Re: [Blackbelly] Coyote fence ideas
Hi Michael, Sorry everyone for the pre-mature "empty" post. As far as dog breeds look at your environment and climate. There are many good LGD breeds. The Great Pyrenees is least likely to bite a human but do not do as well in high temperatures. The Anatolians are from what I have seen more aggressive towards humans and handle heat better. I could use some "Anatolian" traits in my LGDs to help with my two legged coyote (thieves). I am sure someone with Anatolians can give you better information. I have raised several litters of puppies with 8 month old lambs penned up during the winter months without problems. These were ewe lambs and they had no problem thumping a puppy that got out of line. But the key is to raise the puppies with your livestock. The livestock become family and nobody messes with family! At one year old my puppies really kicked it in regarding the coyote. Several were seriously hurt but healed up well. This has lead my dogs to being a bit "over the top" with a grudge against the coyote. I have never raised newborn lambs with puppies before. I have three bottle babies that are newborns being raised right now with puppies born on April 15th. At this moment they are at equal development status. The puppies lick and socialize with the lambs. And the lambs socialize with the puppies with the occasional nipple search thrown in. I have the bottle babies kennel immediately adjacent to the puppies kennel. They sleep next to each other with the bars of their kennels between them. I only let the lambs with the puppies under supervision right now. They play with each other with the lambs being much taller and more mobile. The puppies' momma thinks it is great to have more family around. Both puppies and lambs will have to be moved outside within days from my garage/shop. The mess is getting to the breaking point. Although it might be possible to get a good dog from non-working parents I would not advise it. A mature dog that has not been around livestock is probably not a great idea either. You cannot look at a puppy and tell if it is the run the perimeter (whole neighborhood) version or the stay with the flock version. My perimeter running dogs are very respectful of any neighbors dog's territory. But if the neighbors do not have a dog their territory falls under the umbrella of protection of my perimeter dogs service. A empty house for sale has become a sentry station with convenient dusk to dawn light. Come daylight the perimeter dogs come home to sleep with the sheep. Whatever you decide do not scold the dogs for barking. Barking is what they do and acknowledge that before you buy a LGD. Mark Wintermute Subject: Re: [Blackbelly] Coyote fence ideas starting to look into LGDs locally. I'll try googling on the subject regarding the dogs themselves, but there are some AB-BB questions related to dogs I'd like to ask: male or female dog? does it matter? at what weight/age are the AB-BB lambs, that they are less likely to get played with and accidentally killed? at what age are the dogs when they are less likely to accidentally kill a AB-BB lamb? since we only breed once a year--in this case, once in 3 years-- and only two or three ewes at a time, we don't have a bunch of spare lambs around to spend allowing a puppy to figure things out. -Michael, Perino Ranch Blackbellies ___ This message is from the Blackbelly mailing list Visit the list's homepage at %http://www.blackbellysheep.info
Re: [Blackbelly] Coyote fence ideas
Subject: Re: [Blackbelly] Coyote fence ideas starting to look into LGDs locally. I'll try googling on the subject regarding the dogs themselves, but there are some AB-BB questions related to dogs I'd like to ask: male or female dog? does it matter? at what weight/age are the AB-BB lambs, that they are less likely to get played with and accidentally killed? at what age are the dogs when they are less likely to accidentally kill a AB-BB lamb? since we only breed once a year--in this case, once in 3 years-- and only two or three ewes at a time, we don't have a bunch of spare lambs around to spend allowing a puppy to figure things out. -Michael, Perino Ranch Blackbellies ___ This message is from the Blackbelly mailing list Visit the list's homepage at %http://www.blackbellysheep.info
Re: [Blackbelly] Coyote fence ideas
starting to look into LGDs locally. I'll try googling on the subject regarding the dogs themselves, but there are some AB-BB questions related to dogs I'd like to ask: male or female dog? does it matter? at what weight/age are the AB-BB lambs, that they are less likely to get played with and accidentally killed? at what age are the dogs when they are less likely to accidentally kill a AB-BB lamb? since we only breed once a year--in this case, once in 3 years-- and only two or three ewes at a time, we don't have a bunch of spare lambs around to spend allowing a puppy to figure things out. -Michael, Perino Ranch Blackbellies On Fri, May 9, 2014 at 8:35 PM, Michael Smith wrote: > This is all great feedback on the LGDs thanks, folks. Mark I am sorry I am > not closer. Would love to buy a pup. Here they cost about $500. (Not sure how > much you get, though;-P > > Carol your minimalist barkers sound like my Aussie Sheila. She's fine in my > book. What she does not do is just go on a 1-hour 2am lonesome barking jag > that does not stop. I would not be able to deal with that, even with > earplugs, which I do use. For her, there's always at least a reason in her > mind to bark. Sometimes she joins in on the local dog chorus of full moon > baying and if I don't like it I let her know and she's pretty good about > stopping. > > When I saw her growl and chase away that full grown coyote the second night, > I realized what a fool I had been to take her to the next pasture while two > perfectly safe ewes, in a closed paddock, had lambs. Why I was so concerned > about their stress levels is beyond me. Now I know the reason the last > attackers last year never came back was soley because of Sheila being in > there all last year. Not a bad use for an untrained herder. > > -Michael, Perino Ranch Blackbellies > > Sent from my iPad > >> On May 9, 2014, at 4:30 PM, Carol Elkins wrote: >> >> Michael, >> >> Most LGDs believe that a good offense is the best defense and will network >> with the entire neighborhood to keep current on the state of affairs. >> Networking in this sense is barking. And LGDs need to bark long before there >> is a problem to ensure that whatever is out there doesn't become a problem. >> In my experience, there are over-barky LGDs, but I have found that my >> minimalist LGDs still bark at things that I don't perceive as problems. Like >> you, my farm was victim to a combined cougar/coyote attack that killed and >> consumed 5 90-lb lambs. I lived under siege until I could purchase my LGDs. >> They were 6 months old when they arrived (they don't become adults until >> they are 2 years old), but they had their adult bark. That bark is what I >> have relied on ever since they arrived in 2008 to keep my farm safe. Yes, it >> can be really annoying at times (full moons are particularly problematic), >> but I have ear plugs. >> >> Carol >> >> >> At 03:50 PM 5/9/2014, you wrote: >>> Sheila is a good dog in that she only barks when there's really a >>> problem. Living only 30-40 feet from the house, that is important to >>> us. I'd like to at least try to get the pup to learn from that >>> example. >> >> Carol Elkins >> Critterhaven--Registered Barbados Blackbelly Hair Sheep >> (no shear, no dock, no fuss) >> Pueblo, Colorado >> http://www.critterhaven.biz >> >> ___ >> This message is from the Blackbelly mailing list >> Visit the list's homepage at %http://www.blackbellysheep.info ___ This message is from the Blackbelly mailing list Visit the list's homepage at %http://www.blackbellysheep.info
[Blackbelly] Coyote fence ideas
Not a fencing idea, just a story. We have lived in Colorado for 5 years now. We raise sheep and dairy goats. In the fall, the antelope congregate in our back property for breeding season. A few come back in the spring and have their babies a couple hundred feet outside our fence. They pay no mind to the LGDs that we have. And when the young coyotes are in training, they are very vocal, the dogs bark allot. Well anyway, back to the antelope. I commented to a local rancher about the crazy antelope having their babies here with our dogs barking at times. He told me that the antelope are using the dogs as a warning when danger is near.The light bulb went on for me then and there. They feel safe by the dogs. We have two LGD's, not counting my little weenie dog. They watch each others back. The Great pyr is the guardian and stays with the sheep at night, while his pyr/Anatolian partner is in the search and destroy mode at night. Liz Radi Nubian goats and Katahdin Hair Sheep Nunn, Colorado 970-716-7218 idaralpaca.blogspot.com ___ This message is from the Blackbelly mailing list Visit the list's homepage at %http://www.blackbellysheep.info
