frustratedearthmother
Herd Master
- Joined
- May 7, 2013
- Messages
- 8,111
- Reaction score
- 14,947
- Points
- 623
Well, I don't know about the you @Padre23 - but if I have a choice between having my dogs protect my chickens or my goats - goats win hands down!
All right. I guess I don't understand the situation you're dealing with.Well, I don't know about the you @Padre23 - but if I have a choice between having my dogs protect my chickens or my goats - goats win hands down!
It wasn't me that had the problem - what I stated was hypothetical - but exactly what I would do under the same circumstances. Coyotes are notorious for baiting dogs. One LGD would likely triumph over one coyote - but if there are several more waiting then the LGD would probably end up on the wrong end of the fight. LGD's do their best work when there are several of them.
Most of the people on this forum know their situation and what works best for them.
As I recall the ages of the GP's aren't listed. Most of us who have been here and have had conversations with the OP know that she has two very young dogs. Neither she nor anyone else who knows anything is not about to send a pup to it's death against a coyote.
Have you ever owned an LGD - or a goat? Where is your level of "expertise" coming from?
I believe it was HOW the question was asked, not why it was.I don't know anything about the OP's farm or her dogs. That's why I asked my original question.
Doesn't exactly come off as a "question" but more of a poke to stir up the embers of a post that was from November.You have 4 LGD's but a coyote is still giving you problems?
You have 4 LGD's but a coyote is still giving you problems?
Then it would seem appropriate to leave at least 1 of those LGD's with the chickens. And yes, I'm quite familiar with how gutsy coyotes can be...I've dealt with them quite a bit where I live.
All right. I guess I don't understand the situation you're dealing with.
It sounded like you, or whoever was having this problem, was dealing with 1, maybe 2, coyotes going after chickens. If that's the case, 3 LGD's with the goats, and 1 with the Chickens (assuming there are 4 LGD's total) would seem like a reasonable solution.
All right. Then the OP should put 2 LGD's with the goats and 2 with the chickens. My initial point was that with 4 LGD's (at least that was listed in the OP's signature), the OP has some options and flexibility in dealing with the coyotes.
And yeah, coyotes can gang up on dogs, but that's more of a worst case scenario. Most of the time they're on the prowl as singles or in pairs. I've know of a sheep farmer in my area who runs 1 single LGD (an Akbash I believe) with a herd of 100-200 sheep with no problems. And we live in a coyote-heavy area.
Spent a little time on some sheep farms.
I don't know anything about the OP's farm or her dogs. That's why I asked my original question.
The farms in my area, some of which run good-sized flocks, run 1, maybe 2, dogs and that seems to work with few if any issues. The coyotes in this area also get a lot of pressure from local hunters, so the instinct to stay away from human civilization is fairly strong. Not proclaiming that is "expertise" by any stretch. But I've spent enough time in coyote country to know a bit about their tendencies.