Coyotes

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BIZIN

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Wondering if anyone has any experience with guard llamas or donkeys? I was looking at getting a donkey to guard against coyotes but one article I read said they are hit and miss and can hurt calves during calving and that is when I need them. We calve on 320 acres in May and June, so wondering what a llama or donkey can cover acres wise and if its a bad idea to run more than one llama or donkey. Any advice would be appreciated. Not looking at guard dogs this year, just think its too late to get one accustomed to the herd and we calve 40 miles from home.
 
We had a donkey for over 10 yrs to guard our 40 head. Never had a coyote bother any of the calves while he was there. The problem with our donkey was that when spring rolled around he would break fences to get his so called girlfriends. You might have to run electric if you have neighboring donkeys or horses around. We never had problems him attacking calves. He would occasionally attack a cow for feed or something but nothing serious. He definately ran the roost up there. Even the bull was scared of him when that old donkey put his ears back.
Do not make a donkey a pet and keep the dogs away from him and he should be fine.
 
Whichever one you pick only get ONE if you get 2 llamas or 2 donks all they care about is the other animal of their own species.
 
I have a jack running with my cattle for six years now. No problems with attacking calves and no coyote problems.
 
I talked to a bull customer about 20 miles south of me. He runs a donkey with his cows. He says that if she as a little one, there will be no predator of any kind come into the calving pen. No cats, no dogs, no coyotes, at all. She will meet them at the fence. I can't remember though if he said it would keep the wolves away though as he said they have spotted some in the area.

Brian
 
I've got a big 53inch female donkey or jenny. Heard their less likely to hurt your calves or cows. I also heard if you get 2 they will buddy together a forget about your cattle. I've never had any problems with coyotes even before I got her.I only have the jenny because someone gave her to me.
 
I had a jenny in two different pastures and if they are in the right spot at the right time they would get after a coyote or dog but my dog that goes with me they got use to and would not bother it any more and I don't know by what they might get used to a Coyote the same way???the next problem I see is a cow will usely go off away from the other stock to have a calf so if she is off in the brush and the jenny is with the rest of the cows it can't do much guarding. Last NEVER -NEVER- NEVER trust a jack with calves and yes I know there will be someone post about how sweet and good there jack is with the calves but for every good one there is 5 bad ones so why risk it if he kills a calf its to late if I was going to use a jack he would not get out of my trailer till I had cut him and then I would sure watch him I just sold a jack and 2 jennys yesterday cause jack turned mean toward calves so I sold them all did'nt think they were worth the troubles to me.
 
Our coyotes don't bother our cows, but the neighbor's dogs will--we have three jennies with one herd, they
were raised with cattle and are not tame at all but stay with the herd at ALL times. We have three jennies and a young
gelding we raised with the other herd, they are very tame and don't stay with the herd so well. Do not put a jack
with your cattle! We haven't but have seen it done, several times, with bad results. Only a jack that is raised with YOUR
cattle will be okay, I have been told, and I don't see a reason not to geld him. I know of one man who has a jack that WAS
raised with his cows but he sold the mother and this jack is just viscious to his cattle though won't kill a calf (he hopes).
 
Thanks guys. Anyone have any comparisons using a donkey to a llama. Have a neighbour has some llamas for sale for $80 each. So thats why I am asking.
 
I have never tryed a Llama but would before another donkey and for 80.00 you dont have much to loose also you would be suprised how much a donkey eats they are real hay burners
 
I'm with mjnetex. I wouldn't worry about the coyotes as they hang on the outskirts of a herd at calving for the calf's dung and sometimes afterbirth. Now if there are domestic dogs around, them I would worry about.
 
msmith":2cu3smrv said:
I'm with mjnetex. I wouldn't worry about the coyotes as they hang on the outskirts of a herd at calving for the calf's dung and sometimes afterbirth. Now if there are domestic dogs around, them I would worry about.
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Use to have a small group of coyotes that hung around the springer pen just waiting on a cow to calve. The minute she cleaned out they were there to get it....don't know of a single calf that ws ever harmed.
 
Coyotes have eaten probably 100 calves in the last 5 years out of our herd. Have a neighbour up near the ranch with 1000 sheep and they take 3-4 lambs a night from April till June. He brings his sheep off the pasture and into the corrals every single night and he has 6 Great Pyrenees dogs and the find a way past them. We poison them, trap them, shoot them and it doesnt stop. Neighbour at our feedlot shot 75-100 every year for 6 years as the coyotes travelled between the valley and the sheep feedlot next door to our feedlot. They take calves at night and in broad daylight. Coyotes are getting so brave they come into my parents yard during the day and walk right up on the deck. They have a $20/coyote bounty in Saskatchewan this year and I have friends who have shot over 300 of them in a 20 mile radius since November. They are smart too, they grab a calf and pull it under the nearest fence so the mother cant get at them, then they just sit there and dine while momma watches. I found a cow in the morning last year pushing a calf out that was stuck at the hips and his nose and ears were already eaten and he was still alive. I've even found them in the feedlot pens with cattle during the winter, they are usually mangy ones and they are curled up along the fence in the straw.
 
TexasBred":2uaogbhk said:
Use to have a small group of coyotes that hung around the springer pen just waiting on a cow to calve. The minute she cleaned out they were there to get it....don't know of a single calf that ws ever harmed.
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Throw in a .22-250 and a handful of ballistic tips and that sounds like pretty much an ideal evening to me.
 
I have had coyotes around most of my life. I have never heard of proof that a coyote ever killed a calf. I heard a lot of assumptions. I have watched coyotes around herds with newborns and never saw aggressive behavior. I am not saying that coyotes won't kill one but this is my observation. The people I have talked to, wildlife experts, say that as long as there is available natural food ,rats, mice, rabbits, other carcasses, etc.) they will not mess with calves. They will however use calves as a food source when they cannot acquire their normal diet. Once they have found the easy meal it may become a habbit and thus a major problem.
Buzzards however are a much bigger threat around here. I have observed them attacking a newborn, pecking their eyes out, and then waiting for them to die.
 
novatech":2duloxg6 said:
I have had coyotes around most of my life. I have never heard of proof that a coyote ever killed a calf. I heard a lot of assumptions. I have watched coyotes around herds with newborns and never saw aggressive behavior. I am not saying that coyotes won't kill one but this is my observation. The people I have talked to, wildlife experts, say that as long as there is available natural food ,rats, mice, rabbits, other carcasses, etc.) they will not mess with calves.
Buzzards however are a much bigger threat. I have observed them attacking a newborn, pecking their eyes out, and then waiting for them to die.
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You are dead on! It is your neighbors dog along with every other one in a six mile range you have to worry about. The coyotes show up after Fido and Rover finish there work. Those Black vultures are absolutely ruthless I keep a 22 mag on every piece of moving equipment around here because of them.
 
I watched this buzzard attack about 2 weeks ago driving down the highway. I pulled over and watch the gruesome feast. The thought occurred to me that I wish I had a video camera. I would like to run the film right behind the propaganda the animal rights activists put out.
 

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