Economic cost of Predation

[townfarmer]

New economic data has shown that in the past 12 months calf losses from wild dogs has cost the state of Queensland in Australia 22 million dollars. On top of that dog bitten beasts are docked 30-50% at the saleyards due to damaged cuts of meat. I know that in many parts of the world cattle producers have more to worry about than wild dogs with bears, cougars, lions, leopards. hyenas etc. Do other countries have similar economic costs from predation?

Andrew

 

[grannysoo]

Predators can be a problem at times, but not all of the time for me. Our biggest predator problem is the coyotes that tend to visit every couple of years or so. We have killed several of the yotes, and the largest one was 95 pounds. That's big enough to take down a good size calf. We also had a problem with a pack of dogs several years ago that killed 6 sheep and 12 goats.

We have a rather simple solution. The 95 pound yotes and pack dogs are no match for the 185 pound Anatolian Shepard that patrols our fields with the cows and other animals. He's always up and on patrol at night, and then sleeps all day. Starts barking at sundown and barks until sunup. He's big, he's bad, and protects everything that is his. To be so fierce, he is the most gentle dog that I have ever owned.

Best investment for predator problems that I have ever made.

 

[S&WSigma40VEShooter]

In the last five years I would say I have lost only one calf to predation. I assume it was predation because it was fine and up nursing that morning. That afternoon when I went out there to check them again I found nothing but bones of it scattered about. NO hide, no guts, nothing but bones.

 

[blranch]

NO hide, no guts, nothing but bones.

Same thing happened to us a couple years ago. Lost a couple calves last year due to coyote problem also.

 

[jhambley]

We have three Great Pyrenees. Since we brought them in we haven't had any losses including not a single free range chicken.

JH

 

[grannysoo]

We have three Great Pyrenees. Since we brought them in we haven't had any losses including not a single free range chicken.

JH

Beautiful dogs. We had one of those for several years before getting our shepard. They are great LGD's to have. The only problem we had with the breed is trying to keep it cool during the 100+ degree summer days.

Believe it or not, our Anatolian Shepard makes them look like a medium size dog.

 

[grannysoo]

By the way, our GP dog could climb a 5 foot gate. I wouldn't have believed it if I hadn't seen it with my own eyes....

 

[purecountry]

A 95 lb coyote?!? Apparently you have a different strain of coyotes than most of the continent. ;-) Ours top out at 35-40.

Our predation is only ever from coyotes. We calve starting May 15th thru July 1st. At that time, the bitches are denned up with pups, and by the time they get active the calves are too big for them to tackle. In the event that a rogue dog gets brave, we have Molly. Half Pyrenees, half Irish Wolfhound, 100% a$$kicker. Babysitter for the kids by day, coyote patrol by night.

 

[grannysoo]

A 95 lb coyote?!? Apparently you have a different strain of coyotes than most of the continent. ;-) Ours top out at 35-40.

Yes. We weighed one out at 95 pounds. I would not have believed it if I hadn't seen it on the scales. It was a male, he was healthy, and he was well filled out. The female that was killed with him weighed around 60 pounds.

Perhaps he had some wolf blood in him?

 

[S&WSigma40VEShooter]

A 95 lb coyote?!? Apparently you have a different strain of coyotes than most of the continent. ;-) Ours top out at 35-40.

Yes. We weighed one out at 95 pounds. I would not have believed it if I hadn't seen it on the scales. It was a male, he was healthy, and he was well filled out. The female that was killed with him weighed around 60 pounds.

Perhaps he had some wolf blood in him?

I read somewhere that they can mate with domesticated dogs. Maybe that is what happened. He could have been a composite yote.

 

[alftn]

I see a few A S and a few GP ,I think the AS many stand taller but the GP are thicker boned...

 

[townfarmer]

We have three Great Pyrenees. Since we brought them in we haven't had any losses including not a single free range chicken.

Wow they are beautiful dogs. Some sheep and goat and even chicken farmers here have had success with herd protection dogs. Mainly maremmas and anatolian shepherds. I haven't seen too may Great Pyrenees. I assume they would struggle in the heat. The problem for a lot of graziers is herd protection dogs are only good for smallish properties. Once you're getting over 10 000 acres you need a lot of dogs to cover that sort of area.

 

[grannysoo]

Once you're getting over 10 000 acres you need a lot of dogs to cover that sort of area.

The LGD will stay with the herd, so you need only as many dogs as you have herds.

 

[S&WSigma40VEShooter]

Once you're getting over 10 000 acres you need a lot of dogs to cover that sort of area.

The LGD will stay with the herd, so you need only as many dogs as you have herds.

Say there are a pack of five to seven yotes or what not. Say you have one dog. While he is whipping up on one or two of them the others go in for the kill. Then you got dead livestock and a messed up or dead dog.

 

[jhambley]

Say there are a pack of five to seven yotes or what not. Say you have one dog. While he is whipping up on one or two of them the others go in for the kill. Then you got dead livestock and a messed up or dead dog.

You need to have a LGD pack of your own. Remember, a lot of the predator prevention is provided before an actual encounter. Your dogs will patrol the boundaries and mark their territory. In addition, our GPs bark a lot to sound the warning to the predators. Another advantage of using multiple dogs is that during the day when most LGD are are rest, one will still be on alert allowing the others to get a better rest. This is supposed to extend the live of a pack dog when compared to a single guardian dog patrolling by themselves. The most important thing to remember about these dogs is that they will patrol not only your property but your neighbors as well. That can lead to a lot of problems!!

 

[grannysoo]

We actually run 2. One is the shepard, and the other is a Heinz57 pound dog that has a set of bulldog chops. She has become quite the guard dog herself. I wouldn't want either of them on me.

 

[alisonb]

Yes. We weighed one out at 95 pounds. I would not have believed it if I hadn't seen it on the scales. It was a male, he was healthy, and he was well filled out. The female that was killed with him weighed around 60 pounds.

Perhaps he had some wolf blood in him?

Or perhaps he just had some sheep in him? :lol2: :lol2:

 

[VCC]

A donkey with the herd will also cut way down on the predators. Donkey will spot a dog or a coyote coming across the pasture and attack it before it even gets close. Once they adopted the herd they will fight for it, Jennies are better than jacks, jacks will some times harass the herd.

 

[grannysoo]

A donkey with the herd will also cut way down on the predators. Donkey will spot a dog or a coyote coming across the pasture and attack it before it even gets close. Once they adopted the herd they will fight for it, Jennies are better than jacks, jacks will some times harass the herd.

We've got donkeys too. They have bonded well with our dogs, however strange dogs are going to be in trouble.....

 

[alisonb]

Ostriches are used in RSA and are not only effective against 4 legged preditors but against 2 legged ones aswell.They are fiecely protective over their territory.