Post by Applelonia on Jun 11, 2016 16:43:41 GMT -5
The coyotes have been staying close to our property but staying away from our geese and chickens for the last few years until recently....We bring the geese in front of the house at night (about 50 feet from the house) and Browny stays with them. She loves her geese. The other week a coyote came over the fence at night to get the geese - Browny fought with it and ran it off. They are all around our property in the evening - yipping and howling. We recently had a baby goose killed when out foraging with momma goose - found the one remaining leg . This happened mid afternoon. Thought crow or hawk as we have an abundance of both. Figured not coyote as they are more of an evening/night threat I thought....After the events of today, I'm thinking it could have been coyote.
Today I headed out to do chores, a little after 6am. I was working outside in the barn and around the chickens for a couple of hours. Then all of a sudden, I heard chickens sqwaking. The three Welsummer roosters came sprinting towards me and Pecan, Beatrice, and Duck and their ten goslings where half way down the driveway and they went running at top speed back towards the open house garage door. The three-month-old Welsummers and Brahmas came pouring out of the woods shreaking and sqwaking. Then I saw it - I big coyote! About 30 feet from the barn!! It had one of the young Welsummer cockerels. I took off running towards it yelling HEY repeadtly. Got about ten feet from it as I yelled. It had no fear and really didn't want to leave the bleeding bird. It ran off. Within 90 seconds a hawk showed up and was circling low. The Wellie cockerel can't walk and is in shock. His back is sliced up - giving him a little time - if no improvement - he'll need to be put down.
Seems awfully brave of the coyote to come out at 8am with me right there working in the barnyard. I'm sure it will return...I can't watch the chickens constantly and don't want to leave them in cages in the barn or coop - want them to have a normal chicken life - looking for bugs, foraging, running around.....but don't think that's possible under the current threat. And apperantly being right there in the yard doesn't do much good with these bold creatures!
Browny was with her primary goose flock and seemed unaware. She is nice to the chickens and will guard them if they are in a pen. But, she doesn't want to stay with them when they are out foraging. She wants to be with the geese and likes to sleep during the day - she's more nocturnal and is up most of the night. She's 1/2 Great Pyranees, 1/4 German Shepherd, 1/4 Collie. There have been times when she gets too excited and decides she needs to herd the chickens - they don't like this or understand and she chases them. She's never tried to hurt a bird or kill it but she has taken birds to one of her burrows and lays over them and refuses to let them leave. She used to do this to the Guineas when we had them.
We don't have a huge amount of chickens - about 25 adult birds, 23 young birds, and some young chicks. They are in different coops and flocks. Their fenced area is about 2 acers of woods and open area. They free range over our property and go into the neighbor's woods to forage. After the coyote attack today, I herded them back into their fenced areas. But, it doesn't seem too safe - just has them contained and not scattered all over. The fence is the same five-foot high woven wire the coyotes jump over and dig under.
My question is...Is there a certain breed of dog that's known for being a good poultry guard dog? A dog that is apt to stay close to the flock and follow them and keep an eye on them all day as they forage. We already have Browny, an Airedale and a Patterdale. Can't say that I want another dog or the expense but losing the chickens to coyote is not a good option and it's looking like that is the quite possible. I think we were lucky the last few years...now the coyotes have gotten braver and gotten a taste for the chickens....not good....
Today I headed out to do chores, a little after 6am. I was working outside in the barn and around the chickens for a couple of hours. Then all of a sudden, I heard chickens sqwaking. The three Welsummer roosters came sprinting towards me and Pecan, Beatrice, and Duck and their ten goslings where half way down the driveway and they went running at top speed back towards the open house garage door. The three-month-old Welsummers and Brahmas came pouring out of the woods shreaking and sqwaking. Then I saw it - I big coyote! About 30 feet from the barn!! It had one of the young Welsummer cockerels. I took off running towards it yelling HEY repeadtly. Got about ten feet from it as I yelled. It had no fear and really didn't want to leave the bleeding bird. It ran off. Within 90 seconds a hawk showed up and was circling low. The Wellie cockerel can't walk and is in shock. His back is sliced up - giving him a little time - if no improvement - he'll need to be put down.
Seems awfully brave of the coyote to come out at 8am with me right there working in the barnyard. I'm sure it will return...I can't watch the chickens constantly and don't want to leave them in cages in the barn or coop - want them to have a normal chicken life - looking for bugs, foraging, running around.....but don't think that's possible under the current threat. And apperantly being right there in the yard doesn't do much good with these bold creatures!
Browny was with her primary goose flock and seemed unaware. She is nice to the chickens and will guard them if they are in a pen. But, she doesn't want to stay with them when they are out foraging. She wants to be with the geese and likes to sleep during the day - she's more nocturnal and is up most of the night. She's 1/2 Great Pyranees, 1/4 German Shepherd, 1/4 Collie. There have been times when she gets too excited and decides she needs to herd the chickens - they don't like this or understand and she chases them. She's never tried to hurt a bird or kill it but she has taken birds to one of her burrows and lays over them and refuses to let them leave. She used to do this to the Guineas when we had them.
We don't have a huge amount of chickens - about 25 adult birds, 23 young birds, and some young chicks. They are in different coops and flocks. Their fenced area is about 2 acers of woods and open area. They free range over our property and go into the neighbor's woods to forage. After the coyote attack today, I herded them back into their fenced areas. But, it doesn't seem too safe - just has them contained and not scattered all over. The fence is the same five-foot high woven wire the coyotes jump over and dig under.
My question is...Is there a certain breed of dog that's known for being a good poultry guard dog? A dog that is apt to stay close to the flock and follow them and keep an eye on them all day as they forage. We already have Browny, an Airedale and a Patterdale. Can't say that I want another dog or the expense but losing the chickens to coyote is not a good option and it's looking like that is the quite possible. I think we were lucky the last few years...now the coyotes have gotten braver and gotten a taste for the chickens....not good....