest, as if it was the only one we had." Elisabeth Kurler-Ross |
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oldbittyhen
True Blue Farmgirl
1511 Posts
tina
quartz hill
ca
USA
1511 Posts |
Posted - Jul 17 2012 : 5:53:54 PM
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for those of you who have problems with coyotes or dogs jumping your fences, I highly recommend fence top rollers, they work great, cheap or free to make with leftover PVC pipe and old holely water pipe, I use them along with my anatolian shepards, and in many instantces, the rollers do the job alone...
"Knowlege is knowing that a tomato is a fruit, Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad" |
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lauriee
Farmgirl in Training
10 Posts
Laurie
Wauconda
WA
USA
10 Posts |
Posted - Aug 08 2012 : 11:40:47 AM
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We have an Anatolian Shepard, some folks call them Kangals, some folks who have Kangals are insulted that people use the term interchangeably. I just know that these dogs are incredible.
I know that all people are different, and I've read a lot of goods and bads about this breed. Our dog is 7/8 Anatolian and 1/8 Pyrenees. We don't have sheep, just chickens and a few horses. We live in the Okanogan Highlands @4200 feet, so we've got coyotes, mountain lions, bears, lynx just to name the larger predators. We've not had any problems with any of them. Coyotes stumble on our place at times, but Turk runs them off.
What I really like about our dog is he will alert us that someone is coming up the driveway. Our driveway is 3 miles long, and you can see about a mile and a half down the hill from the house. He doesn't go crazy with the barking at first. He just lets us know someones coming with very low quiet woofs, if he knows who the visitors are he lets them in the yard(in fact, he greets them with a smile!.... I kid you not!). If he does not know them he holds them off at the gate until we tell him its OK to let them in.
We did not want an aggressive wild barking dog, and this breed, at least our dog is perfect for what we were looking for. Hes always out on his hill watching. Keeping an eye on the chickens and horses and, of course us. He is not a house dog of his own choosing. I make him come in at night. I think if we had two dogs I would allow him to stay out, but I am afraid that several coyotes could come in and lure him away and he wouldn't have a chance against several of them.
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YakLady
True Blue Farmgirl
652 Posts
Natalie
Montana
USA
652 Posts |
Posted - Aug 08 2012 : 8:36:45 PM
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A Kangal is one of the Turkish breeds covered by the blanket name "Anatolian Shepherd Dog" in the US. However, those who keep Kangals don't like their dogs being called Anatolians. I am getting a female Kangal in a couple months... I won't care if people call her an Anatolian :)
I have Dierks- An Anatolian/Great Pyrenees cross. He's 2.5 years, just now settling into his own, and he just got a pair of sheep yesterday. He loves them already.
The yaks take care of themselves. They also try to take care of any dog in their area, so that gets a little problematic when I own said dog!
We have bear, wolf, cougar, coyote, as well as all the small stuff after the chooks like weasels, coons, etc. We've had no predation loss since Dierks entered the property :) That speaks volumes to me.
Dierks stays out 24/7. He does his patrols and perimeter barking, and he alerts me to any risk.
~Hen 4316~ Just a farmgirl in Western Montana.
Starting a family and raising Tibetan Yaks, Highland cattle, Laying hens, Muscovy ducks, Silver Fox rabbits, and a few dogs. |
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lauriee
Farmgirl in Training
10 Posts
Laurie
Wauconda
WA
USA
10 Posts |
Posted - Aug 09 2012 : 07:57:17 AM
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What a cutie! And look at the size of him! Looks like maybe he has more of the Pyrenees in him than my dog. Turk just does not have the bulk your puppy does. When we picked Turk out of the litter he had littermates that were much larger than him, not so much in height but definitely in bulk and also much heavier coated than him. Thinking that we wanted him to be indoors part of the time I did not want that heavy heavy coat that the dogs need for being outdoors all the time.
I just love this dog. I've had German Shepards and Corgis in the past, and loved all of them, but I sure got tired of all the barking. You just never knew if there really was something there or not. This breed you know there is something out of sorts if they bark. |
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YakLady
True Blue Farmgirl
652 Posts
Natalie
Montana
USA
652 Posts |
Posted - Aug 09 2012 : 11:24:37 AM
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Yes, Dierks is half/half. He has a thicker coat which really helps in winter here when we have 3 feet of snow. Dierks is about 135 lbs, and he does have the thicker build than the pure ASDs. Yeah, they're great :) He has the temperament of the Anatolian, and he doesn't have any of the major Pyr hang-ups like wandering. Works great for us! He's a little too bonded to me, but he also loves his job. If I take him inside anywhere other than the barn or the walk-through mud room, he tucks his tail and feels like something is very wrong. People always ask me how I could leave one dog outside and let the others in (we have a Shih Tzu and a Chesapeake Bay Retriever as well). But when I tell them to let Dierks into the house, and he refuses to go, then they kinda start to get it :) He's always been that way. Born in a barn with goats and sheep, doesn't want to be in the house :)
~Hen 4316~ Just a farmgirl in Western Montana.
Starting a family and raising Tibetan Yaks, Highland cattle, Laying hens, Muscovy ducks, Silver Fox rabbits, and a few dogs. |
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crittergranny
True Blue Farmgirl
1096 Posts
Laura
Lindrith
NM
USA
1096 Posts |
Posted - Aug 09 2012 : 2:08:21 PM
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Wow Natalie and Laurie, your dogs are so wonderful. I love dogs like that. They are worth their weight in gold. I have a Bassett hound that plays deputy dog. He actually does a pretty good job of it. He makes his rounds in the evenings and checks on everything. I have chickens, goats and Horses. But the horses are mostly out in the field. He isn't a heavy duty guard dog but he takes his job seriously. His name is Orville, we call him deputy dog. His nose pretty much dictates what he does and if he smells that anything has been where it shouldn't have been he will leave a poop pile of his own as a warning..LOL. It actually does seem to be effective though. Orville is very brave.
Laura
Horse poor in the boonies.
www.nmbarrelhorses.com |
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crittergranny
True Blue Farmgirl
1096 Posts
Laura
Lindrith
NM
USA
1096 Posts |
Posted - Aug 09 2012 : 2:09:22 PM
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I have a rooster that my husband saw run off a bobcat one day...baddy rooster!
Laura
Horse poor in the boonies.
www.nmbarrelhorses.com |
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YakLady
True Blue Farmgirl
652 Posts
Natalie
Montana
USA
652 Posts |
Posted - Aug 09 2012 : 4:40:34 PM
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Aw, I can see a Bassett doing his rounds :) Very cute, and I'll bet he knows if anything out of place has been around with that nose!
A good rooster is hard to come by since most people just kill them as chicks/juveniles now. But there are some great ones that are definitely worth having :)
~Hen 4316~ Just a farmgirl in Western Montana.
Starting a family and raising Tibetan Yaks, Highland cattle, Laying hens, Muscovy ducks, Silver Fox rabbits, and a few dogs. |
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crittergranny
True Blue Farmgirl
1096 Posts
Laura
Lindrith
NM
USA
1096 Posts |
Posted - Aug 11 2012 : 09:56:30 AM
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Here are pics of Orville and my rooster (whitey I guess)...LOL
Laura 
Horse poor in the boonies.
www.nmbarrelhorses.com |
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showthemlove
True Blue Farmgirl
50 Posts
Vanessa
Vermillion
SD
USA
50 Posts |
Posted - Aug 14 2012 : 4:32:04 PM
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I have had Great Pyrenees (now two for pets), a Sharplenenitz (it has been a while since I spelled that and it is probably incorrect), and Anatolian. All are fabulous. Great Pyrenees love cold weather. Read good books!
I have heard mixed reviews on donkeys and lamas. Some say the latter is an appetizer for the predator before getting to the livestock!
I love the upper Midwest! |
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YakLady
True Blue Farmgirl
652 Posts
Natalie
Montana
USA
652 Posts |
Posted - Aug 14 2012 : 9:42:46 PM
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I've heard of donkeys and llamas both who bond to the older stock, and when lambs/kids drop, they get attacked because the guardian animal doesn't see them as part of their herd :( There are also many stories of dogs being turned out with stock and not trained who kill lambs, too. There are wonderful and terrible stories from all sides, really... just depends on what works for you. And that's what you should do :)
~Hen 4316~ Just a farmgirl in Western Montana.
Starting a family and raising Tibetan Yaks, Highland cattle, Laying hens, Muscovy ducks, Silver Fox rabbits, and a few dogs. |
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crittergranny
True Blue Farmgirl
1096 Posts
Laura
Lindrith
NM
USA
1096 Posts |
Posted - Aug 15 2012 : 06:23:12 AM
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They probably get stimulated by the smell of the afterbirth and haven't been trained what to do with their instincts. When my goats kid the coyotes come in closer. They smell the afterbirth. I would think that one should be with the moms and the dog when they lamb at least the first few times so the dog understands what it's all about.
Laura
Horse poor in the boonies.
www.nmbarrelhorses.com |
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Megan
True Blue Farmgirl
155 Posts
Megan
Hudson
South Dakota
USA
155 Posts |
Posted - Aug 15 2012 : 09:21:06 AM
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i have a pair of mules. Our old mule is ok, but likes to run any female livestock around. the young mule lets deer and such on the place but if a dog or chicken is in his pen its dead. I dont have much as livestock but i think it depends on the animal. my last dog was really good he was a german shepered mix, really protected anying that was mine. Even if someone was coming over i didnt have to worry about them unting horses or letting them out they were his and were they belonged.
www.rockriverexoticsandkennel.net |
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SandraM
True Blue Farmgirl
295 Posts
Sandra
Coldwater
Michigan
USA
295 Posts |
Posted - Aug 15 2012 : 09:41:06 AM
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Thanks for all the replies.
We have never had a guard animal.
We have a six strand hi tensile fence that has kept things at bay for over 12 years.
We are conidering moving animals to a field across the road. We know there are coyotoes. I just don't want to lose anything.
We use to have a pony, one time a dog got in our fence, I watched that pony chase that dog out of there so fast....
never thought of him as being a guard animal but he was that day :)
there are some donkeys for sale in our town that have been used as guard animals, I may call. Again thanks for all of your input.
Sandra
www.mittenstatesheepandwool.com |
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Barnyard Buddies: Guard animals |
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Guard animals
