We always knew it was a possibility but when it happens, it
is still a shock. We have a lot of
coyotes around where we live and haven’t really thought too much about
them. But when I looked out the window
last Friday morning and saw a partially eaten carcass of one of the Shetland’s
I was shocked. Running out to the
pasture I saw another Shetland carcass that I couldn’t see from the house. One of the sheep had been eaten and one had
been killed but not eaten. Both sheep
had wounds that were very typical of a coyote attack, but no other wounds such
as dogs would usually inflict.
The portable electric fence we use as cross-fencing is great
for keeping the sheep in, but obviously not well suited to keeping predators
out. I really didn’t think coyotes would
attempt to jump that fence; it is nearly 4’ tall. Obviously, I was mistaken. So how do we protect the rest of the flock? The immediate solution was to construct an
enclosure inside the pasture that we can put the sheep into at night. We used 16’ x 52” cattle panels that are very
easy to move around and attach easily to “T” posts. 6 of those panels in a round configuration
made a pretty effective predator proof enclosure and it is easy to take down
and move to a new location.
Another option would be to provide protection for the sheep
in the form of a llama or donkey. Both
are equally good at protecting sheep from canine predators. Llamas seemed to be the easiest and best
option for us. They are very quick to
attach themselves to the sheep usually within a couple of days or even
quicker. Intact males are not good as
they will be attracted to ewes. Gelded
males are preferred but ideally they shouldn’t be gelded until over 3 years of
age. Female llamas are also very
effective guardians. Another plus for
using llamas is the food and medications required are the same as the
sheep. The temperament of llamas however,
can be difficult to deal with. Llamas
that are aggressive towards humans would not be acceptable. You have to be able to halter and lead them,
handle them and get in the same pen with them.
They should show curiosity and be constantly alert and aware of their
surroundings. An animal that appears shy
or timid is probably not going to make a good guardian. And single animals make better guardians than
pairs. Two llamas will tend to bond with
each other rather than with the sheep. A good source of information on using guardian animals is http://www.sheep101.info/guardians.html
Livestock predation happens and when it does, it can be
stressful for the owners. We have
learned a valuable lesson and will go on wiser for the experience. And from now on, sheep and a llama will eat
my grass! 