#1 - Even if your 120 pound German Shepherd is afraid of goats, and most other things larger than a cat, tie him up before releasing the sheep.
#2 - Once said 120 pound dog decides that sheep are food on hooves, it is best for the wife not to jump between him and the sheep whilst the dog is running full speed. That is unless the wife enjoys being sacked in replay worthy fashion.
#3 - Do not banish said dog to the in-law's home, pending construction of a kennel, as 120 pound German Shepherds look intimidating (or at least not worth the trouble) to local bobcats, mountain lions and coyotes.
#4 - Coyotes can scale an 8 foot fence. The 6.5 foot fence that keeps the dogs out might as well not exist as far as coyotes are concerned.
#5 - While a pack of coyotes may make a racket in the process of dispatching a cat or dog, they are silent while doing the same to sheep - which are inexplicably silent themselves.
#6 - A neighbor who wakes the sound of a rattling gate, and has the good sense to go to the window and yell, "Hey!" may make the difference between a flock lost and half a flock lost.
#7 - The best way to put down a sheep is a .22 shell to the back of the head, parallel to the top of the skull.
#8 - Do not bother calling a vet, as they will charge at least 4 times the sheep's worth. Having friends who know what they are doing is indispensable.
#9 - You can safely quadruple the recommended dosage of antibiotics to your surviving, but slightly maimed, sheep.
#10 - A butcher cannot legally butcher a bitten sheep; even for personal use as dog food.
Conclusions:
#1 - Night time enclosures for the sheep cannot wait until lambing season, and must be completely enclosed with a roof.
#2 - The dog is coming back and undergoing intensive "leave the sheep alone" training.
#3 - We may acquire a donkey to protect the sheep, as they do the job as well as a trained livestock guard dog, for a fraction of the price.
#4 - Acquiring a shotgun is in order, as I doubt either my wife or I could hit a moving coyote with a .22. It is a good thing that discharging a firearm is legal outside city limits.
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
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2 comments:
Ugh - a lot of lessons in one week! We have a pack of local coyotes in the area, although they are more prone to be higher up the hill. Nevertheless, I practice night-penning and, on most fronts, there is a triple barrier to entrance to the barn - i.e., fence into pasture, thence fence into barnyard, thence walls/gates into barn. It would take a determined predator to negotiate all the obstacles (although you never know).
On one side (the house side), there is more like a double barrier.
My neighbor leaves his sheep and goats out night and day . . . haven't heard of any losses yet but they also have a llama that sticks with the sheep. Since they border us on two sides, we might get some benefit from proximity to the llama, but not sure. The next neighbor down the hill has a donkey that sends up an alarm now and then.
I have shearing coming up - was surprised as how inexpensive it was ($5 per head plus a $35 trip charge).
Best,
-Eric John
I am sorry to hear about your sheep!
We had two layers of protection - a 6.5' fence and a 5' fence. Now I'm adding night penning, and will give our dog free reign over the property at night. Hopefully that will force them back to rabbits, cats, and the occassional unlucky dog or goat.
One of my neighbors has lost goats to dogs and coyotes. The other hasn't had much trouble - probably because boer goats are so massive. Friends of ours down the road night-pen all their animals, and have two donkeys roaming free at night.
We have friends who get their sheep sheared for about the same. I agree it's not outrageous, but as I currently have no use for the wool, it seemed a little unnecessary. Plus hair sheep are supposed to taste better, though I have yet to try it myself.
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