Lighting as a predator deterrent?

[Craig MacDonald]

Getting ready for our bottle babies to arrive in Nov., I'm building their shelter, to be known as either Chateau de Chevon or Casa de Cabras.
I'll run electric to the structure for the interior, but I'm wondering if a motion-activated exterior light would deter night time predators. What about a radio playing inside?

Last week we had a mtn. lion sighting about 2 miles from our place at a home with goats, so unless I get a LGD, something that would happen later, I need to think about whatever protection I can provide.

Thoughts? Experience?

 

[NH homesteader]

Mountain lion yikes! We have a street lamp in our yard and a light on our coop. They do not deter much. We have primarily bears and small predators though. Fishers, skunks, raccoons and weasels. They all still come around if they feel like it. The coyotes stay away but I don't know if it's related to the light or just how much human activity there is. I would definitely run electric fence top and bottom. A light won't hurt but I wouldn't rely on it as your primary deterrent.

Maybe someone has other ideas...

 

[frustratedearthmother]

I would definitely run electric fence top and bottom. A light won't hurt but I wouldn't rely on it as your primary deterrent.

X2!

About seven years ago we had a cat (probably a bobcat) that jumped my 5 + foot fence and pulled a pygmy doe out of a lighted barn and consumed her about 20 feet from the barn, right out of range of the light - but still within the fenced barnyard. The light was probably a help instead of a hindrance. Now I have two LGD's and a bobcat has been seen behind our property and on both sides of us where it's known to take chickens fairly regularly. I haven't lost an animal to a predator in six years now - since I got the dogs. You might want to think of getting an LGD sooner than later. If you get a puppy it will need to grow up a bit before it takes on a cougar!

 

[greybeard]

Thru much of my admittedly misspent youth, I hunted just about everything on 4 legs known to inhabit Texas, including bobcat and mountain lion. Never got a good shot at a lion, but spotlighted plenty of other critters, and the light didn't cause a one to scurry off. Lights don't bother the lions--or the bobcat...or coons, possum or skunks. Evidently, neither do people.

 

[Baymule]

Build Fort Knox and lock 'em up tight. Get a LGD. Be advised that they bark. At night. A lot.

Welcome to the forum, lots of nice folks here that will be delighted to help you!

 

[Latestarter]

Virtually anything that you do, a predator will become accustomed to and recognize as no threat. Unless it "reaches out and touches them" (hot wire - lead) there's really no deterrent value after the initial introduction. An adult cougar will take out a single adult LGD 98% of the time. For a big cat or a large determined bear, a team is really the better option. With a single LGD, you'd best consider it a living alarm system and when it alerts, it means you need to provide (armed) backup. Since I believe you said elsewhere that the goats would be locked inside their shelter overnight, that should solve the largest aspect of your potential problem. A coyote or lion isn't going to tear the shelter down to get at the goats. A bear might/would/could if it wanted to. Cougars and coyotes are (a bit) less of a problem during the day, though coyotes are becoming more and more prevalent as daytime predators.

 

[animalmom]

I don't know if playing a radio will deter anything... might cause more problems than solve with the goats squabbling over the choice of station.

And don't tell the goats there is electricity because the next thing you know the lights are going on and off and on and off and someone is chuckling. Can't trust them goaties around light switches... and hair dryers.

 

[cjc]

We only deal with Coyotes really we tried radios and lighting and it didn't help much to protect the lambs. Only thing that worked was locking them up at night but that being said they also killed on in broad daylight....nasty buggers.

 

[Goat Whisperer]

X2!

About seven years ago we had a cat (probably a bobcat) that jumped my 5 + foot fence and pulled a pygmy doe out of a lighted barn and consumed her about 20 feet from the barn, right out of range of the light - but still within the fenced barnyard. The light was probably a help instead of a hindrance. Now I have two LGD's and a bobcat has been seen behind our property and on both sides of us where it's known to take chickens fairly regularly. I haven't lost an animal to a predator in six years now - since I got the dogs. You might want to think of getting an LGD sooner than later. If you get a puppy it will need to grow up a bit before it takes on a cougar!

I am so sorry to hear this How awful!
I know that a ND breeder in AZ lost several adults this year to a large predator cat.... It jumped the 6ft fence with no problem. Scary.
Sadly they can't keep LGD's due to neighbor problems... so its something they have to live with.

Unfortunately it seems many of these predators end up growing accustomed to radio. light, humans etc. and aren't as effected by these things over time.

@Craig MacDonald I don't know how much land you are on or how many goats you plan on having, but you might want to look into have at least a good pair of LGD's. If the dog knows its not match it may or may not confront the mountain lion, so having 2 or more would probably be best. If a lone dog does try to take one on, it could end very badly.

 

[frustratedearthmother]

@Goat Whisperer - Thanks. It was not a pretty sight and was quite devastating.

I also had a kid disappear and another goat that came up one evening with an injury to her throat that I credit to that same cat. Unfortunately, we only figured that out after the fact. At first we thought the kid had been stolen and that the injured doe had just sustained some unexplainable injury. But, those occurrences were what prompted me to lock the goats in every night and leave a light on.... which obviously didn't help. I was 'between' LGD's at that time...and THAT will never happen again!