fpbear Posted June 20, 2007 Report Share Posted June 20, 2007 I woke up in the middle of the night to our Dalmatian barking and as I walked out, spotted a coyote chasing the sheep around our 1 acre back yard. The sheep are excellent runners as they perfected this skill playing around all the time. The coyote ran away when it looked me in the eyes and the sheep are OK. We have 3 Dorsets, about 5 months old, which are starting to get large. We have an excellent perimeter fence with razor wire on top so I'm not sure how the coyotes got through. I am reading about coyotes and sheep predation. The articles say that the coyotes are small dogs, only about 35lbs so they go after small lambs. After the Dorsets reach a certain age and get much bigger than the coyotes, do I still need to worry about these predators? I cannot get an electric fence at this time but I am thinking of spreading some wolf urine on the property to keep the coyotes away. Although I am not sure if this urine will also scare our two dogs, the Dalmatian and our new Border Collie puppy (which is indoors crate training but we take it outside sometimes). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laura L Posted June 20, 2007 Report Share Posted June 20, 2007 Yes, coyotes will go after larger sheep. Especially if they are hunting as a pack for pups, which would be right about now. It depends on where you are, as to how big the coyotes are. What kind of fencing do you have? The only thing that I have seen better at getting in or out of a field than coyotes would be LGDs. Have they dug under the fence? How high is the fence? Is there a gate that they can wiggle through the bars on? Did you happen to see how the coyote got out after you showed up? In theory, wolf urine should work. But I don't think that I would be using just that to protect my sheep. Can you put them in a barn at night? Laura Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fpbear Posted June 20, 2007 Author Report Share Posted June 20, 2007 The fence is 8 foot tall. There is a 3.5 inch gap in the gate going out to a trail, which is the most likely place the coyotes would come from. I didn't think anything would get through the gap but maybe the coyotes are small enough to squeeze through. Or maybe they are going under it; I will have to inspect the whole fence but I think it would be hard to find a way to improve the fence. I didn't see where the coyote escaped. A barn is a good idea but we wouldn't be able to move the sheep every night until the Border Collie is older and trained. I ordered some wolf urine from predatorpee.com. Maybe this will deter the coyotes a little bit until the sheep get bigger. I just thought of an idea, maybe this sounds silly but should I put a little wolf urine on the sheep themselves so that the coyotes will smell it anywhere the sheep happen to be in the yard? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill Fosher Posted June 20, 2007 Report Share Posted June 20, 2007 Ah, coyotes. Yes, they will take sheep, up to and including adults, if they don't have the opportunity for easier prey. Depending on where you are, Canis latrans will range from the 35-lb. western guy that you've read about to the 60 to 80-lb killing machines that we have in the Northeast. Debate rages, but I suspect that these Eastern coyotes a hybridized population that carries genetics of the red wolf (Canis rufus). The Western variety generally hunts alone, but the Eastern coyote has developed some rudimentary pack hunting skills. I am sure that your visitor was coming under the fence somewhere. The path is a possibility, but I would also look around the entire perimeter for low spots, digging, or tufts of fur on the fencing. And I would do it today -- a coyote that is hungry enough to come into your dooryard in broad daylight isn't going to stay away long. Contact your state fish and game department and ask them if there are any trappers who might be able to help you get this coyote before she teaches her pups where to go for a nice lamb dinner. I am assuming that you have dogs around since you're on this board. Chances are that if dog urine wasn't enough to keep the coyote away, neither will wolf urine. But I can't say I've ever tried it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rebecca, Irena Farm Posted June 20, 2007 Report Share Posted June 20, 2007 I had coyotes to some pretty bad damage on some Polypay ewes I had. Those were big ol' ewes. A coyote doesn't have to take down a sheep to do serious harm. Running slashes and gouges can disable a sheep or cause it to simply give up fighting. Then it's dinnertime if they are not disturbed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fpbear Posted June 20, 2007 Author Report Share Posted June 20, 2007 I am sure that your visitor was coming under the fence somewhere. The path is a possibility, but I would also look around the entire perimeter for low spots, digging, or tufts of fur on the fencing. And I would do it today -- a coyote that is hungry enough to come into your dooryard in broad daylight isn't going to stay away long. I'll check the fence for fur, thanks for the tip. It was a small dog hunting alone, so pretty sure it was the 35 lb Western variety. It was at 3am, the Dalmatian barking woke me up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill Fosher Posted June 20, 2007 Report Share Posted June 20, 2007 Sorry -- missed the "woke me up in the middle of the night" thing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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